SUMMARY: NeWSprint doesn't work on IPC, but on SPARC 2 ?

From: Claus Assmann (ca@idefix.informatik.uni-kiel.dbp.de)
Date: Tue Jan 14 1992 - 08:19:30 CST


Original problem:

| I installed recently a new SPARCprinter with NeWSprint on an IPC.
| I can print fine most of my files, but there are some which don't print.
| The xnews server (from small_openwin and /usr/openwin) just dumps core,
| although I can display the file with pageview.
| I have asked Sun, and they can print the file on their setup.
| Then we installed the SPARCprinter on a SPARC 2, and it works !
|
| Some information about the setup: the SPARCprinter is connected
| to an IPC with 36MB RAM, 97MB swap, Sun OS 4.1.1, bwtwo0, cgthree0 frame
| buffers, Sun OS 4.1.1, patches from NeWSprint applied.
| The IPC has ROM Rev. 1.6.
| NeWSprint is version 1.0 fcs, Openwin 2 and NeWSprint interpreter version 2.1,
| Another IPC (similar setup) gives the same error.
|
| Has anyone else seen this problem and knows how to cure it ?
| We have to connect the printer to the IPC, it is the only machine
| we can use for it.
|
| Since the PostScript file, which produces this error, is about 24KB big,
| I don't post it here. If someone is willing to test it at his site,
| please send me a message.
|

The short solution is:
The paper size has been set to the wrong values !
pg. 18 of the 'SPARCprinter Installation an User's Guide' shows how to
set up three magnets according to the size of the paper you are using.
We use A4 paper, but the size was set to 11".
Setting the size to A4 produces no more core dumps !

The long story is:
After we have experienced the problem, we sent the SPARCprinter and the SBUS card
to Sun. They returned it to us and said it would work for them
(without notifying us that they moved the magnets !!!).
We connected the SPARCprinter to a SPARC 2 and it worked for us.
So I asked the list about it.
Many people were willing to print the file and most of them could print it on
their setup.
I got one answer from Milt Ratcliff <milt@PE-Nelson.COM>,
who experienced the same problem:
> but xnews core dumps on an IPC running NEWSprint and printing to a SPARCprinter.

Many thanks to:
Vispi Dumasia vispi@lgc.com
                zjat02@trc.amoco.com
Matt Goheen matt@wbst845e.xerox.com
Milt Ratcliff milt@PE-Nelson.com
Celeste Stokely celeste@stokely.mtview.ca.us

who were willing to print my test file.

Don Hooper <hoop@khonshu.Colorado.edu> mentioned that the /var partition
should be local to the printhost and big (>30MB) enough.

Pete <shipley@kizmiaz.tcs.com> gave another important hint:

> I have had cases there the sparkstation (the at SPARCprinter run off of) lockup
> and or crash. both problems were remedied by compiling the SPARCprinter
> drivers into the kernal instead of loading them at boot time.

We have done this before.

IMHO this is a strange problem:
The xnews server on the printhost dumps core, if the paper size is not correctly set
in the SPARCprinter.

Thanks again to all who took the time to answer my question and
to spend their time in printing my test file.

Regards,

Claus



This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.2 : Fri Sep 28 2001 - 23:06:34 CDT