Microplex M204 Manual

M204
PCMCIA
PRINT SERVER
Installation and Configuration Manual
Manual Version 5.6
Firmware Version 5.6
Microplex Systems Ltd.
8525 Commerce Court
Burnaby, BC V5A 4N3
http://www.microplex.com/
P/N 79-204-200

Copyright 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 Wyndham Technologies Inc.
All rights reserved.
No part of this manual shall be reproduced, photocopied, recorded, stored in a retrieval system, translated to
another language, or transmitted by any means electronic, mechanical, or otherwise, without written
permission from Wyndham Technologies Inc.
No patent liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information contained herein. While every
precaution has been taken in the preparation of this manual, Microplex Systems Ltd. assumes no liability for
errors contained herein or for incidental or consequential damages in connection with the performance or use
of this material.
PostScript and TranScript are trademarks of Adobe Systems, Inc. DEC and Ultrix are trademarks of Digital
Equipment Corporation. Hewlett-Packard, HP/UX, LaserJet, and DeskJet are registered trademarks of
Hewlett-Packard Company. IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines. SCO and the
SCO logo are registered trademarks of The Santa Cruz Operation, Inc. Sun Microsystems, and Sun
Workstation are registered trademarks, and OpenWindows, NeWSprint, NFS, Sun-2, Sun-3, Sun-4, Sun386i,
and SPARCstation, are trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. Novell and NetWare are trademarks of Novell,
Inc., AppleTalk is a registered trademark of Apple, Inc., NetBIOS is a trademark of International Business
Systems Corp., Windows NT, Windows for Workgroups, and Windows 95, are registered trademarks of
Microsoft Corporation.
This manual was written, illustrated, and produced using FrameMaker workstation publishing software.
Manual Version: 5.6
Firmware Version: 5.6
Rev: 02/96
Printed in Canada

TABLE OF CONTENTS i
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................i
LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................iv
LIST OF TABLES .........................................................................v
.....................................................................................PREFACE 1
Who Should Use This Manual.................................................................. 1
Organization of This Manual.................................................................... 1
General Conventions ................................................................................ 2
Computer Entry and Display Conventions............................................... 3
................................................. GETTING TO KNOW THE M204 5
Overview................................................................................................... 5
M204 Features.......................................................................................... 5
Overview of Print Server Architecture..................................................... 8
Overview of Print Server Installation..................................................... 10
..........................INSTALLING THE M204 ON THE NETWORK 15
Overview................................................................................................. 15
Preparing for Installation........................................................................ 15
CE Mark Conformity Declaration.......................................................... 15
Installing................................................................................................. 16
Connecting Peripherals........................................................................... 17
...................................CONFIGURING THE M204 FOR TCP/IP 19
Overview................................................................................................. 19
Host Software ......................................................................................... 19
M204 Configuration ............................................................................... 23
Host Configuration ................................................................................ 30
................................CONFIGURING THE M204 FOR NOVELL 51
Overview................................................................................................. 51
Host Software ......................................................................................... 51
M204 Configuration ............................................................................... 52
Host Configuration ................................................................................. 53
.........................CONFIGURING THE M204 FOR APPLETALK 63
Overview................................................................................................. 63

ii TABLE OF CONTENTS
M204 Configuration ............................................................................... 63
Host Configuration ................................................................................. 63
Additional Configuration Options.......................................................... 64
............................ CONFIGURING THE M204 FOR WINDOWS 67
Overview................................................................................................. 67
TCP/IP Setup.......................................................................................... 68
M204 Configuration ............................................................................... 71
Host Configuration ................................................................................. 72
.......................................... M204 INTERNAL ARCHITECTURE 77
Overview................................................................................................. 77
............................................................................................Destinations 77
Models .................................................................................................... 78
Variables................................................................................................. 79
Logpaths ................................................................................................. 80
I/O Ports.................................................................................................. 80
.......................................USING THE M204’S COMMAND SET 81
Overview................................................................................................. 81
npsh Overview........................................................................................ 81
npsh Prompt............................................................................................ 82
User Accounts and Permissions.............................................................. 82
Redirecting Output from Commands...................................................... 82
npsh Basic Commands............................................................................ 83
npsh Command Set ................................................................................ 83
..........................................................................USING NPWIN 113
Overview............................................................................................... 113
System Requirements ........................................................................... 113
Installation ............................................................................................ 113
Print Server Configuration.................................................................... 114
Starting a NPWin Session With An Unconfigured Unit ...................... 114
.........................USING THE M204’S ADDITIONAL OPTIONS 117
Overview............................................................................................... 117
General Options.................................................................................... 117
TCP/IP Options..................................................................................... 122
Novell Options...................................................................................... 126
Managing With SNMP......................................................................... 127

