Network Print Device help ..

[Bill Campbell]

On Thu, Nov 08, 2007, Ben Duncan wrote:
>Ok, here is one that is kinda on subject / kinda off ...
>
>Is it possible to open and have EXCLUSIVE access to a Network print
>devices (Jet Direct / DLINK / NETGEAR etc.. print server) ?
>
>I am re-writing some VERY old COBOL programs (Running on LINUX)
>that harken back to the Days of Multi Serial Ports and
>parallel ports. ALMOST no Server uses these any more and am going
>to re-write the SPOOLER / Printing Mechanism, of which some of the
>code open these ports in "EXCLUSIVE" mode.

I've had to deal with this type of going back to Tandy's version
of RealWorld software on the Model 16/6000 Xenix systems where
the COBOL programs did some truly bizarre things (e.g. opening
and closing the print file for each line written :-).

My solution was to create a FIFO/Named Pipe in the /dev
directory which the application could use, then have a program
reading from that device to send the print job where I wanted.  I
still have one customer using this on an SCO OSR5 system running
RealWorld to handle check printing on a network printer.

Bill
--
INTERNET:   bill at celestial.com  Bill Campbell; Celestial Software LLC
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