printcap - printer capability data base


SYNOPSIS

       /etc/printcap database


DESCRIPTION

       The format of the LPNng printcap database was based on the
       termcap(5) data base file format.  Entries in the printcap
       Each  entry  in  the  data  base is used to define various
       options and values to control the printing and spooling of
       print jobs.


USER AND SYSTEM PRINTCAP FILES

       The  system printcap file is usually in /etc/printcap, and
       contains information common to all  users  and  the  LPRng
       printing  system.   User  printcap  files  are  usually in
       ${HOME}/.printcap, and contain user configurable  informa­
       tion for printer information.

       The  user  printcap  file  is used only by client programs
       such as lpr , lprm , lpq , and lpq .  The  information  in
       the  user  printcap  file overrides the information in the
       system printcap file.


CAPABILITIES

       The database is a  simplified  form  of  the  termcap  (5)
       database.   Leading  whitespace on each line is discarded,
       and blank lines or lines which then start with  a  comment
       character  (#) are discarded.  A line which does not start
       with a colon (:) or bar (|) starts a printer entry defini­
       tion.   Lines  ending  with a backslash (\) are assumed to
       continue to the next line; this is for compatibility  with
       other  historical  printcap file formats.  Trailing blanks
       and tabs (whitespace) for  an  option  value  are  deleted
       unless the last one is escaped with a backslash (``\'').

       A  printer definition starts with a  primary printer name,
       followed by zero or more alternative printer  names,  fol­
       lowed  by  a set of keyword entries and values.  For exam­
       ple:

       #comment
       # primary printer name
       lp
       #alternate names
        |lp2|lp3
        |Example of a printer
        :sd=/usr/spool/LPD/lp
        :rw:lp=/dev/lp:mx#100
       include /etc/printcap/mainprintcap

       The special printcap  definition  include  will  read  the

       next set of printcap entries.

       Keywords can be 1 to an indefinate  number  of  characters
       long,  and are case sensitive.  Values for keywords can be
       strings (:st=string:), signed integer values using  the  C
       language  notation,  (:nu#12:max#-2:mask#0x1EF:), or flags
       (:flag: to set to 1, :flag@: to clear to 0).  Integer val­
       ues  must  be  representable as 32 bit 2's complement num­
       bers; care should be taken with extremely large numbers.

       If the primary name of a  printcap  entry  starts  with  a
       punctuation  character,  then  the entry may be referenced
       using the tc capability, but is ignored  otherwise.   This
       allows  common printcap information to be placed in a sin­
       gle entry.

       The special printcap entry oh (i.e. - only this host)  may
       be  used to select a printcap entry for use by one or more
       hosts.  The oh entry can be a list of  one  or  more  host
       names  or glob type of patterns.  These patterns are first
       applied to the host's fully  qualified  domain  name,  and
       then  used to to a lookup of an IP address.  If either the
       glob match or the host has a matching IP address then  the
       printcap  entry  is  selected  for  use.  In addition, the
       server flag indicates that only the LPD server is  to  use
       this printcap entry.  This allows client and server print­
       cap information be to be segragated in a simple manner.

       The following is a list of the keywords currently used  by
       the  LPRng software.  Many of these keywords are used only
       by the LPD server, others are used by the client  programs
       LPR,  LPC,  LPRM,  PAC, as well as the server.  In the Use
       column in the table below, an A stands for all programs, D
       stands  for lpd, and R stands for the client programs such
       as LPR.

       Some of these entries can only appear or have an effect if
       they   are  in  the  lpc.conf  initialization  file.   See
       lpd.conf(5) for further details.


ENTRIES BY ALPHABETICAL ORDER

       FL  Use Type Default     Description
       Xf  D   str  NULL        output filter for format X (used by lpd).
                                'filter' sets default filter
       ab  D   bool false       always print banner, ignore lpr -h option
       achk    D    bool false
                                If TRUE LPD will check for a 'ACCEPT' reply to the initial
                                accounting information written to a filter at the start
                                of a job.
       ae  D   str              accounting format for end of job or a program to run
                       to record accounting information (see also af, la, ar
                                and Accounting).
       af  D   str  NULL

                                If the format is host%port,  a tcp socket connection will
                                be made to port on host.  The as and ae strings
                                will be printed to the specified destination.
                                The accounting file will not be created, it must exist for
                                LPD to append data to it.
       ah  D   bool false       auto-hold - job held until explicitly released
       all A   str  NULL        a list of all printers; (see ALL PRINTERS)
       allow_duplicate_flags    A   bool    false
                                allow duplicate command line flags; last overwrites earlier
       allow_getenv A           bool    (compile time)
                                allows LPRng software to use the LPD_CONF environment variable
                                to specify the location of a configuration file.  This is
                                for testing only.
       allow_user_logging       A   bool    false
                                if mail is requested using lpr -mhost%port,prot operations,
                                and the allow_user_logging flag is true,  then job logging
                                information will be sent to host%port,prot.
       allow_user_setting  A  str NULL
                                allow these users to impersonate other users with the
                                lpr -U user@host, lpc -U user@host, etc., options
       append_z     A           str
                                append these options to the -Z options for the job
       ar  D   bool true        write remote transfer accounting (if af, and as/ae set)
       architecture A           str (compile time)
                                architecture the software was compiled for. (Obsolete.)
       as  D   str              accounting format for start of job or a program to run
                       to record accounting information (see also af, la, ar
                                and Accounting).
       auth    R    str         NULL
                                client to server authentication type
       be  D   str              banner printing program for end (overrides bp, hl)
       bk  R   bool false       Berkeley-compatible: be strictly RFC-compliant
                                or more exactly, BSD LPR compatible when sending jobs.
       bk_filter_options        D   str (see source code)
                                when bk flag set, options for non OF print filters
       bk_of_filter_options     D   str (see source code)
                                when bk flag set, options for OF print filters
       bkf R   bool false
                                use bk_filter_options and bk_of_filter_options when
                                invoking print filter.
       bl  D   str              banner line - sent to banner printer program
                                default: $-'C:$-'n Job: $-'J Date: $-'t
                                expands to:  Class:User  Job: job Date: date
                                This is to force compatibility with vintage print filters
                                that require a non-standard banner string. Usually used with
                                :sb: option.
       bp  D   str              banner printing program (see hl)
                                (default: configuration variable default_banner_printer)
       bq_format    D           str l   format of output from bounce queue filters
       br  D   num  none        if lp is a tty, set the baud rate (see ty)
       break_classname_priority_link    A   flag    false
                                Do not set priority to first letter of class name
       bs  D   str              banner printing program for start (overrides bp, hl)