TABLE OF CONTENTS iii
FTP Daemon......................................................................................... 132
Serial Line IP........................................................................................ 139
IP Routing............................................................................................. 143
........................................... TROUBLESHOOTING THE M204 145
Overview............................................................................................... 145
Common Problems ............................................................................... 145
TCP/IP Problems.................................................................................. 145
Novell Problems ................................................................................... 149
AppleTalk Problems............................................................................. 153
Windows Problems............................................................................... 153
...........................................GETTING HELP WITH THE M204 157
Overview............................................................................................... 157
Help Methods Available....................................................................... 157
Technical Support................................................................................. 158
Upgrade Procedure ............................................................................... 159
Warranty............................................................................................... 160
..........................................................M204 SPECIFICATIONS 163
Variable Definitions.............................................................................. 163
Hardware Specifications....................................................................... 165
Software Specifications........................................................................ 175
..............................................................................GLOSSARY 177
............................................................................APPENDIX A 183
Planning Your Print Setup.................................................................... 183
INDEX .......................................................................................187

iv LIST OF FIGURES
LIST OF FIGURES
Print Server Operating Logic 9
M204 Diagram 17
npd Overview 42
M204 Jumper Settings 123
Sample Commercial Invoice 162
Parallel Port Timing 165

LIST OF TABLES v
LIST OF TABLES
npconfig/ezsetup Main Menu 21
npconfig Detailed Configuration Options Sub-Menu 21
Model Types 78
Parallel Port Timing 166
PRN1/PRN2 Pinout 167
9-Pin COM1/COM2 Pinout 168
25-Pin Serial Device Pinout 169
LED Patterns 172
Run and Auto-Reset Mode Description 173
TCP/IP Port Numbers 175
Configuration Considerations 183

vi LIST OF TABLES

PREFACE: Who Should Use This Manual 1
PREFACE
Who Should Use This Manual
A system administrator or someone with a good understanding of the protocols
involved should perform the installation and configuration procedures in this manual.
Organization of This Manual
This manual covers each aspect of the M204 and contains these chapters:
PREFACE on page 1
Contents, organization, and conventions used in this manual.
GETTING TO KNOW THE M204 on page 5
Description of the M204’s features and an introduction to its architecture and
installation.
INSTALLING THE M204 ON THE NETWORK on page 15
Description of the M204’s network connectors and I/O ports, along with steps to con-
nect the Print Server to the network.
CONFIGURING THE M204 FOR TCP/IP on page 19
Overview of TCP/IP host software and in-depth details on M204 configuration and
various TCP/IP host setups.
CONFIGURING THE M204 FOR NOVELL on page 51
Full introduction to Novell host software and to the various print configurations
available with all versions of NetWare.
CONFIGURING THE M204 FOR APPLETALK on page 63
Description of a full AppleTalk setup.
CONFIGURING THE M204 FOR WINDOWS on page 67
Explanation of a print setup in a Windows NT and WfW environment .
M204 INTERNAL ARCHITECTURE on page 77
Explanation of the M204’s internal operating architecture and logic.
unit
host

2 PREFACE: General Conventions
USING THE M204’S COMMAND SET on page 81
Full reference section based on the M204’s command set.
USING NPWIN on page 113
Explanation of using the NPWin to configure and manage the M204.
USING THE M204’S ADDITIONAL OPTIONS on page 119
Introduction to some of the print enhancements provided by the M204.
TROUBLESHOOTING THE M204 on page 145
Helpful hints and steps to consider when you run into problems in any setup.
GETTING HELP WITH THE M204 on page 157
Information on Microplex’s service and support procedures including Technical Sup-
port, upgrading, and warranty.
M204 SPECIFICATIONS on page 163
Full details about the M204’s hardware and software specifications.
GLOSSARY on page 177
Definitions of words, abbreviations, and acronyms used in this manual.
APPENDIX A on page 183
Useful information on setting up your printing environment.
General Conventions
These are some of the conventions followed in this manual:
• At the bottom of each page is the name of the chapter, the section, and the page
number.
• The header contains an icon to represent which chapter you are currently reading.
• Names of other publications and references to other sections in this manual are in
italics.
Caution
Cautions are indicated to warn of any undesirable effects an action may cause.
Notes are added to make you aware of certain steps or considerations, and sometimes
to provide tips or suggestions.
Note
?
B
AC

