Datamax MP-Compact4 Installation and maintenance instructions

Network & Communication Guide
English
Network
Software solution
Thermal Printers
Compact & Nova

Network & Communication
Conditions
© Copyright Datamax 2006
Datamax reserves the right to change specifications contained
in the text and illustrations without notice. The content of this
publication may not be copied either wholly or in part without
the consent of Datamax.
In no event will Datamax be liable for direct, indirect, special,
incidental or consequential damages resulting from any defect
in the software or its documentation. In particular, Datamax
shall have no liability for any programs or data stored in or used
with Datamax products, including the costs of recovering such
programs or data.
Part number: 540 441

Network & Communication
Local Printer
When connected locally (with a serial, USB or a parallel cable),
the printer can be operated either directly or through a Windows
printer driver.
When operated directly, Datamax offers a tool, MP
Communication API, in order to make the communication with
the printer more straightforward. It contains high-level calls like
SendLayout(), SendVariable(), PrintLabel() etc.
Network Printer
The printer supports the following protocols: Telnet, Ftp, Http
and LPD (Line Printer Daemon).
The web server (http) is used to configure the printer, see
section web.
The Ftp server is used to transfer files, see the Ftp section.
Telnet can be used to configure the printer or to send label files,
status requests etc. See section Telnet
LPD is the most common way to print labels in different
systems. See section LPD.

Network & Communication
Telnet
Telnet is used to communicate with the printer over the
network, for example sending status commands, configuring
the printer or printing labels by sending text files.
Example: How to connect from an NT Station
Open Telnet and select "remote system" from the connect
menu. Type the IP number of the printer and press OK. If
everything is correct Telnet will find the printer.
The Telnet port can also be used with the Communication API
(ComAPI), an Datamax programming tool, in order to make the
communication with the printer more straightforward. It contains
high level calls like SendLayout(), SendVariable(), PrintLabel()
etc.
To select a network port in the ComAPI, use the following
syntax:
“NETBOX:192.168.1.62#23”
• NETBOX means a TCP connection
• 192.168.1.62 is the IP address of the printer
• 23 is the port number of Telnet

Network & Communication
FTP
The FTP Server is used to easily transfer files to or from
the printer.
An FTP program is required to connect to the FTP server.
When connecting, type in the printers IP address and select
Host Type: Unix Standard.
The FTP server can be used by the administrator to load
Graphic files or label layouts to the printer. It is not used for
printing, only for transferring files.

Network & Communication
WEB
The web server is used to configure the printer. It requires
Labelpoint version 4.70 or higher.
Type the printers IP address in the address field of the
browser and the settings are displayed as above.

Network & Communication
LPD – Note! The settings below are only examples
Most systems (Windows, Unix, Novell etc) are able to print to
an LPD device. The LPD queue name in the printer is mp.
Examples how to set up the printer in order to work with
Windows systems and Unix BSD-type systems (Sun-OS, Ultrix,
Linux, FreeBSD etc.) is described below, in the Windows
NT/2000/XP section. Other Unix systems as IBM AIX and most
other System V systems (Solaris, HP-UX etc) are also able to
print using the LPD protocol.
Windows NT/2000/XP
On Windows systems a Windows NT client or server is able to
print to an LPR port. The LPR port then talks to the LPD device.
To be able to use an LPR port, the "Microsoft TCP/IP Printing
Service" has to be added to the Network properties.
To install TCP/IP printing:
1. Start "Help" and look for "TCP/IP printing".
2. Select the topic "To configure a computer running
Windows NT for TCP/IP printing" and follow the
instructions.
A Windows printer driver must be used when printing to an LPD
port on Windows systems. The printer driver will be installed
using COM1 as default.
To change to an LPR port:
1. Click "My Computer" and then "Printers".
2. Select "properties" of the Datamax printer driver.
3. Click tab "Ports".
4. Click "Add Port".
5. Click "LPR port"
6. Click "New Port... ".
7. In "Name or address of server providing LPD", type the
IP address of the printer.
8. In "Name of printer or print queue on that server", type
"mp". Click OK.
For more detailed instructions, see section "How to set up an
NT workstation/server for LPD printing".

Network & Communication
Unix Systems
BSD-type Systems
LPD printing is the recommended print method for BSD-type
systems.
Add the following line to your print cap file:
mp|mp104c printer:\
:sh:\
:lp=:rm=192.168.1.62:rp=mp:sd=/var/spool/lpd/mp:
• mp is the short name for the printer
• mp104c printer is the full printer name
• lp= does not do anything, but is required by some
systems
• rm=192.168.1.62 is the IP address of the printer
• rp=mp specifies the queue name of the printer
• sd=/var/spool/lpd/mp is the spool directory
System V
1. Create a queue name in the host file (\etc\host).
Ex: 192.168.1.70 – markp
2. Activate markp.
Ex: lpadmin –t bsd markp
3. Add printer.
Ex: lpadmin –p printername –s markp!mp
4. Enable printername.
5. Accept printername.
6. Send a textfile.
Ex: lp –d printername testfile.txt
HP Unix-version 1020
Use the Sam-tool in HP Unix:
1. Type "Sam" and follow the instructions to set up a
remote printer.
2. Select "Printers & plotters", "LP spooler", "Printers &
plotters".
3. Go to the “actions” menu and select "Add remote
printer/plotter".