       check_for_nonprintable   R   bool    false
                                lpr checks f and p formats for printable files
       check_for_protocol_violations    R   bool false
                                check for RFC1179 protocol violations
       chooser D    str         load balance queue destination chooser program
       chooser_interval         D   num 10
                                load balance queue does checks for a
                                destination queue available at this interval
       chooser_routine          D   bool    false
                                use the user provided chooser routine for this queue
       class_in_status          A   bool    true
                                show class name in lpq status rather than priority
       cm  A   str  NULL        comment identifying printer (LPQ)
       config_file  A           str /etc/lpd.conf:/usr/etc/lpd.conf
                                location of LPRng configuration information.  Compile
                                time option only - see allow_getenv.
       connect_grace            A   num 0
                                time between jobs to allow printer recovery
       connect_interval         A   num 10
                                time between open or connection attempts
       connect_timeout          A   num 10
                                timeout value for connection or open
       control_file_line_order  D   str NULL
                                Put the control file lines in a specific order
       control_filter           D   str NULL
                                Filter for control file. Used when sending job to remote
                                spool queue.
       create_files D           bool    false
                                create log, debug, etc., files automatically
       db  A   str  NULL        LPD debug options when serving this queue.
                                See lf (log file) entry as well.
       default_format           R   str f
                                default format for printing jobs
       default_permission       D   str A
                                default permission for operation
       default_printer          A   str lp
                                default printer for printing jobs
       default_priority         R   str A
                                default priority for printing jobs
       default_remote_host      A   str localhost
                                default remote host for printing operations
       default_tmp_dir          A   str /tmp
                                default temporary directory
       destinations D           str NULL
                                names of printers that lpq/lprm should talk to
                                find a job that has been processed by a router
                                script (see README.routing)
       df  D   str  NULL        tex data filter (DVI format)
       exit_linger_timeout      A   num 10
                                socket SO_LINGER timeout value
       fd  D   bool false       if true, no forwarded jobs accepted
       ff  D   str  ``\f''      string to send for a form feed (see INITIALIZATION)
       filter  D    str         NULL

       filter_ld_path           D   str (see source)
                                the LD_LIBARY_PATH environment variable value for filters
       filter_options           D   str (see source code)
                                when bk flag clear, options for non OF print filters
       filter_path  D           str (see source)
                                the PATH environment variable value for filters
       filter_poll_interval     D   num 30
                                interval to poll OF filter
       filter_stderr_to_status_file D   bool    false
                                set the filter STDERR to the status file and do
                                no report errors in the queue status file.
       fo  D   bool false       print a form feed when device is opened
       force_fqdn_hostname      A   bool    FALSE
                                Force a fully qualified host name in control file
       force_localhost          A   bool    FALSE
                                Forces the clients programs (lpr, lpc, etc.)
                                to send all print jobs and requests to the server running
                                on the localhost entry for action.  This flag effectively
                                forces BSD LPR behaviour.
       force_lpq_status         D   str NULL
                                Specifies a list of LPQ formats and hosts which get status
                                returned in this format.  For example
                                force_lpq_status=s=pc*;l=mac* will cause hosts whose
                                FQDN matches pc* to get short status and those which
                                match mac* to get long format.
       force_queuename          A   str NULL
                                When :qq: flag or use_queuename configuration is enabled,
                                specifies the queuename to be used for control file Q
                                information.
       ff_separator D           bool    false
                                need form feeds to separate job files
       fq  D   bool false       print a form feed when device is closed
       full_time    D           bool detailed time format specification in log messages
       fx  A   str  NULL        valid output filter formats
                                i.e. ``flp'' would allow f, l, and p
                                default is to allow all formats
       gf  D   str  NULL        graph data filter (plot (3X) format)
       generate_banner          D   bool    false
                                generate a banner when forwarding job
       group   D    str         daemon  LPD server group id for execution
       hl  D   bool false       print banner after job instead of before
       if  D   str  NULL        filter command, run on a per-file basis
       ignore_requested_user_priority   D   bool    false
                                Ignore the requested user priority when ordering jobs.
                                Prevents students... um... users from queue jumping.
       ipv6    A    bool        false   Use IPV6
       keepalive    A           bool    true
                                set socket SO_KEEPALIVE option
       kerberos_keytab          D   str /etc/lpd.keytab
                                Kerberos lpd server keytab file
       kerberos_life            D   str NULL
                                Kerberos lpd server key lifetime
       kerberos_renew           D   str NULL