PREFACE: Computer Entry and Display Conventions 3
Computer Entry and Display Conventions
Command syntax and examples are formatted as follows:
• The Courier font in boldface indicates command entries.
$ping ftp.microplex.com
• Regular Courier font indicates displayed results.
ftp.microplex.com is alive
• Arguments separated by the or symbol ( | ) mean that a choice must be made.
list default com1|com2
• Square brackets [ ] around something indicates that it is optional.
set sysinfo name [ namestring ]
• Command names, entries, and example references are bold along with directories
and file names. Boldface is also used if emphasis is needed.
Enter npwrite when you see...
sends data to the M204 named spike...
• Variable values are shown in italics both in command syntax, output, and in text.
ping ipname
ipname is alive
Please enter the ipname at the prompt.
•Italics are also used for emphasis.

4 PREFACE: Computer Entry and Display Conventions

GETTING TO KNOW THE M204: Overview 5
GETTING TO KNOW THE M204
Overview
The purpose of this chapter is to get you acquainted with the M204. It contains an
overview of the its features, an overview of the its architecture, and an overview of
basic installations in each of the supported environments.
M204 Features
With the Microplex M204 Print Server, you can locate laser printers, dot matrix print-
ers, plotters, and other peripherals anywhere on the LAN rather than attaching them
directly to a host system. Installation is also quick and simple.
Common Features:
• simultaneous support for all all network protocols, TCP/IP, SPX/IPX,
EtherTalk, and NetBIOS over TCP/IP,
• NPWin for Windows-based configuration, management and monitoring,
• two PCMCIA Type II interface card slots,
• simultaneous support for both Token Ring and Ethernet networks, or two
separate network segments,
•two high-speed, IEEE 1284-I compliant parallel ports, with four-speeds to
support any peripheral, slow or fast,
•two serial ports,
•autosensing of the PCMCIA card to see which network it is attached to,
•automatic frame type sensing on Ethernet and Token Ring networks,
•multi-level configuration security through passwords and permission levels,
•SNMP support through MIB II, custom MIBs, and custom traps to aid in
network management,
•multiple printer destinations for printing flexibility,

6 GETTING TO KNOW THE M204: M204 Features
•load-balancing so a job can be redirected to an idle printer instead of waiting for
a particular one to free up,
• the choice to disable selected Print Server services,
•extra printing functionality such as carriage return insertion to remove some of
the processing burden from the host,
• banner/trailer page generation,
• autosensing of job/file format for ASCII to PostScript conversion or for
automatic switching of the printer’s emulation mode,
•header and trailer strings to instruct printers in tray selection, font, pitch,
simplex/duplex, and other options,
•logging to keep track of job, user, page count,checksum, and printer error
information,
• TCP/IP syslog and SMTP (email) support for additional logging functionality,
•backchanneling for printers to send various PostScript messages about: print-job
status, paper out, paper jam, busy, toner out, etc. back through a serial port,
•queuing of all print jobs on LANs or WANs, while supporting up to four printers
simultaneously,
TCP/IP Features:
•further configuration security through TCP access lists,
•scrambled print job data to protect the job as it passes over the network,
•ability to telnet and ping to another host on the network from the M204 allowing
for terminal server capabilities,
• up to 256 simultaneous TCP connections,
•GOSIP RFC-1042 support,
•IP Routing support for communications over separate networks,
•FTP daemon support for printing, unit monitoring, and configuration,
•SLIP support for serial port network communications,
Novell Features
•support for all versions of NetWare, including NetWare 4,

