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IPD/SCS Printer Support for Linux?

Posted by Cliff on from the reviving-old-hardware dept.

All Dead Homiez asks: "My company has several very nice printers left over from our old mainframe setup. Unfortunately, they have a BNC interface that speaks the IPD/SCS protocol instead of Ethernet. We are an all-Linux shop now and we'd hate for all of these perfectly good printers to go to waste, so does anyone know if there is any software for Linux that speaks IPD/SCS?"

10 comments

  1. According to the webpage... by kyz · · Score: 2

    The web-page you linked to says that the printers support a number of protocols and networks, including the option of IPD/SCS support to old IBM mainframes. Perhaps you just need to change the network adapters on these printers?

    --
    Does my bum look big in this?
    1. Re:According to the webpage... by grundy · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Yeah, either replace the network card with an ethernet one (usually they have a built in LPD that you can use, check the docs to be sure) or put linux on an old junky 486/slow-pentium, use the parallel port connection to the printer, and lpd on the linux box

  2. Cost effective by MindStalker · · Score: 2

    The most cost effective solution would probably be to but small print servers. Linksys makes cheap ones that are just little boxes that have a ethernet port on one side and a printer port on the other for like 75 bucks. If you want one that supports several printers at the same time,and has a good amount of memory HP sells em too, a bit more expensive though. Personally the Linksys ones have worked just fine for me.

  3. Just like an HP LaserJet... by red_dragon · · Score: 3, Insightful

    From the web page:

    MarkNet XL internal network adapter options for Token-Ring, LocalTalk and Ethernet...

    You'll just have to swap the twinax board for an Ethernet one, which would (presumably) also contain an LPD server. You won't need anything else, as the printer already understands PostScript and PCL5e.

    --
    In Soviet Russia, Jesus asks: "What Would You Do?"
  4. Google is your friend by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    Search results for "about IPDS" (not IPD, as a few result pages made me discover):

    http://gimp-plug-ins.sourceforge.net/ipds/home.p hp 3
    (interesting... maybe hackable).

    http://www.printers.ibm.com/R5PSC.NSF/Web/ipds
    (you'd probably want to investigate this PSF...)
    also here: http://www.printers.ibm.com/R5PSC.NSF/Web/download
    If you want to do a quick hack: (shudder)
    http://www.printers.ibm.com/R5PSC.NSF/Web/ipntwe l

    more info here too:
    http://www.linuxguruz.org/foldoc/foldoc.php?PSF

    I'll post again if I find more.

  5. Re:Google is your friend [even better] by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    more:

    "IBM 5250 IPDS PRINTER EMULATION. source code has not yet been converted for suitability
    to Linux, if you need the source to the IPDS engine contact me. "
    http://linux.nf/ipds.html
    also: http://linux.nf/scs.html

    also of interest:
    http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:PLzzgNOg34Q :w ww.i-data.com/datash/pdf/epm.pdf+SCS+linux+print&h l=fr

    THe first link here should raelly be of help.
    have fun.
    - Colin@NOSPAMninja.ca

  6. Re:Google is your friend [last thing] by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    http://www.troyxcd.com/products/ep/rpa.html
    definitely useful if you're somehow against using the parallel port on the printer (or if it is not an option.)

    also: http://193.251.76.19/US/

  7. tn5250 et al. by hatless · · Score: 2

    Hmm. Is this the same person who asked about AS/400 access from Linux a few days ago? (The answer is the tn5250 for terminal and file xfer, and IBM's freely-available Java packages for richer AS/400 connectivity of all kinds, including administration and JDBC access to DB2/400.)

    tn5250 also includes lp5250d, a daemon that will pass SCS print jobs to Unix print queues. Which is the opposite of what you're trying to do.

    For you to use IPDS/SCS printers from Unix or Windows apps, you'll need either to do the translation through an AS/400 (create Windows/Unix print queues on your 400, and use it as a print server to get at the printers), or as others mentioned, get a new network module and possibly a Postscript or PCL cartridge for each of the printers. I'm pretty sure there aren't any free software PS-to-IPDS translators, but there may be some commercial ones. Check the AS/400 community sites like mindrange.com. There are active user communities out there and a lot of nice hacks and shareware for OS/400. Perl for the 400. Python for the 400. Tetris for the 5250 terminal, etc.

  8. Printer language by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    IPDS/SCS is the printer language used in IBM environments(IPDS=graphics/SCS=text).
    In host environments you would transport it over SNA (?), Coax or Twinax, or in newer environments TCP/IP, Tokenring or Ethernet.

    In PC environments you use PS, PCL or ASCII.
    and transport it over TCP/IP (LPD/LPR), on Ethernet.

    The existing card will internally convert IPDS to PCL or make a raster version that is thne printed.

    If you are sure the existing internal card isn't ethernet+TCP/IP, then sell the IPDS cards (might be a DIMM on the mother board) (quite expensive) and just buy an internal ethernet card or external printserver that connects to the parallel port on the printer, or even better connect a linux server and use it as LPD print-server a 386 might handle severral printers :-)

    KISS: Don't convert PCL to IPDS just to let the IPDS card convert it to PCL/raster