       kerberos_server_principle    D   str NULL
                                Kerberos remote lpd server principle
       kerberos_service         D   str lpr
                                Kerberos service used in principle requests
       la  D   bool true        write local printer accounting (if af is set)
       ld  D   str  NULL        leader string printed on printer open (see INITIALIZATION)
       lf  D   str  ``log''     error and debugging log file (LPD)
       lk  D   bool false       lock the lp device to force arbitration
       lockfile     D           str /var/spool/lpd/lpd
                                lpd lock file (used only in lpd.conf).
                       The lpd_port port value is appended
                       to the lockfile value to provide a unique lockfile
                       even when different versions of LPRng are running
                       on the same system.
       logger_destination       D   str NULL
                                destination for logging information.  Format is
                                host%port
       logger_max_size          D   num 1024
                                logger file maximum size in K
       logger_path  D           str NULL
                                logger file pathname
       logger_timeout           D   num 0
                                logger connection timeout.  0 is no timeout.
       longnumber   D           bool    false
                                use 6 digit job numbers
       lp  D   str  NULL        device name or pipe to send output to
       lpd_bounce   A           bool    FALSE
                                Forces lpd to filter jobs and then forward them.
                                (See Bounce Queues)
       lpd_force_poll           A   bool    FALSE
                                Forces lpd to periodically poll lpd queues.
       lpd_poll_time            A   num 600
                                After this amount of idle time,  lpd will poll queues
       lpd_port     D           str printer
                       format is [ipaddr%]port.  If the ipaddr is present
                       then the lpd listening socket is bound to the specified
                       ip address and port only, otherwise it is bound to all
                       interfaces. If the port value is not a number then the

       lpd_printcap_path        D   str (see source)
                                printcap path for lpd, in addition to normal one
                                (configuration value only)
       lpr_bounce   R           bool    true
                                Forces lpr to filter jobs and then send them.
                                (See Bounce Queues)
       lpr_bsd R    bool        false
                                when set, LPR -m will not take argument, but will use
                                $USER value for return mail address.
       mail_from    D           str NULL
                                specifies the user part of email From: address
       mail_operator_on_error   D   str NULL
                                send mail to this user when LPD encounters printing error.
       max_connect_interval     A   num 60

       max_log_file_size        D   num 0
                                maximum log file size in K bytes (0 is unlimited)
                                spool queue log file truncated to min_log_file_size
                                when value is nonzero and limited exceeded.
       max_servers_active       D   num 0
                                maximum servers that LPD will allow to be active at one
                                time.  0 selects the system default,  which is usually
                                pretty small, perhaps 10. (configuration value only).
       max_status_line          D   num 79  maximum number of characters on an LPQ status line
       max_status_size          D   num 10  maximum size (Kbytes) of status file
       mc  R   num  1           maximum copies allowed
       min_log_file_size        D   num 0   minimum size (Kbytes) of log file
       min_status_size          D   num 2   minimum size (Kbytes) of status file
       minfree D    str         0
                                minimum space (in K) for spool directory
       ml  R   num  32          minimum printable characters for printable check
       ms_time_resolution       D   bool    false
                                log time in milliseconds
       mx  R   num  0           maximum job size in K, 0 = unlimited
       nb  D   num  0           if non-zero, do a nonblocking open on lp device
       nf  D   str  NULL        DITROFF data filter
       network_connect_grace    A   num 0
                                time between attempts to send jobs to spooler
                                Useful when dealing with network printer using LPD
                                interface to allow a bit of time between jobs.
       nline_after_file         D   bool    false
                                put the N (filename) after the data file information
                                in the control file.  Use to handle systems that want
                                it that way.
       of  D   str  NULL        output filter, run once for all output
                                (used for banner printing, form feeds between files)
       of_filter_options        D   str (see source code)
                                when bk flag clear, options for OF print filters
       oh  A   str  NULL        Specific printcap entry for host;
                                (printcap entry ignored unless IP address of host and
                                entry value match.  Entry is used first to do glob
                                style match against the host's fully qualified domain name,
                                and then interpreted as a general IP address)
       order_routine            D   bool    false
                                use a user provided routine to generate queue order
                                information.
       originate_port           A   str 512 1023
                                when originating a connection, use ports in this range.
       pass_env     A           str PGPPASS,PGPPATH
                                if not the LPD server, sanitize and put these variables
                                in a filter environment variable list.
       perms_path   A           str /etc/lpd.perms:/usr/etc/lpd.perms
                                location of perms file (used in lpd.conf)
       pl  D   num  66          page length (in lines)
       pr  D   str  ``/bin/pr'' pr program for p format
       prefix_o_to_z            D   bool    false
                                prefix the control file O line to the control file
                                Z line.

