Asynchronous Terminals and Printer Processes Programming Manual

PRINTER I/O
Comparison of ATP6100 and SERIALPRINTPROCESS
ATP6100/CSSPRINT and SERIALPRINTPROCESS have the following
characteristics:
• Printers can be connected through either an RS-232C or 20-ma
current loop interface. DTR-type printers must use RS-232C.
• Printers can be connected either directly to the LIM or patch
panel (hard-wired), or through a modem.
• Printers can support form control by two methods: skip by |
line count or skip to vertical format channel. |
|
-- The 5508, 5530, 5540, and DTR-type printers use skip by |
line count form control. ATP6100 using 3681 controller |
does not support the 5508 printer. |
|
-- The 5520 printer supports direct-access, vertical format |
unit (DAVFU) form control, as well as skip by line count |
form control. |
|
-- The 5512 and 5515/5516 printers support vertical form |
control (VFC) as well as skip by line count form control. |
These printers do not support DAVFU form control. ATP6100 |
using 3681 controller and SERIALPRINTPROCESS support 5512 |
printers. However, the 5512 printer must be defined as |
SERIAL5515 at system generation time for SERIALPRINTPROCESS |
to support it. |
|
-- 5573 printers support skip by line count form control. |
SERIALPRINTPROCESS does not support 5573 printers. |
|
• Printers, with the exception of 5540/5541 printers, can |
support the full status protocol. |
|
When the full status protocol is used, the printer returns two |
words of device status information: the first word provides
primary device status, and the second provides auxiliary
device status.
The printer returns status information only in response to a
request for status from the I/O process.
• All programs supplied by Tandem, except the spooler, open the
serial printer with exclusive access. The spooler allows you
to configure the printer access mode.
November 1987 5-3