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Date: Mon, 8 Nov 1999 14:08:21 -0800 (PST)
From: "Ronald F. Guilmette" <rfg@monkeys.com>
Reply-To: rfg@monkeys.com (Ronald F. Guilmette)
To: FreeBSD-gnats-submit@freebsd.org
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Subject: kern/14787: /dev/lpt0 doesn't work unless/until you do `lptcontrol -e'
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>Number:         14787
>Category:       kern
>Synopsis:       /dev/lpt0 doesn't work unless/until you do `lptcontrol -e'
>Confidential:   no
>Severity:       serious
>Priority:       medium
>Responsible:    freebsd-bugs
>State:          open
>Quarter:        
>Keywords:       
>Date-Required:
>Class:          sw-bug
>Submitter-Id:   current-users
>Arrival-Date:   Mon Nov  8 14:10:01 PST 1999
>Closed-Date:
>Last-Modified:
>Originator:     Ronald F. Guilmette
>Release:        FreeBSD 3.3-RELEASE i386
>Organization:
E-Scrub Technologies, Inc.
>Environment:

	Attempting to print a Postscript to my Postscript-capable HP LaserJet
	5MP printer (via `cat' to /dev/lpt0).

>Description:

	Just doing `cat' of a postscript file to my Postscript printer
	(whose device name in /dev/lpt0) caused the lights on the printer
	to blink for awhile, but then nothing came out.

	After futzing around for awhile, I found (purely by trial and error)
	that using `lptcontrol -e' (on the default /dev/lpt0 device) allowed
	me to actually get the things that I was cat'ing to /dev/lpt0 printed
	by the printer.

	Obviously, on my system at least, the /dev/lpt0 device should, by
	default, START OUT in ``extended mode'' (whatever the heck that is).
	Otherwise, nothing prints, and the typical dumbo user (as exemplified
	by me) will be left scratching his head, wondering what the dickens
	is wrong.

>How-To-Repeat:

	Get an HP LaserJet 5MP (or any other pinter I suspect) and just plug
	it into the first parallel port of any standard/normal circt last 1997
	PeeCee.  Then try to cat some file to /dev/lpt0 and see if anything
	prints.  It won't.

>Fix:

	Beats me.  If posible, perhaps the kernel should auto-detect cases
	where a given parallel port can support ``extended mode'' and it
	should then just set that port to that mode by default, at boot time.


>Release-Note:
>Audit-Trail:
>Unformatted:


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