                                prefix the specified options to the control file
                                Z line.
       prefix_z_to_o            D   bool    false
                                prefix the control file Z line to the control file
                                O line.
       printcap_path            A   str /etc/printcap:/usr/etc/printcap
                                location of printcap file (used in lpd.conf)
       ps  A   str  ''status''  printer status file name
       pw  D   num  132         page width (in characters)
       px  D   num  0           page width in pixels (horizontal)
       py  D   num  0           page length in pixels (vertical)
       qq  A   bool false       LPR - puts in the queue name (Q entry)
                                in the job control file when spooled or transferred.
                                LPD - when receiving or transferring a job,
                                if the queue name (Q entry) in the job control
                                file is not present,  puts in the queue name.
       queue_control_file       D   str control.%P
                                name of the queue control file
       queue_lock_file          D   str %P
                                name of the queue lock file
       queue_status_file        D   str status.%P
                                name of the queue status file
       queue_unspooler_file     D   str unspooler.%P
                                name of the queue unspooler status file
       remote_support           A   str NULL
                                if non-null, specifies allowed operations to remote queue.
                                R=lpr, M=lprm, Q=lpq, V = lpq -v, C=lpc.  For example,
                                remote_support=RM would only allow LPR and LPRM operations.
       remove_z     D           str null
                                remove these options from the control file Z line
       report_server_as         A   str NULL
                                use the str value as the name of the server when reporting
                                LPQ or LPC status.
       retry_econnrefused       A   bool    true
                                if set, retry a connection to a remote system when an
                                ECONNREFUSED error is returned.
       retry_nolink D           bool    true
                                if LPD is sending a job or opening a device for
                                printing and the value is true, then the connection or
                                device open is repeated indefinately.
       return_short_status      D   str NULL
                                Some legacy (non-LPRng) LPQ programs expect 'short' status
                                to be returned.  This option allows you to specify which hosts
                                will get it.  The value is a list of hosts and/or IPaddresses
                                and masks to which the LPD server will provide short status.
                                For example:  return_short_status=192.8.0.0/16 will make LPD
                                return short status to all requests from hosts in subnet
                                192.8.0.0.  (See short_status_length)
       reuse_addr   A           bool    false
                                if set, use SO_REUSEADDR on outgoing connection ports.
                                This reduces the problems with exhausting port numbers.
                                (usually only in lpd.conf)
       reverse_lpq_status       D   str NULL

                                hosts or IP addresses,  then the LPQ status format is inverted.
                                For example, if  reverse_lpq_status=host*,127.0.0.0/8,
                                then when a LONG status request arrives from host1 or from
                                ip address 127.0.0.1,  the SHORT status will be returned.
       reverse_priority_order   D   bool    false
                                Make highest priority A, lowest Z
       rf  D   str  NULL        filter for printing FORTRAN style text files
       rm  A   str  NULL        remote-queue machine (hostname) (with rp)
       router  D    str         NULL    script that dynamically re-routes a job
                                (see README.routing)
       rp  A   str  NULL        remote-queue printer name (with rm)
       rw  D   bool false       open the printer for reading and writing
       safe_chars   D           str NULL
                                additional safe characters for control file contents
       save_on_error            D   bool    false
                                Save job when an error occurs to allow post-mortem
                                diagnostics or reprinting.  This should only be set on
                                print queues.  It is also a diagnostic aid.
       save_when_done           D   bool    false
                                Save job when done (printed, transferred) to allow
                                retry at a later time.  This should only be set on
                                print queues.  It is also a diagnostic aid.
       sb  D   bool false       short banner (one line only)
       sd  A   str  NULL        spool directory (only ONE printer per directory!)
       send_block_format        A   bool    false
                                Use the LPRng extended 'block job' job transmission
                                method to send a job to a remote site.
       send_data_first          A   bool    false   send data files then control files
                                when sending a job to a remote host.
       send_failure_action      D   str "remove"
                                Action on print or transmission failure after send_try
                                attempts; use the following codes:
                                'success' (JSUCC)  - treat as successful
                                'abort'   (JABORT) - abort printer
                                'retry'   (JRETRY) - retry job
                                'remove'  (JREMOVE)- remove job
                                'hold'    (JHOLD)  - hold job
                                If the value is "|/filter", the filter will be run and
                                the number of attempts can be read from standard input.
                                The filter should exit with one of the error codes listed
                                above to cause the appropriate action.
       send_job_rw_timeout      A   num 6000
                                timeout on read/write operations when sending job to
                                printer or remote host (0 value is no timeout)
       send_query_rw_timeout    A   num 6000
                                timeout on read/write operations when performin a status
                                operation (0 value is no timeout)
       send_try     A           num 3
                                number of times to try sending
                                or printing a job. 0 is infinite.
       sendmail     D           str /usr/sbin/sendmail -oi -t
                                sendmail command to send mail to user.  Flags must be set
                                so that address and other information is taken from

