Originally posted by: dkcc

Hi,
Has anyone tried to connect a printer to a pSeries system via the
USB port. That is; configure the printer as a locally attached
device via the pSeries USB port?
I know next to nothing about network printing.
I have been told that I can connect a printer to the pSeries box
via a network. Just what does this mean? That is; just how does
one setup a network printer? Is this explained somewhere in one
of the AIX manuals?

Problem: I currently have a 9114-275 which has a parallel
port which I use to locally attach a printer.
The system I am upgrading to 8203-E4A does not
have a parallel port. It has USB ports and
ethernet ports. {New printer will have
both USB and ethernet ports!}
How do I configure the printer so that
AIX recognizes it and send print jobs to the
printer.

I would appreciate any help I can get!

Bye,
Dwight

P.S.
Sorry about posting this twice.
I am not sure that I did it right the first time.

Originally posted by: dkcc

Questions:
1) Does Lexmark provide the drives to support this printer when attached to the
USB port?
2) Does Lexmark provide support for this printer on AIX 6.1? Documentation
seems to indicate only 5.1, 5.2 and 5.3. IBM is removing or has removed
support for AIX 5.1 and 5.2. Thus I am planning to upgrade to AIX 6.1.
(Don't want to have to upgrade twice!)
3) If this printer is only supported as a network printer; just what do I have to
do to get AIX to recognize the printer and send print job to it? That is;
just how to I go about attaching the printer to my system?
Got the following response from Lexmark pertaining to this item:

1. The C543 has a driver for the AIX 5.2, 5.3 and 6.1 while the C530 has driver for AIX, AIX 5.2 and AIX 5.3 only. You can use these driver if the printer is attached to the USB port.

2. As long as there are drivers for a specific operating system that will give guarantee that the printer is compatible for that operating system. You can check the drivers at this link: http://downloads.lexmark.com/perl/downloads/downloads.cgi?ccs=229:1:0:0:0:0

3. Logon to an AIX machine as root.
Place the CD-ROM with the AIX printer driver and utilities into the appropriate drive.
Change to the directory where you want the files to be copied. IBM suggests that you change to the /tmp directory and create a directory under that, for example:
/tmp/dpdriv

There are two ways to continue, depending on the media you are using:
If you are using TAR-formatted files, continue at TAR-Formatted Files <etr1mst192.htm>.
If you are using a CD-ROM, continue at Using the CD-ROM <etr1mst193.htm>.

Originally posted by: dukessd

As far as I know AIX only supports keyboards, mice and very recently and in a very limited way USB thumb drives on USB.

For network printing advice try searching http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/ for network printing.

Searching for:
aix usb print
gets no hits...

Originally posted by: dkcc

Hi dukessd,
Thank you for your response.

My investigation indicates that your statement that
"AIX only supports keyboards, mice and very recently and in a very limited way USB thumb drives on US"
is correct. A tech at IBM told me recently about the thumb drive. It was his solution to my
floppy disk requirement. (Wanted to install a USB floppy disk drive!) However; I forgot to ask
if the thumb drive (I assume this is a memory stick!) is compatible with PC/Windows. Need some
way to move data between a PC and the pSeries box. (Currently using floppy disk.)

In my previous post I noted that Lexmark does provide a AIX 6.1 USB driver for their
C543dn printer. I will find out shortly if this is correct. I have order said printer
and will install it and check it out.

After posting my question about network printing I remembered that there is a
"Documentation Library" application in CDE. When I activated it and did a search
on network printers I found the instruction for installing the printer and queues.

Thanks again for your assistance.

Bye,
Dwight

Originally posted by: dukessd

Hi dkcc,
I think you might be able to use a USB floppy on AIX but the problem with AIX is that the USB driver only supports a very limited number / type of USB controller.

For instance the AIX / pSeries USB keyboard has a built in USB hub and USB ports but AIX does not support the chip this hub uses, so you cannot conect even a supported USB mouse to the keyboard port, the mouse must be connected directly to the system.