GETTING TO KNOW THE M204: M204 Features 7
•simultaneous support of multiple Novell frame types,
•encrypted password support,
•queueing on up to 32 queues over 16 file servers,
• ability to add a preferred Novell file server list,
•automatic frame type sensing of all Novell frame types,
AppleTalk Features:
•quick printer setup through the Chooser,
• ability to disable certain print destinations on the M204 so they don’t all appear
in the Chooser,
•configurable AppleTalk zones,
NetBIOS Features:
•NetBIOS over TCP/IP support for Windows NT, Windows 95, and Windows
for Workgroups,
•simple printer setup,
Printer Support
The M204 Print Server is compatible with PC’s, UNIX systems, Macintosh comput-
ers, minis, and mainframes as long as at least one of the following is present:
TCP/IP
• an LPR client to interact with our Line Printer Daemon on the unit,
• an RSH client (i.e. rsh, remsh, rcmd) to interact with our RSH Daemon,
• the ability to print directly to a TCP port number on our unit; we have a TCP port
number mapped to each I/O port on the unit by default (i.e. com1 is 4000),
Other
• NetWare support,
• AppleTalk over EtherTalk support,
• NetBIOS over TCP/IP support,

8 GETTING TO KNOW THE M204: Overview of Print Server Architecture
Overview of Print Server Architecture
This section will provide an overview of how the M204 works. To better understand
how the Print Server works, it is important to understand I/O ports,destinations and
models.
I/O Ports
The M204 has four I/O ports; two parallel and two serial ports. Printers can be
attached to any or all of the four I/O ports. Each I/O port has an internal queuing
mechanism that automatically queues print jobs on a first-come, first-serve basis even
if the print jobs come from different network environments (e.g. Novell and TCP/IP).
Destinations
When you send a print job to the Print Server, the print job doesn’t go directly to an
I/O port but first goes to a destination. A destination can be thought of as logical place
on the Print Server to send print jobs. Each destination has an I/O port and a model
(see below) associated with it. The purpose of our destinations is to allow you the
ability to configure a number of different print setups on the Print Server.
There are eight pre-defined destinations on the Print Server and each of them, by
default, is associated to one of the four I/O ports on the unit (two destinations per I/O
port). By default, the destinations have names such as d1prn1, d2prn2, d3com1, etc. If
you like, any of these destination names can be changed to be something more mean-
ingful.
Models
Each destination on the unit also has a model associated with it. The eight models (one
per destination) can be thought of as a series of mini-filter that can do special process-
ing to the print job data. For example, a model can be set up to do such things as
ASCII to PostScript conversion (a2ps) or carriage return insertion (onlcr).
By default, all eight models on the Print Server are initially set up to be raw. When
raw, they simply pass data through to the I/O port untouched. By default, the models
are named m1 through to m8 but can be changed to be something more meaningful.
Models only need to be reconfigured when you want to do special processing to all the
print jobs that are sent to a particular destination.

GETTING TO KNOW THE M204: Overview of Print Server Architecture 9
Summary
When you are doing a print setup, you must direct print jobs to a particular destination
which is mapped to an I/O port to which the printer(s) is attached. The destination’s
associated model is then used for any extra processing of the data, if required. Each
I/O port has an internal queuing mechanism that automatically queues print jobs on a
first-come, first-serve basis.
For more information on I/O ports, destinations, and models, please see M204 INTER-
NAL ARCHITECTURE on page 77.
Figure 1: Print Server Operating Logic
Destination
PRN1 I/O port
COM1 I/O port
COM2 I/O port
Model
M204 Print Server
PRN2 I/O port
banner/trailer page
header string
trailer string
CR insertion (onlcr)
tab expansion (xtab)
ASCII to PostScript
descrambling
TCP/IP
host
Novell
host
Mac
host
printer
printer
printer
printer
NT
host
WfW
host
d1prn1
printer switching
This example follows a print job sent to destination d1prn1.
d1prn1
is associated with model m1 and the I/O port prn1 .
When the data is passed through the associated model, any job
processing specified by the model is performed on the data.
If no additional processing is specified, the data is passed
through to the I/O port untouched.
d2prn2
d8com2 m8
m2
m1
.
.
..
.
.