       server  A    bool        false   printcap entry for server only
       server_auth_command      A   str NULL
                                authentication command for server program
       server_tmp_dir           D   str /tmp
                                temporary directory for server to create files when there
                                is no spool directory.
       server_user  D           str daemon  server user name used in authentication operations
       sf  D   bool true        suppress form feed separators between job files
       sh  D   bool false       suppress headers and/or banner page
       shell   D    str         /bin/sh
                                SHELL enviornment variable value for filters
       short_status_length      D   num 1
                                If the return_short_status value is used and has a match against
                                a requesting address, this amount of status is set by the
                                short_status_length option.  For most legacy systems a 1 is
                                suitable (1 line of status).
       socket_linger            A   num 10
                                if nonzero, forces a SO_LINGER operation to be done
                                on all TCP/IP connections.  This usually corrects a problem
                                with missing last data transmissions to remote hosts.
       spool_dir_perms          D   num 042700  permissions for spool directory
       spool_file_perms         D   num 0600    permissions for spool file
       ss  D   str  NULL        name of queue that server serves (with sv)
       stalled_time D           num 120
                                Time after which to report an active job as stalled
       stop_on_abort            D   bool    true
                                Stop processing queue when print filter aborts.
       stty    D    str         NULL    stty settings for serial connected printer
       suspend_of_filter        D   bool    true
                                suspend OF filter and restart.  If false, close filter
                                and start new one for each activity.
       sv  D   str  NULL        names of servers for queue (with ss)
       syslog_device            D   str /dev/console
                                    name of syslog device to use if no syslog facility
       tc  A   str  NULL        reference to a printcap entry to include as part of
                                the current entry.
       tf  D   str  NULL        troff data filter (C/A/T phototypesetter)
       tr  D   str  NULL        trailer string to print when queue empties
       translate_format         D   str NULL
                                translate job format (similar to tr(1) utility)
                                on outgoing jobs.
                                Example: translate_format=pfml
                                p format changed to f, m format to l
       translate_incoming_format    D   str NULL
                                translate job format (similar to tr(1) utility)
                                on incoming jobs.  See translate_format.
       use_date     A           bool    true add date line ('D') to control file
       use_identifier           R   bool    true
                                add job identifier lines ('A') in the control file
       use_info_cache           D   bool    true    cache printcap information
       use_shorthost            R   bool    false
                                use only the hostname for job control
                                and data file names.  Host information in job file

       user    D    str         daemon  LPD effective user (EUID) for SUID operations
       wait_for_eof D           bool    true
                                wait for EOF on input when readable IO device,
                                do not close immediately at job end.
       vf  D   str  NULL        (Versatek) raster image filter


ENTRIES BY FUNCTION

       See the alphabetical listing for detailed information.

       Filters and Page Formats
       Xf  D   str  NULL        output filter for format X (used by lpd)
                                'filter' sets default filter
       cf  D   str  NULL        cifplot data filter
       control_filter           D   str NULL
                                Filter for control file. Used when sending job to remote
                                spool queue.
       df  D   str  NULL        tex data filter (DVI format)
       direct_read  D           bool    false
                                if true, filters are given direct access to file.
                                This means no progress indication possible.
       fx  A   str  NULL        valid output filter formats
                                i.e. ``flp'' would allow f, l, and p
                                default is to allow all formats
       gf  D   str  NULL        graph data filter (plot (3X) format)
       if  D   str  NULL        filter command, run on a per-file basis
       lpd_bounce   R           bool    false
                                Forces lpd to filter jobs and then forward them.
                                (See Bounce Queues)
       lpr_bounce   R           bool    false
                                Forces lpr to filter jobs and then send them.
                                (See Bounce Queues)
       nf  D   str  NULL        DITROFF data filter
       of  D   str  NULL        output filter, run once for all output
       pl  D   num  66          page length (in lines)
       pr  D   str  ``/bin/pr'' pr program for p format
       pw  D   num  132         page width (in characters)
       px  D   num  0           page width in pixels (horizontal)
       py  D   num  0           page length in pixels (vertical)
       rf  D   str  NULL        filter for printing FORTRAN style text files
       translate_format         D   str NULL
                                translate job format (similar to tr(1) utility)
                                only valid when transferring to remote spool queue.
                                Example: translate_format=pfml
                                p format changed to f, m format to l
       tf  D   str  NULL        troff data filter (C/A/T phototypesetter)
       vf  D   str  NULL        (Versatek) raster image filter

       Banners
       ab  D   bool false       always print banner, ignore lpr -h option
       be  D   str              banner printing program for end (overrides bp, hl)
       bp  D   str              banner printing program (use hl to print banner at end)
       bs  D   str              banner printing program for start (overrides bp, hl)

       sb  D   bool false       short banner (one line only)
       sh  D   bool false       suppress headers and/or banner page, overrides ab

       Accounting
       ae  D   str              accounting format for end of job or a program to run
                       to record accounting information (see also af, la, ar
                                and Accounting).
       af  D   str  NULL        name of accounting file (see also la, ar)
       ar  D   bool true        write remote transfer accounting (if af, and as/ae set)
       as  D   str              accounting format for start of job or a program to run
                       to record accounting information (see also af, la, ar
                                and Accounting).
       la  D   bool true        write local printer accounting (if af is set)

       Queue control
       ah  D   bool false       auto-hold - job held until explicitly released
       bk  R   bool false       backwards-compatible: be strictly RFC-compliant
       bkf R   bool false       backwards-compatible filter: use Berkeley filter options
       bqfilter     D           bool    false                                          if a bounce queue (sends jobs to remote site)
                                then when bqfilter true and a format filter is specified,
                                sends data files through format filter before transfer.
                                See also 'qq'.
       cd  D   str  NULL        control information directory for LPD server
       cm  A   str  NULL        comment identifying printer (LPQ)
       fd  D   bool false       if true, no forwarded jobs accepted
       lf  D   str  ``log''     error and debugging log file (LPD)
       longnumber   D           bool    false
                                use 6 digit job numbers
       mc  R   num  1           maximum copies allowed
       ml  R   num  32          minimum printable characters for printable check
       minfree D    str         0   minimum space (Kb) to be left in spool filesystem
                                You can also use nnnM for nnn megabytes.
       mx  R   num  0           maximum job size (1Kb blocks, 0 = unlimited)
       ps  A   str  ''status''  printer status file name
       nw  A   bool false       spool dir is on an NFS file system
                                (take precautions when reading/writing files)
       qq  A   bool false       place queue information in control file. See
                                alphabetical for details.
       rm  A   str  NULL        remote-queue machine (hostname) (with rp)
       rp  A   str  NULL        remote-queue printer name (with rm)
       sd  A   str  NULL        spool directory (only ONE printer per directory!)
       ss  D   str  NULL        name of queue that server serves (with sv)
       sv  D   str  NULL        names of servers for queue (with ss)
       sc  R   bool false       suppress multiple copies
       use_auth     A           str NULL authentication to use
       use_date     A           bool    true add date line ('D') to control file
       use_identifier           R   bool    true
                                add job identifier lines ('A') in the control file
       use_shorthost            R   bool    false                                      use only the hostname for job control
                                and data file names.  Host information in job file
                                will still be fully qualified domain name.

