Print Direct from Linux batch server to a Windows Printer

Hi List

Stupid question - is it possible to do a Print Direct (like from a subsystem job) from a Linux batch server to a windows print server based network printer?

I can create Reports on my linux batch servers, view and print them. No problem. I can assign myself a printer with a windows host and do Print Direct to a windows printer. If I create a new Linux printer in JDE 9.0, I don't see a way to associate that printer with a UNC for a network printer (all of our network printers are hung off of windows print servers).

I see only two solutions:

Direct my jobs that require Print Direct to a windows batch server.

- OR -

Create a linux based batch server that duplicates my windows environment and direct all of the print direct jobs through that server. (not a road that I want to travel down)

Am I missing something here?

Environment - 9.0, Oracle database on Exadata Database Machine, six linux Weblogic servers, six linux batch servers, one windows batch server.

- Gregg

I've done this in the past by installing the lpd service on the Windows Server ("Print Services for Unix") and after starting it, the share name of the printer looks like a remote unix queue to UNIX servers.

Then, on the UNIX/Linux server, I setup a remote queue to send the prints to the windows printer server, where the remote queue name is the share name on the Windows side. Be sure to make the sharename simple, something unix won't freak out at, like "hpprinter" or something.

All the spools should be "raw" mode and do no processing to the data sent thru this process.

Then in EOne you setup to print to the local linux printer queue, which ends up sending the data to the windows printer server.

Good luck!

Hi Greg, (and List)

I don't have a specific answer for Linux, but I believe you should be able to print to a Windows Print server with standard LPD.

I've gotten it to work on Solaris. In case someone finds this handy, here's the command for Solaris:
lpadmin -p jdeprin001 winserver!winprin001

This command sets up a remote print queue. Effectively anything submitted to jdeprin001 on Solaris will be put into the winprin001 queue on winserver. In E1 you would create the printer as jdeprin001. (Note: this is how you can use Print Immediate to send output to Create!Forms.)

If I ever get my Oracle VM Server running I'll see if I can figure it out for Linux and post here again!

David Scheeff

p.s. I see from later posts that you ended up with a Windows server for your subsystem jobs. It shouldn't be necessary. On the other hand sometimes it's nice when troubleshooting to have a different architecture around to try stuff on.