I'm not sure we're communicating. Here are the issues:
1) You need to create what the HP 3000 thinks is a network printer to
which the HP 3000 will send its output. So, in this case you need to
configure the Linux computer to look like a JetDirect box to the HP 3000.
This means that you need a way to have something listen on TCP port 9100 and
accept raw data from the HP 3000.
2) You need to strip out and/or convert CCTL characters to standard ASCII
print controls. Therefore, you need an intercept program that processes the
raw data you get from the HP 3000.
3) You need to alter your report programs so that there are some tags in
each report identifying which customer it belongs to. Your filter program
needs to read the tags in the report.
4) You need some sort of text to PDF conversion software that will take
the HP 3000 reports and convert them to PDF.
5) You need either a web application that will restrict users to certain
directories based on their login or you could even do it without a web
application. This should be simple enough because you can give each user a
unique Linux user account.
6) You need some sort of directory browsing application. You could even
let the customers use Reflection with its file transfer capability.
Essentially, it can be done with simply having one program that does:
1) Listens on port 9100
2) Does the CCTL conversion
3) Reads the tags in the report and places the report in a specific user
account based on the tag.
4) Converts text to PDF
Once all of the print output is in PDF, you do not need to address their
printers. Therefore, you do not need to print to their printers at all.
They will be able to print from any printer at their own site.
In its simplest form it is approximately than 40 hours of work and a vanilla
Linux computer.
Charles Finley
(619) 795-0720
-----Original Message-----
From: Michael [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thursday, August 12, 2010 5:11 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Remote printing issues
Thanks Charles, now the wheels are turning!
Is there better way to skin this cat?
I could setup a Linux box, and use CUPS with shared JetDirect Printers
attached to it.
CUPS is open source, I could even modify it for my own selfish needs,
and has a spooler Web interface, not sure about the user level security
but that should not be too difficult.
Thanks again,
Michael.
Charles Finley wrote:
> This is not off-the-shelf.
>
> What we did for two different customers in a similar situation is sent all
> printed output via network printing to an intermediate server, in their
> cases a Windows servers. On the Windows server the HP 3000 generated text
> output is converted to PDF. In each case, the printed reports contain
> customer identifying tags. The output on the Windows server is placed in
> customer specific directories.
>
> One customer allows their end users to access their own specific folders
on
> the Windows computer. The second customer wrote their own Web application
> to allow customers to view the reports and upload only what they want to
> print.
>
> We have done similar thing on UNIX and Linux but never with the web front
> end.
>
> If I had to do it today, I would use a Linux computer because the software
> to convert text reports to PDF's is free on Linux or UNIX. Our customers
> paid someone a hefty price for the Windows software to do the same thing.
> Of course the most recent one we did was 5 years ago so all of that might
> have changed.
>
> The magic is to use the target server as an JetDirect connected and then
to
> send all output from the HP 3000 to what it thinks is a JetDirect printer
> (port 9100). The HP 3000 already knows how to do this. We created this
> illusion with software on the Windows computer. That way we needed no
> additional software on the HP 3000. The UNIX environments that we did a
> similar thing with did not involve an HP 3000 since it was all done for
> clients who we migrated to various forms of UNIX.
>
> Since our custom JetDirect pretender was written in Visual Basic. I
suppose
> if we had to do it today we would re-implement the same thing in JAVA
which
> is probably only a few hours work. BTW, don't forget the JetDirect
pretender
> needs to know how to read the tags in the printed reports so that is
stores
> the generated PDF in a specific folder.
>
> I almost forgot that one of the two Windows customers had us update a SQL
> Server database with the location of each file that we placed on their
> server. The web application they built accesses the SQL server database.
>
> Building a web application that only allows a user to access specific
> directories on a computer should be a relatively simple application. It
may
> even be available free somewhere.
>
> So in conclusion, it can be done with mostly off-the-shelf open source
> stuff. But someone still need to do a little programming.
>
> Hope it helps.
>
> Charles Finley
> (619) 795-0720
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Michael [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Thursday, August 12, 2010 4:17 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Remote printing issues
>
> Once again I need to tap into the endless knowledge of the experts on
> the HP3000-L, hello everyone.
>
> I have a need to support "Printing on printers at the remote locations",
> to multiple client companies from my HP3000. Kind of like the old
> time-share paradigm. The client companies can access the HP3000 using
> Telnet/iX, but they need to be able to print from the HP3000 (Telnet
> session) to their own local printers.
>
> My initial thought was to add an additional VPN service. Basically I
> want to "Push" print files to a remote client company printers, but I
> don't want personnel from the client company to have access to my entire
> network, and likewise, the client company would NOT want me to have full
> access to their network. This level of security can be accomplished
> using a separate VPN service for each client company. Would the HP3000
> need a 2nd NIC for the VPN, or worse, an addition NIC for each client
> company. Lots of issues! Just thinking out-loud ;-)
>
> Another option would be that I "Not allow printing to the remote
> location", but instead the printfiles on the HP3000 could be retrieved
> (Pulled from the HP300) using a standard FTP, (with user level security)
> then printed on their local network. This would resolved most network
> security issues and not require any additional VPN services, but it
> would involve some additional programming to be done to modify the way
> the application prints on the HP3000, print to disc flatfile, convert to
> rtf or pdf. Then there is also some bar code font issues, jeeesh, the
> fun never ends.
>
> Does anyone know of any "canned" software that would help achieve my
> goal, or perhaps another network strategy?
>
> All options welcome,
> Michael Anderson.
>
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