       Connection and Interface to Printer

       connect_interval         A   num 10
                                time between open or connection attempts
       connect_timeout          A   num 10
                                timeout value for connection or open
                                (0 is infinite number)
       ff  D   str  ``\f''      string to send for a form feed (see INITIALIZATION)
       fo  D   bool false       print a form feed when device is opened
       fq  D   bool false       print a form feed when device is closed
       ld  D   str  NULL        leader string printed on printer open (see INITIALIZATION)

       lp  D   str  NULL        device name or pipe to send output to
       lk  D   bool false       lock the lp device to force arbitration
       max_connect_interval     A   num 60
                                maximum time between connection attempts
       nb  D   num  0           if non-zero, do a nonblocking open on lp device
       retry_econnrefused       A   bool    true
                                if set, retry a connection to a remote system when an
                                ECONNREFUSED error is returned.
       retry_nolink D           bool    true
                                if LPD is sending a job or opening a device for
                                printing and the value is true, then the connection or
                                device open is repeated indefinately.
       rs  D   num  300         number of seconds between spool queue status scans
       rt  D   num  3           number of times to try printing (0=infinite).
       rw  D   bool false       open the printer for reading and writing
       save_on_error            D   bool    false
                                See above.
       save_when_done           D   bool    false
                                See above.
       send_failure_action      D   str remove
                                See above.
       send_try                 alias for rt
       sf  D   bool true        suppress form feed separators between job files
       socket_linger            A   num 10
                                if nonzero, forces a SO_LINGER operation to be done
                                on all TCP/IP connections.  This usually corrects a problem
                                with missing last data transmissions to remote hosts.
       tr  D   str  NULL        trailer string to print when queue empties

       Serial Line Setup
       br  D   num  none        if lp is a tty, set the baud rate (see ty)
       sttyy   D    str         NULL    stty commands to set output line characteristics
                                alias is sy, ms
       xs  D   num  0           like `xc' but set bits (see STTY)

       Miscellaneous
       all A   str  NULL        a list of all printers; (see ALL PRINTERS)
       destinations D           str NULL
                                names of printers that lpq/lprm should talk to find
                                a job that has been processed by a router script
                                (see README.routing)
       forward_auth D           str NULL
                                server to server authentication type, e.g. pgp, kerberos

                                Forces the clients programs (lpr, lpc, etc.)
                                to send all print jobs and requests to the server running
                                on the localhost entry for action.  This flag effectively
                                forces BSD LPR behaviour.
       force_queuename          A   str NULL
                                See above.
       logger_destination       D   str NULL
                                destination for logging information.  Format is
                                host[%port][,(TCP|UDP)]
       oh  D   str  NULL        Specific printcap entry for host. See above.
       remote_support           A   str RMQC
                                if non-null, specifies allowed operations to remote queue.
                                R=lpr, M=lprm, Q=lpq, C=lpc
       router  D    str         NULL    script that dynamically re-routes a job
                                (see README.routing)
       server  A    bool        false   printcap entry for server only
       server_auth_command      D   str NULL
                                authentication command for server to use.
       tc  A   str  NULL        reference to a printcap entry to include as part of
                                the current entry.
       use_auth     D           str NULL
                                client to server authentication type, e.g. pgp, kerberos
       user_auth_command        R   str NULL
                                authentication command for user (client program)


FILTERS

       By convention, all output filter names have the  form  Xf,
       where  X is the lower case letter corresponding to the lpr
       formatting  option.   The  filter  option  can  specify  a
       default filter for job files.

       The of filter is started for each job and is used to print
       the banner page and any FF separators  between  individual
       files  of  the job.  It is sent a special stop sequence by
       the lpd server, and must suspend operations until  sent  a
       SIGCONT  signal.   A  file or job filter is run separately
       for each file; at the end of the  job  the  of  filter  is
       restarted  and  used to print the trailing banner (if any)
       and FF separators.

       Filters are invoked with a standard set of options defined
       by    the    bk_filter_options   (backwards   compatible),
       bk_of_filter_options (backwards compatible OF filter), and
       filter_options  configuration  variables.   See the lpd(8)
       manual page for details.  If the first characters  of  the
       filter  specification are -$, i.e.- Xf=-$ filter, then the
       command  line  options  are  not  added.   Currently,  the
       options are:
       bk_filter_options $P $w $l $x $y $F $c $L $i $J $C $0n $0h $-a
       bk_of_filter_options $w $l $x $y
       filter_options $C $F $H $J $L $P $Q $R $Z $a $c $d \
           $e $f $h $i $j $k $l $n $s $w $x $y $-a

       Printcap  entries  which have a spool directory value (sd)
       are called spool queues.  Jobs sent to a  printer  with  a
       spool queue are place in the spool directory.  When check­
       ing the spool queue for jobs, the server will check to see
       if there is a printcap file in the directory with the name
       printcap.host.   If  there  is,  the  additional  printcap
       information is processed and used by the server.

