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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