Network & Communication
4. Type printer name: Type the name you want to call the
printer.
5. Type remote system name: This is the IP address of the
printer. If the printer already has been mapped in the
etc\host file, the name is to be typed here.
6. Type remote printer name: This must always be "mp".
7. Mark the box that says: "Remote printer is on a BSD
System".
8. Click OK
The other way to do it is to set up the printer manually:
1. First turn off the spooler by sending: "lpshut"
2. Use the lpadmin command with different switches to add
the printer, example: lpadmin –pkalle –orm192.168.1.71
-orpmp –ob3 -v/dev/null -mrmodel
3. Then start the spooler: "lpsched"
4. Accept "kalle".
5. Enable "kalle".

Network & Communication
To send a file:
1. Type: "lp –d kalle test.txt"
2. Type: "man lpadmin" for more information about the
lpadmin command and different switches.
AS400
To add a remote printer in the system, type: "CRTOUTQ"
A new window will appear in which you have to put some
parameters. When finished it should look like this:
CRTOUTQ OUTQ(QUSRSYS/MARKP)
RMTSYS(*INTERNETADR) RMTPRTQ(MP) CNNTYPE(*IP)
DE
STTYPE(*OTHER) INTERNETADR*'192.168.1.70')
Internetadr is the ip address of the printer.
Also check these parameters:
TRANSFORM(*YES)
MFRTYPMDL(*WSCST)
WSCST(QSYS/QWPDEFAULT)
Some other useful commands:
• To start a print program on this queue, type:
"STRRMTWTR OUTQ(MARKP) "
• To change a queue to markp, type:
"CHGJOB OUTQ(MARKP)"
• To create a spool file by pushing data to a print file,
type:
"CPYF FROMFILE(QGPL/ETIKETT)
TOFILE(QSYSPRT) "
A testfile must include commands, example:
!C
!F T N 200 200 L 2 2 6 "TEST"
!P

Network & Communication
How To Set Up an NT Workstation/ Server for LPD Printing
When you are going to print with LPD there must be a server or
a workstation connected to the network. TCP/IP services
printing must be installed.
Example of How To Set Up an NT Workstation/Server for LPD Printing
1. The workstation must support TCP/IP printing. To check
this, double click on the "Network" icon in the control
panel.
2. Go to "Services", se picture below.

Network & Communication
1. Here you can see if TCP/IP printing is installed.
If not, click the "Add" button.
2. Select Microsoft TCP/IP printing and press OK.
1. When this is done an LPR port must be added to enable
the printer driver to print to a specific IP address. There
are normally two drivers to use: the Datamax driver or a
generic text driver. The generic text driver should be
used if a text file containing Labelpoint commands (the
printer command language) is going to be sent to the
printer, while the Datamax driver creates these
Labelpoint commands from, for example, a label created
in MS-word.
To add an LPR port:
2. Go to "Printers" and "Properties" for looking up which
specific driver to use (in this example we use Datamax
driver).
3. Select "Ports" and press "Add port…"

Network & Communication
1. Select "LPR Port" and click "New Port…"
2. Type the IP address for the printer and name it "MP"
(always).
3. Click OK.

Network & Communication
Now, if you print from a Windows application and choose to
print with the Datamax driver, the printout will be sent to the
Datamax printer on the network. If other users want to print to
the same printer, make sure the printer is shared. See Windows
Help for "How to share a printer".

Network & Communication
Communication Modes
The printer can be configured in order to communicate in a
number of ways. There are four physical connections available:
• COM1, COM2, USB and NET, see section
"Communication Ports".
• COM1 and COM2 can be set up to work in four different
modes:
• Print mode.
• Terminal server mode
(passive mode = server mode,
active mode = client mode).
• Stacked printers (print mode).
• Pass-through mode (print mode).
The network connection consists of a number of TCP (logical)
ports. The Telnet port (23) is always set in print mode. When
COM1 (and/or COM2) is set up for terminal server mode, an
additional TCP port is opened to handle the communication. The
default TCP port for COM1 is 2001 and the default port for COM2
is 2002.
Print Mode
The printer scans all print mode ports for data until characters are
received for one of the ports. Then the printer uses that port
alone for communication until one of the following two commands
is received
• !D D E (document end).
• !C (clear layout),
if not !D D S (document start) has been sent.
This makes it possible for the printer to separate print jobs from
different hosts.
Example
COM1 and COM2 are set up for print mode. No data has yet
been received. The printer scans COM1, COM2 and the Telnet
port for data. Label layout data and a print command are received
on COM2. The printer locks to COM2, executes all commands
and a label is printed. !C is received and the printer releases the
lock and starts to scan the ports again.