       If  the spool directory is NFS exported, then remote hosts
       can manipulate the spool entries directly; this  can  have
       catastrophic  effects, especially in systems where the NFS
       implementation has defects.  The printcap  information  is
       particularly  vulnerable  to exploitation, as well as sym­
       bolic links, jobs which cannot be removed, etc.


LOCAL PRINTERS

       Local printers have an lp entry, which is the device  that
       output  should be sent to, usually a serial port tty.  PLP
       supplements this by using  the  lp  field  to  indicate  a
       remote  printer,  or  by  allowing  communication with the
       printer using a separate program,  known  as  an  lp-pipe,
       instead  of  a serial line.  If the printcap lp entry con­
       tains a string of the form  printer@host,  jobs  are  for­
       warded  to  the  specified remote printer on the host.  If
       the printcap lp entry contains a string of the form | com­
       mand args , the command command is run, with the arguments
       args .  This can be used to communicate with printers con­
       nected  to  network  terminal servers, some TCP/IP-capable
       printers, and just about anything you can hack up a commu­
       nication  program  for.  Read  the  PLP  Manual  for  more
       details.


STTY OPTIONS

       The stty printcap parameter recognises a  set  of  stty(1)
       options  that  can be used to set serial line characteris­
       tics for the printer.  However,  due  to  the  differences
       between implementations of UNIX, there are several sets of
       ty options supported. Invoke lpd(8) with the  ``-v''  com­
       mand-line  option  to  see  which set your installation is
       using.

       Systems using the sgtty tty manipulation interface may use
       the following stty(1) options:

       bs0             bs1             [-]cbreak       cooked          cr0
       cr1             cr2             cr3             [-]decctlq      [-]echo
       [-]even         ff0             ff1             [-]lcase        [-]litout
       nl0             nl1             nl2             nl3             [-]nl
       [-]noflsh       new             [-]nohang       old             [-]odd
       [-]raw          start           stop            tab0            tab1
       tab2            [-]tabs         [-]tandem       tek             ti700
       [-]tilde        tn300           tty33           tty37           vt05
       [-]evenp        [-]oddp         [-]pass8


       [-]ignbrk       [-]brkint       [-]ignpar       [-]parmrk       [-]inpck
       [-]istrip       [-]inlcr        [-]igncr        [-]icrnl        [-]iuclc
       [-]ixon         [-]ixany        [-]ixoff        [-]decctlq      [-]tandem
       [-]imaxbel      [-]opost        [-]olcuc        [-]onlcr        [-]ocrnl
       [-]onocr        [-]onlret       [-]ofill        [-]ofdel        [-]cstopb
       [-]cread        [-]parenb       [-]parodd       [-]hupcl        [-]clocal
       [-]loblk        [-]parity       [-]evenp        [-]oddp         [-]stopb
       [-]hup          [-]crtscts      [-]isig         [-]noisig       [-]icanon
       [-]cbreak       [-]xcase        [-]echo         [-]echoe        [-]echok
       [-]crterase     [-]lfkc         [-]echonl       [-]noflsh       [-]tostop
       [-]echoctl      [-]ctlecho      [-]echoprt      [-]prterase     [-]echoke
       [-]crtkill      [-]lcase        [-]nl           [-]litout       [-]pass8
       [-]raw          [-]sane         [-]cooked       [-]nopost       fill
       nl0             nl1             cr0             cr1             cr2
       cr3             tab0            tab1            tab2            tab3
       bs0             bs1             vt0             vt1             ff0
       ff1             cs5             cs6             cs7             cs8
       nul-fill        del-fill        -tabs

       And systems using termios may use the following options:

       [-]ignbrk       [-]brkint       [-]ignpar       [-]parmrk       [-]inpck
       [-]istrip       [-]inlcr        [-]igncr        [-]icrnl        [-]iuclc
       [-]ixon         [-]ixany        [-]ixoff        [-]imaxbel      [-]pass8
       [-]opost        [-]olcuc        [-]onlcr        [-]ocrnl        [-]onocr
       [-]onlret       [-]ofill        [-]ofdel        [-]tabs         nl0
       nl1             cr0             cr1             cr2             cr3
       tab0            tab1            tab2            tab3            bs0
       bs1             vt0             vt1             ff0             ff1
       cs5             cs6             cs7             cs8             [-]cstopb
       [-]cread        [-]parenb       [-]parodd       [-]hupcl        [-]clocal
       [-]crtscts      [-]evenp        [-]parity       [-]oddp         [-]pass8
       [-]isig         [-]icanon       [-]xcase        [-]echo         [-]echoe
       [-]echok        [-]echonl       [-]noflsh       [-]tostop       [-]iexten
       [-]echoctl      [-]ctlecho      [-]echoprt      [-]prterase     [-]echoke
       [-]crtkill      [-]flusho       [-]pendin

       The  fc  , fs , xc , and xs printcap entries are obsolete,
       and if present with non-zero values will abort  print  job
       processing.


