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Need help connecting PowerBook 230 to a LAN and to the Web

porter

porter

Well-known member
The problem you're going to run into is finding an open-source CUPS-type software that runs under System 7. It's that software that knows how to look for a generic printer on the network and print to it. The idea is to set up a macro that your LaserWriter 8 software prints to a temporary file that is then sent via CUPS to the Linux printer driver, at least that's how I've done it under OS 8 to a printer I did not have a driver for at all under OS X.
Click to expand...
No, no, no, you have netatalk, so use papd to present a LaserWriter in the network, then to print to it you simply use the Chooser.... on *any* macintosh with LaserWriter printer driver installed.

The mapping that papd uses should treat the data as Postscript, so you need to work out how to print pure postscript from 'quad' first.

Samba is needed if you are using a networked windows printer.

 
D

Doctor Dave

Active member
The printer I would like to have my PowerBook ultimately able to print to is on my LAN, serving both Linux and Windows clients. Linux machines (including "quad") print to it via CUPS, and Windows machines print using Windows drivers over TCP/IP. Basically, the printer is on a fixed IP address on my LAN, and any computer that needs to print to it just needs to be set up to send its print output to the IP address. In case it helps, the printer is a Brother DCP-9040CN color laser printer... it comes with Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux drivers, and supports "PCL6" and "BR-Script 3" (Brother's version of PostScript). I am not certain, but I suspect that if I can get output from the PowerBook intended for a Postscript printer routed to the DCP-9040CN, it may simply print.

My guess is that I need to put a line or two into my papd.conf file, but I am unsure of what syntax I need. Currently my papd.conf file is empty (all lines commented out). Any suggestions here?

As seen on my LAN by my Linux machines, the printer currently has this URI:

lpd://192.168.1.213

 
D

Doctor Dave

Active member
OK. So I'm terminally slow. I've been able figure out how to do many things in Linux, but "papd" has me basically stumped.

In my /etc/netatalk directory, I have an atalkd.conf file and a papd.conf file, but I do not have a netatalk.conf file. Do I need a netatalk.conf file if my goal is simply to have my Linux box pretend to be a LaserWriter? Note I already have file sharing working (even without a netatlk.conf file), so I believe the contents of my atalkd.conf file are good. I've tried a couple of different things in papd.conf, but none seem to have any discernable effect.

The printer I would like my Linux box to share as an LaserWriter is described in this file:

/etc/cups/ppd/DCP9040CN.ppd

the printer is located at this URI on my LAN:

lpd://192.168.1.213

I am hoping someone can help me identify the bare minimum number of lines to add (presumably to my /etc/netatalk/papd.conf file) to accomplish the sharing of the printer via AppleTalk.

Is there a way on Linux to see a list of printers being shared via AppleTalk? I can see my printer in the Printer configuration window, and adjust Settings, Policies, Access Control, Printer Options, and Job Options. The Printer configuration window does not seem to know anything about AppleTalk, however.

What I do know is that on my PowerBook 230 Duo I see "quad" in Chooser only as a file server and not as any kind of printer. My guess is that I am not properly sharing my printer via AppleTalk.

 
D

Doctor Dave

Active member
Slight update. Since I added a few lines to papd.conf I am able to see my printer in Chooser (as a LaserWriter), but attempts to print to it fail. They look like they should work, and there is even a dialog box indicating that something is being sent to the print spooler, but then after a long delay, I get a message indicating that printing has failed.

 
porter

porter

Well-known member
Since I added a few lines to papd.conf I am able to see my printer in Chooser (as a LaserWriter), but attempts to print to it fail.
Click to expand...
Do you want to post your papd.conf?

 
D

Doctor Dave

Active member
Here are the non-commented-out lines in my /etc/netatalk/papd.conf file:

Brother DCP-9040CN:\

:pr=|lpr -P Brother_DCP9040CN:\

:pd=/etc/cups/ppd/DCP9040CN.ppd:

Since putting in these lines, I see the printer as a choice in the "LaserWriter" section of Chooser on my PowerBook 230 Duo.

 
D

Doctor Dave

Active member
It's been a while since I updated. Sadly, I've made little progress.

My biggest problem at the moment is that I cannot expand .hqx files on my PowerBook (running System 7.1). I am absolutely stuck, because I can't find a copy of Stuffit that I can install.

I can find Stuffit as an .hqx file, but I can't open the file successfully. I've even tried opening the file using Stuffit running on Windows. The unpacking process seems to fail on Windows.

I found a program called binUnpk at this site, which supposedly can "unpack files in MacBinary format":

http://minivmac.sourceforge.net/extras/binunpk.html

I unzipped the file on my Linux machine, into a directory that I can see (via sharing) on my PowerBook. The file I want to run on the PowerBook is called "binunpk-1.0.1.dsk", and is supposedly a "zipped hfs disk image". When I double click on it on the PowerBook I get the same message I do when I click on an .hqx file:

"The program.... could not be opened because the the application program that created it could not be found."

How do you "install" a program on a Mac, anyway? Is there some trick to it?

 
porter

porter

Well-known member
Just take them out of the zip and you have the .bin. There is most of the time no installer, They are just the executable when they are extracted.
Click to expand...
It's a catch 22. A "xxxx.bin" file means nothing to a Macintosh that has no application installed that will unpack binhex, macbinary or whatever.

You need some kind person to give you a 1.44mb raw disk image (not a disk copy image) of a Mac format disk containing unstuffit. Then you can use a PC to write the floppy.

 
D

Doctor Dave

Active member
PC-Mac worked well for me!

I was able to install Stuffit 4 with PC-Mac, and then was able to install Stuffit 5 from an .hqx file. I apparently can't use a more advanced version of Stuffit, however, as I am only running System 7.1

With Stuffit 5 I was able to install an old classic Mac game, CaveFox. It's slow, but it runs.

So I now have a PowerBook 230 with 24M RAM, sitting in an Ethernet-equipped Duo Dock, talking to an AppleShare created by a Linux machine on my network. My next challenge is printing to my network printer from the PowerBook (when docked).

 
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