Network & Communication
Terminal Server Mode (NetBox)
The printer has a built-in terminal server function. This means that
the serial ports can be used as terminal server ports.
When a serial port is set up for terminal server mode, a TCP port
is connected to it. All data received on that TCP port is sent to the
serial port and vice versa. The serial port can be set up as either
server (passive) or client (active).
If the serial port is set up as a server, the printer will listen to the
specified TCP port (default for COM1 is 2001 and for COM2
2002).
If the serial port is set up as a client, the terminal connected to the
serial port will get a prompt asking for the remote host. The host
can be either an IP address or a host name. When the user has
entered the host data, the printer will try to connect to the Telnet
port (TCP port 23) on the host.
Example
COM1 is set up in terminal server mode. It uses the TCP port
2001 in order to communicate with the host. The data received on
port 2001 is sent to COM1 and vice versa.
Stacked Printers Mode
One host may be connected to several printers through one port.
Data received on COM1 on the first printer can be re-directed to
COM2, which is connected to COM1 on the next printer etc. Both
COM1 and COM2 must be set up in print mode. The command
"!Y92 <n>" is used to re-direct data.
!Y92 1 connects to the first printer,
!Y92 2 to the second printer,
!Y92 3 to the third printer etc.
Example
One host is connected to three printers through COM1 on one of
the printers. Three layouts are sent, one to each printer and all
printers are checked for paper. In addition there will be a status
request.

Network & Communication
!Y92 1
!C
!F T N 100 100 L 24 0 92505 "First printer"
!P
!Y92 2
!C
!F T N 100 100 L 24 0 92505 "Second printer"
!P
!Y92 3
!C
!F T N 100 100 L 24 0 92505 "Third printer"
!P
!Y92 1
!S4
!Y92 2
!S4
!Y92 3
!S4
Pass-Through Mode
The pass-through mode is similar to the stacked printers mode.
The only difference is that the command "!Y93" is used. When
connecting to another device than an Datamax printer, always
use the "!Y93" command.
That is because the "!Y92 <n>" command is converted to "!Y92
<n-1>" when forwarded to the next printer. This command may be
harmful to the device.
Example
A barcode reader is connected to COM2. The host first reads
data from the barcode reader and then prints a layout with that
data.
!Y93 1
<receive data from barcode reader>
!Y93 0
!C
!F T N 100 100 L 15 0 92501 "Barcode information: %1V"
!R
<barcode reader data>
!P

Network & Communication
Set the COM Ports With Labelpoint Commands in a Terminal Program
Option COM1 Parameter COM2 Parameter
Baud rate.
300 baud – 57600 baud !Y30 <baud> !Y25 <baud>
Parity.
0 = no parity (default)
1 = zero parity (space)
2 = odd parity
3 = even parity
4 = one parity (mark)
!Y31 <parity> !Y26 <parity>
Data bits.
7 or 8. !Y32 <data bits> !Y27 <data bits>
Stop bits
1 or 2. !Y33 <stop bits> !Y28 <stop bits>
Receive buffer size.
500 – 10000 bytes. !Y34 <buf size> !Y29 <buf size>
Flow control.
0 (or ‘b’) = both rts/cts and xon/xoff
1 = rts/cts
2 = xon/xoff
3 = none
4 = disabled
!156 <flowctrl> !157 <flowctrl>
Communication mode.
0 = Print mode (Labelpoint)
1 = Terminal server mode
2 = Terminal client mode
!Y150 <com mode> !Y152 <com mode>
TCP port.
Valid when communication mode is
set to Terminal server mode. When
Terminal client mode is active, the
printer always connects to the Telnet
port (TCP port 23) on the remote
server.
!Y151 <TCP port> !Y153 <TCP port>
Login script.
When communication mode is set up
for Terminal Client Mode, a Login
script may be given to atomise the
login process. If no login script is
given, the login process will be
manual.
Either a script file
name or enter script
commands directly in
the string.
For more information,
see section "Login
Script" below.

Network & Communication
Set the IP Address With Labelpoint Commands in a Terminal Program
NET Command Option
!V100 <a>.<b>.<c>.<d> Set network IP address.
See section "Communication ports -> NET" for more information.
Example:
!V100 192.168.1.62
!V101 Get the network IP address.
!V102 <a>.<b>.<c>.<d> Set network IP mask.
See section "Communication ports -> NET" for more information.
Example:
!V102 255.255.255.0
!V103 Get the network IP mask.
!V104 <host> Set network host name.
See section "Communication ports -> NET" for more information.
Example:
!V104 MPTEST
!V105 Get the network host name.
!V110 <a>.<b>.<c>.<d> Set network default gateway.
See section "Communication ports -> NET" for more information.
Example:
!V110 192.168.1.5
!V111 Get the network default gateway.
To store the changed parameters in the memory, send the lock
parameters command, see "Printer Settings -> Make changes
permanent".