Yes, by thumb drive I mean USB memory stick but you need the latest AIX TL and service packs to use it and the format is RAW so Windows will probably have a big problem with that.

A network is the best bet for data transfer, or if you can stand the hassle (at the AIX end) then DVD RAM is an option if you have a suitable PC drive and the pSeries has a DVD writer (AIX only supports DVD RAM) but with even more hassle - and unsupported - AIX can be made to write some CDRW formats.

Originally posted by: dkcc

Hi dukessd,
Thanks for the information.

One has to wonder just why IBM added USB ports if they did not intend to allow users to connect
all those PC USB devices. Not that I want to connect all kinds of USB devices; just those devices
that IBM no longer sells or supports like floppy disk, DVD R/W or CD R/W drives.
It seems that the only way one finds out if a USB devices works is to ask a question in this
forum or test it out when one has the system. I was kind of hopping to know what works and
what does not before I order the system so that I can plan the migration from my current box
to the new box.
I kind of like having a floppy disk drive. It seems to be the common media between PC's, Mac's
and most UNIX boxes. Besides, the files I move between the system are very small. If they are
large I burn them to a CD. I guess the memory stick will not satisfy this requirement.
(Systems are not in the same place and are not networked together!)

I guess I am going to find out if my keyboard and mouse will work. I am planning to
attaching a PS/2 to USB adapter to my keyboard and mouse and plug them in to the USB
slots. The mouse and keyboard are the old style pSeries keyboard and mouse.
I really like those old keyboards. They are really rugged and can take a lot of abuse.

Thanks again for the input.

Bye,
Dwight

P.S.
Lexmark support has provided me with the colon files and ppd files for the
new printer I purchased. I am hopping that the drive they are including with
the printer really does work on the USB port. It will make things a whole lot
simpler for me. My system is a stand alone system.

Originally posted by: unixgrl

Do you really think IBM added USB so you could directly attach
a printer or keyboard to a 595? I suspect at some time you'll
see bootable USB keys being provided by IBM instead of DVD.
Just because USB is used for keyboards and your iPod on
a PC doesn't mean that is what you should be doing on Power.

Originally posted by: dkcc

Do you really think IBM added USB so you could directly attach
a printer or keyboard to a 595?

---

Since I am currently using a 9114-275; I am not concerned
with why IBM would add a USB facility to a 595.
My system is definitly not a server. (Although the
pSeries 530? which this system is a twin off was/is marketed
as a server!) I have no desire to attach iPod's or any such
devices to the system. I would; however; like to attach
a CD and/or DVD R/W drive, printer and floppy disk drive via
the USB port. (NOTE: IBM no longer markets any such devices
for the pSeries systems.)
Since the real world of external devices is being driven by
the PC/MAC market place, one has little choice but to connect
these devices to a system via the PC/MAC supported I/F.

I am in the process of purchasing a pSeries 525 {8203-E4A}
server to replace my 9114-275. Thus; I would like to be able
to maintain the capability I currently have on my current system.
I suspect at some time you'll
see bootable USB keys being provided by IBM instead of DVD.

---

I have no idea what a USB key is.
Although I have selected DVD media for my current system,
every system distribution has come on CD's. Have no idea why.
My system does have a DVD-ROM drive so it should be able to
boot from a DVD.

---

My workstation (9114-275) is my primary system. I use it 99% of the
time. The only time I use a PC is when I have to run Microsoft EXCEL
or WORD. (Sometime my filters, desktop publishing package and file
converter applications just are not able to import Microsoft EXCEL
and WORD documents.)

By the way. With the advances in optical media storage it would
be nice to attach such devices to the pSeries boxes. And I expect
that unless IBM decided to market such a device; these devices will
first be made available to the PC/MAC world.
I would rather have a random access device than a sequential
access device. Searching an 300GB archival media for a file
is a lot faster on a random access device.

Not all devices that use USB ports are for amusement purposes.