docs/78480: Networked printer setup unnecessarily complex in handbook

[Mikko Työläjärvi]

>Number:         78480
>Category:       docs
>Synopsis:       Networked printer setup unnecessarily complex in handbook
>Confidential:   no
>Severity:       non-critical
>Priority:       medium
>Responsible:    freebsd-doc
>State:          open
>Quarter:        
>Keywords:       
>Date-Required:
>Class:          doc-bug
>Submitter-Id:   current-users
>Arrival-Date:   Sun Mar 06 04:00:36 GMT 2005
>Closed-Date:
>Last-Modified:
>Originator:     Mikko Tyolajarvi
>Release:        FreeBSD 6.0-CURRENT i386
>Organization:
>Environment:
System: FreeBSD sotec.home 6.0-CURRENT FreeBSD 6.0-CURRENT #28: Sat Mar 5 16:58:15 PST 2005 mikko at sotec.home:/usr/obj/usr/src/sys/SOTEC i386

>Description:

Handbook section 9.4.3.2 "Printers with Networked Data Stream Interfaces"
describes how to send data to a printer that listens to a TCP/IP
port by using a filter script.

A much simpler way is to specify :lp=<port>@<host>: in /etc/printcap,
which will Just Work(tm), although the handbook claims there is no way
to do this :-)

The only gotcha is that the port has to be specified numerically; a
service name (e.g. "jetdirect") will not work.

This functionality has been around for at least five years, and is
even mentioned in printcap(5).

>How-To-Repeat:

Read handbook.  Read printcap(5).  Note discrepancy.

>Fix:

Replace or augment the section with some text explaining that
lp=port at host is sufficient in most cases, and that printers with a
"JetDirect" interface tend to listen to port 9100.
>Release-Note:
>Audit-Trail:
>Unformatted: