Organization: Penn State University
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1992 13:43:45 EDT
From: <RXM108@psuvm.psu.edu>
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.programmer
Subject: Neat Printing Quest!

I have an interesting quest here.... One that most likely has already
been accompolished, but I am writing here to find out.  Here is my
current situation:
I have a PC lab of about 5 PS2's and one AT laserprinter station.  Every
PC has a direct 10baseT direct ethernet connection to the backbone.  I
also have a local SUN network, thinwire connection to the backbone.  I
am currently using PCTCP on all the PC's to connect to the outside
world.  While messing around with PCTCP (I am still learning here... :)
I realized it is quite easy to dump print files using PCTCP's "LPR"
command.  What I would LOVE to do is somehow harness this printing
capability so I could have users laserprint directly to the PostScript
HP laserjet IIID that we have on the nearby SUN network.
Currently, users have to do
their work, and bring their disk over to the printing station.  I'm sure
all of you who deal with this printing method realize how easy it is for
users to screw up configurations and get improper output.  Users also
hog the Laserprinter station and other users wanting to print get
irritated.  My quest is to be able to set LPT1 on each machine to the
locally attached dot matrix printer for draft printing use, and set LPT2
to, say, a generic PostScript driver like the Apple Laserwriter that
would actually "re-route" LPT2 output to the PostScript printer on the
SUN network.  I have been able to compile PostScript printcode from all
of our used applications, quit that application, load the ethernet
driver, then LPR it over and have it print.  I would like the
aforementioned steps to be transparent to the user......
They would only seem to be printing to a locally attached printer.  Is
there some way to trick the PostScript code into bypassing the harddrive
where it is currently being compiled and go straight out to the SUN
network printer?  I have checked with many local people and they say it
sounds like a neat idea but have never come across any *ware that does
it.
Also..... I use InterDrive to mount UNIX filesystems as local external
drives on my PC's.  This works great for back-ups, installing software,
etc.  But I would really like to be able to mount other PC drives from
another PC... same network configuration as mentioned previously.  We
have a CD-ROM that I would love to be able to access from a machine
elsewhere....
Lastly.. I have heard of a piece of software called SOSS (Son of Stan's
Server??) Will this do what I am looking for?  As far as I could tell,
it could not.  I tried to get a more in-depth analysis of the program
but had no luck.  Any help from you out there would be GREATLY
appreciated.. Also, If I do get some software working that does all
this.. credit will be given appropriately!  Thanks for all your help,
call me at the numbers below if you would like to talk direct.  Later!!
+----------------------------------------------------------+
|Roderick Murchison, Jr.      Population Research Institute|
|office: (814) 863-8321       Penn State University        |
|fax:    (814) 863-8342       rxm108@psuvm.psu.edu         |
|home:   (814) 867-1999       murchiso@darwin.psu.edu      |
|       "Friends don't let friends use WordPerfect"        |
+----------------------------------------------------------+