Rodolfo Lopez ([log in to unmask]) wrote:
: We have a remote site with very limited resources and have the need to
: configure a spooled device that will be connected to a remote printer via
: modem. We do not want to have the communications bill grow unnecessarily.
 
: The question is, is there a viable way of having the 3000 or any reasonably
: priced device(s) do the modem connection only when there is something ready
: in the spooler? We want the port to be shut while no activity on the spooler
: is present within a configured amount of time.
 
I believe (help me serial netters!) that the 3000 already does this today.
Speaking from the spooler side, I believe you configure your printer as a
modem connection (using NMMGR), then use TTUTIL.PUB.SYS to construct an
appropriate TT file for it if one does not already exist.  From the Printer
Control menu of TTUTIL (using TT26.PUB.SYS as an example):
 
                            Printer Control
 
[Y]    Status request efficiency mode enabled (Y,N)
       Frequency of status requests [   ] (1 request per 1...250 writes)
 
[ 60]  Wait time for reply to status request (5...180 seconds)
 
[ 10]  Read retries for XON and status request reply (0...100 retries)
 
[10]   Wait time for FOPEN before disconnect (0...90 seconds or 99,
99=infinite)
       ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 
[N]    Does the printer support duplex printing (Y,N)
 
 
The fourth (highlighted) value is the one you want to configure.  If you now
configure your modem connection to autodial, the connection is established
by the spooler whenever it wants to print a file, and is maintained for
10 seconds (using the value shown above) after the file is finished.  If
the spooler does not start printing another file within this time, the
connection is dropped.
 
If you don't want the connection made/dropped for random files that become
ready to print, you can either configure the modem connection to require
the operator to dialout (messy), or you can set an artificially high outfence
for your modem device, then lower it when you get enough files to print.
 
Hope this helps.
 
-Larry "MPE/iX Spoolers 'R' Us^H^HMe" Byler-