INITIALIZATION

       Many  printers require an initialization string to be sent
       to them in order to configure their operation.  The leader
       (ld)  and  trailer  (tr) strings are sent at the start and
       end of job  processing.   These  strings  are  interpreted
       using the C language conventions for character representa­
       tion: \nnn is replaced with a  character  with  the  value
       nnn, \n with a new line, \r with a carriage return, and so
       forth.

       The LPRng software has the  capability  to  use  a  remote
       database  for  obtaining  printcap  and other information.
       One of the difficulties arises when a list of all printers
       available  is  needed.  By convention, the special printer
       name all is reserved for this information; the  all  field
       is  a list of printers separated by spaces or punctuation.
       For example:

       #all printers
       all:all=lp1,lp2,lp3,lp4

       ®.fi


ACCOUNTING

       Accounting is done by writing information to an accounting
       file  or  TCP/IP  connection  specified by the af printcap
       entry.  If the af value has the form host%port then a  tcp
       socket  is opened to the specified port on the remote host
       and all accounting information is sent on the socket.   If
       the  achk  flag is set, then after the string specified by
       the as field has been sent then no output or  a  reply  of
       the  form  ACCEPT  will  cause the job to be printed, HOLD
       will hold the job,  REMOVE will remove the job, and  ABORT
       will cause printing to be aborted.

       The  printcap as and ae specify the format of the account­
       ing information sent at the start and end of job  printing
       respectively,  or  filters  to  be used to generate and/or
       report accounting information.  If as and ae specify  fil­
       ters,  the filters are run with STDIN set to /dev/null and
       the filter should write information to  its  STDOUT.   The
       filters  are  passed the command line options specified by
       the    filter_options    configuration    variable    (see
       lpd.conf(5)), and |-$ filter will suppress adding options.
       The as filter should exit with 0 (JSUCC)  status  if  suc­
       cessful  and the job can be printed, nonzero status JABORT
       for abnormal queue termination, JREMOVE if the job  cannot
       be  printed,  and JRETRY if the job should be retried.  If
       the exit status is 0, then the  filter's  STDOUT  will  be
       read  and  processed  as  described  above.   The filter's
       STDERR output is logged as error messages.


BOUNCE QUEUES AND PRINT FORMATS

       Bounce queues are designed to allow users  to  have  their
       files  preprocessed  by a set of filters before being sent
       to the final destination.  If a queue is being used  as  a
       bounce  queue,  then  the lp printcap entry must be set to
       the name of the printer on the server, and  the  bq  entry
       must  be the destination after filtering.  This will cause
       all jobs to be sent  to  the  bounce  queue,  rather  than
       directly   to   the   final   destination.   For  example,
       pr:lp=pr@host:bq=destpr@desthost.

       This should only be done in server printcap entries.

       The  filters used by the bounce queue are those that would
       normally be used by the LPD server  for  printing  a  job.
       For  example,  the :if: entry would specify the filter for
       the f format.  Each job file  is  processed  individually.
       The lpr -p option will cause the LPD server to process job
       files by the program specified by the  pr  printcap  entry
       (default  is /bin/pr) and then pass through the if filter.
       However, if a bounce queue is used the format of the  out­
       put  data  may be changed.  To accomodate this action, the
       translate_format value can be used to reconfigure the for­
       mat.   The  value  has  the form SdSdSd..., where S is the
       original format and d is the final format.  This is  simi­
       lar  to  the  format used  by the UNIX tr(1) utility.  For
       example, the value pfml would  convert  format  specifica­
       tions  p  to f and m to l, but only in the job information
       sent to a remote destination.  Note that the original for­
       mat would still be supplied to any filters, and that the p
       filter would need to provide any options and/or values  to
       be used to do formatting.

       The  lpr_bounce  printcap flag can be used to cause LPR to
       do bounce queue filtering, rather than the  server.   This
       should  be used with caution, as missing filters can cause
       unexpected behaviour.


KERBEROS, PGP, AND OTHER AUTHENTICATION METHODS

       LPRng  supports  built  in  kerberos  authentication.   To
       enable this, the LPD protocol has been extended to provide
       a way to transfer authenticated and/or encrypted jobs  and
       commands.  The details are covered in other LPRng documen­
       tation.


FILES

       The files used by LPRng are set by values in  the  printer
       configuration file.  The following are a commonly used set
       of default values.
       /etc/lpd.conf                                LPRng configuration file
       /etc/printcap                                printer description file
       /etc/lpd.perms                               printer permissions
       /var/spool/printer*                          spool directories
       /var/spool/printer*/printer                  lock file for queue control
       /var/spool/printer*/control.printer          queue control
       /var/spool/printer*/active.printer           active job
       /var/spool/printer*/log.printer              log file


SEE ALSO

       lpd.conf(5), lpc(8), lpd(8), checkpc(8),  lpr(1),  lpq(1),
       lprm(1), lpd.perms(5), pr(1).


DIAGNOSTICS

       Most of the diagnostics are self explanatory.

       set the debugging level on (-D5) and run again.
       The debugging information will
       help you to pinpoint the exact cause of failure.


HISTORY

       LPRng  is a enhanced printer spooler system with function­
       ality similar to the Berkeley  LPR  software.   The  LPRng
       mailing list is lprng@lprng.com; subscribe by sending mail
       to lprng-request@lprng.com with the word subscribe in  the
       body.       The     software     is     available     from
       ftp://ftp.astart.com/pub/LPRng.


AUTHOR

       Patrick Powell <papowell@lprng.com>.


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