Specifications

5-1
Troubleshooting the Base Operating System Spooler
Chapter 5. Troubleshooting the Base Operating System
Spooler
This chapter contains information on the following topics that help resolve printing problems.
• Local Printer Checklist on page 5-2
• Inoperative Printer Checklist on page 5-3
• Remote Printer Checklist on page 5-4
• Adapter Considerations on page 5-5
• Printing Problems When the var File System is Full on page 5-6
• Terminal–Attached Printer Checklist on page 5-12
• Considerations for 8–Bit Printer Attached to 7–Bit Interface on page 5-13
• qdaemon Checklist on page 5-14
• Queuing System Problems on page 5-15
• Testing the qdaemon on page 5-16
• Testing a Spooler Queue on page 5-18
• Copying Spooled Jobs on page 5-19
• Cleaning Up and Starting Over on page 5-20
Troubleshooting the base operating system spooler can be done by tracking a spooler job
through the spooler. A job submitted to the base operating system spooler moves from one
spooler component to another in a predictable fashion. The movement is entirely dependent
upon the spooler queue configuration, especially the spooler queue backend.
Note: To perform serious spooler troubleshooting, root authority is required. Users
running without root authority are limited to:
• Submitting jobs to the spooler
• Sending data directly to the device driver entry point in the /dev directory
• Querying the status of spooler queues
• Changing the status (including cancelling) of spooler jobs owned by the user
Note: This troubleshooting information assumes that you have access to a shell
prompt. There are a number of front–ends to the base operating system spooler itself
on the market; troubleshooting in this environment is still very possible, but if the
problem lies in the command or method used to actually submit a job to the spooler,
the application must provide a method for precisely determining the command or
method used to submit the job to the spooler.