10 GETTING TO KNOW THE M204: Overview of Print Server Installation
Overview of Print Server Installation
This section will provide an overview of the basic steps required to install the M204 in
the various supported environments: Unix, Novell (PSERVER and RPRINTER), Net-
BIOS over TCP/IP, and AppleTalk.
Before installing the Print Server, it may be useful to look at Appendix A, Planning
Your Print Setup on page 183 for advantages/disadvantages of various configuration
options.
Basic Unix Configuration
The following outlines the basic steps required to add a M204 to a Unix network.
Once the unit is physically attached to the network, you need to:
1 Assign an IP address, netmask, and possibly a default router to the M204. This
can be done in several ways:
• automatically with ezsetup or npconfig (option 1 from the Main Menu).
Please see page 24.
• manually through the network using ARP. Please see page 25.
• manually through the network using RARP. Please see page 26.
• manually through the network using BOOTP. Please see page 27.
• manually through the COM port. Please see page 28.
2 Configure the print setup on the host to print to this unit. This can be done in sev-
eral ways depending on your host system.
• automatically with ezsetup or npconfig (Option 2 from the Main Menu)
Please see page 24.
• manually for a BSD Unix environment. Please see page 35.
• manually for a System V Unix environment. Please see page 39.
• manually for a AIX Unix environment. Please see page 47.
N
o
t
e

GETTING TO KNOW THE M204: Overview of Print Server Installation 11
Basic Novell Configuration
PSERVER Setup
The following outlines the basic steps required to add a M204 to a Novell network
using a PSERVER setup and applies to any Netware version. The M204 replaces a
dedicated workstation running PSERVER.EXE or PSERVER.NLM so these are no
longer needed.
Once the unit is physically attached to the network, you need to:
1 Enter into a PCONSOLE session. PCONSOLE is used for the entire print setup.
2 Create a new queue.
3 Create a new print server. The name will be is M_xxxxxx where xxxxxx is the last
six digits of the Ethernet address as found on the bottom of the unit.
4 Add a new printer and type in the name of one of the eight default destinations on
the unit. (e.g. d1prn1, d2prn2, etc.) At the prompt for the type field, select
DEFINED ELSEWHERE. If this is not available, choose PARALLEL.
5 Associate this printer with the queue defined in Step 2.
6 Reboot the Print Server and wait about a minute for it to connect to the file server.
RPRINTER Setup
The following outlines the basic steps required to add a M204 to a Novell network
using a RPRINTER setup and applies to any Netware version. The M204 interacts
with an existing PSERVER running PSERVER.EXE or PSERVER.NLM.
Once the unit is physically attached to the network, you need to:
1 Enter into a PCONSOLE session.
2 Create a new queue.
3 Select an existing PSERVER and define a new remote printer. The printer name
can be anything but the type must be REMOTE OTHER/UNKNOWN.
4 Associate this printer with the queue created in step 2.
5 Exit PCONSOLE.
6 Restart PSERVER. (e.g. PSERVER.NLM)
7 Go to SYS:\LOGIN and create a directory named M_xxxxxx where xxxxxx is the

12 GETTING TO KNOW THE M204: Overview of Print Server Installation
last six digits of the Ethernet address as found on the bottom of the unit.
8 Inside this directory, create a file called CONFIG.
9 Enter the line: set rprinter add
pservername printernumber dest-
name where pservername is the existing PSERVER’s name, printernumber is the
defined number for this printer in that PSERVER, and destname is a M204 desti-
nation (e.g. d1prn1, d4com2, etc.).
10 Reboot the Print Server and wait about a minute for it to connect to the file server.
For more information on Novell PSERVER or RPRINTER configuration, please see
CONFIGURING THE M204 FOR NOVELL on page 51.
Basic Windows Configuration
The following outlines the basic steps required to add a M204 to a Windows NT Ver-
sion 3.5 network using the LPR print method.
Once the unit is physically attached to the network, you need to:
1 Ensure that the appropriate network software is installed on your host system. In
the Network Settings dialogue box, make sure you see these in the Installed Net-
work Software scroll box:
• MS TCP/IP Printing
• TCP/IP Protocol
• Simple TCP/IP Service
2 Make sure your workstation has an IP address and netmask.
3 Assign an IP address and netmask to the M204. Use a PC or terminal connected to
the Print Server’s serial port to do this. Please see Manual Configuration Through
the COM Port on page 28 for information on completing this step.
4 On your NT workstation, select the Print Manager.
5 Select Create a Printer from the Printer menu.
6 Define the printer name and driver. In the Print to field, select Other...
7 Choose LPR port from the displayed list and select OK.
8 Enter the name or IP address of the Print Server.
9 Fill in the destination on the Print Server and select OK. The destination will be