lpq(1)                                                     lpq(1)



NAME
     lpq - queries the print spooler for progress information

SYNOPSIS
     lpq [+[sleep-interval]] [-l] [-Pprinter] [jobno]...
     [user]...

ARGUMENTS
     +[sleep-interval]
          Displays the spool queue until the last job has
          printed. If desired, you can replace sleep-interval
          with the number of seconds lpq should sleep between
          scans of the queue.

     jobno
          Limits the query to information about a specific job or
          several jobs. See the ``Examples'' section later in
          this manual page.

     -l   Prints additional information about the file or files
          that have been sent to the print spooler as one print
          job.  Normally, only as much information as fits on one
          line is displayed.  Job ordering depends on the
          algorithm used to scan the spooling directory and is
          supposed to be FIFO (First In First Out).  The
          filenames for a job may be unavailable when lpr is used
          as the last command in a pipeline, in which case the
          file is identified as standard input.

     -Pprinter
          Limits the query to information about jobs that are
          destined for a particular printer.  If this option is
          not specified, the default line printer (or the value
          of the PRINTER variable in the environment) is used.

     user Limits the query to information about jobs that belong
          to the user or users specified.

DESCRIPTION
     lpq responds to your queries about print jobs by examining
     particular files and directories that are used by lpd.  The
     lpd program normally runs continuously in order to service
     print requests (see lpr(1)).

     By running lpq without any arguments, you can obtain a
     report describing all the print jobs currently in the queue.

     For each print job that remains to be done, lpq reports the
     user's name, the current rank in the queue, the names of
     files included in the job, the job identifier, and the total
     size in bytes.  You can also supply the job number as an
     argument to lprm to remove a job before it is printed (see



January 1992                                                    1

lpq(1)                                                     lpq(1)



     lprm(1)).

EXAMPLES
     In the following processing request, a job-specific query is
     made to see the status of job number 286.

        % lpq 286
        cashew is ready and printing
        Rank   Owner    Job  Files          Total Size
        active root     286  /etc/passwd    742 bytes
        % |


STATUS MESSAGES AND VALUES
     Beyond the normal information reported by lpq regarding the
     status of print jobs, certain error messages may also be
     provided.

     If lpq warns that no daemon is present because of some
     malfunction, you can use the lpc command to restart the
     printer daemon (see lpc(1M)).

     The lpq program may also report that it is unable to open
     various files.

LIMITATIONS
     Because of the dynamic nature of the information in the
     spooling directory, lpq may not reliably report information
     concerning newly arriving or newly dispatched print jobs.

     Output formatting depends upon the line length of the
     terminal.  The line length can result in widely spaced
     columns.

FILES
     /etc/printcap
          File containing printer capabilities
     /etc/termcap
          File containing terminal capabilities
     /usr/spool/*
          Directory used by a variety of spooling utilities for
          configuration and data files
     /usr/spool/*/cf*
          Control files specifying jobs
     /usr/spool/*/lock
          Printer lock files

SEE ALSO
     lpr(1), lprm(1)

     lpc(1M), lpd(1M) in A/UX System Administrator's Reference




2                                                    January 1992