lpadmin(1M) MISC. REFERENCE MANUAL PAGES lpadmin(1M)
NAME
lpadmin - configure the LP print service
SYNOPSIS
lpadmin -p printer options
lpadmin -x dest
lpadmin -d [dest]
lpadmin -S print-wheel -A alert-type [-W minutes] [-Q
requests]
DESCRIPTION
lpadmin configures the LP print service by defining printers
and devices. It is used to add and change printers, to
remove printers from the service, to set or change the sys-
tem default destination, to define alerts for printer
faults, and to mount print wheels.
Adding or Changing a Printer
The first form of the lpadmin command (lpadmin -p printer
options) is used to configure a new printer or to change the
configuration of an existing printer. The following options
may appear in any order.
-A alert-type [-W minutes]
The -A option is used to define an alert to inform the
administrator when a printer fault is detected, and
periodically thereafter, until the printer fault is
cleared by the administrator. The alert-types are:
mail Send the alert message via mail [see mail(1)]
to the administrator.
write Write the message to the terminal on which the
administrator is logged in. If the administra-
tor is logged in on several terminals, one is
chosen arbitrarily.
quiet Do not send messages for the current condition.
An administrator can use this option to tem-
porarily stop receiving further messages about
a known problem. Once the fault has been
cleared and printing resumes, messages will
again be sent when another fault occurs with
the printer.
none Do not send messages; any existing alert defin-
ition for the printer will be removed. No
alert will be sent when the printer faults
until a different alert-type (except quiet) is
used.
shell-command
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Run the shell-command each time the alert needs
to be sent. The shell command should expect
the message in standard input. If there are
blanks embedded in the command, enclose the
command in quotes. Note that the mail and
write values for this option are equivalent to
the values mail user-name and write user-name
respectively, where user-name is the current
name for the administrator. This will be the
login name of the person submitting this com-
mand unless he or she has used the su command
to change to another user ID. If the su com-
mand has been used to change the user ID, then
the user-name for the new ID is used.
list Display the type of the alert for the printer
fault. No change is made to the alert.
The message sent appears as follows:
The printer printer has stopped printing for the rea-
son given below. Fix the problem and bring the
printer back on line. Printing has stopped, but will
be restarted in a few minutes; issue an enable com-
mand if you want to restart sooner. Unless someone
issues a change request
lp -i request-id -P ...
to change the page list to print, the current request
will be reprinted from the beginning.
The reason(s) it stopped (multiple reasons indicate
reprinted attempts):
reason
The LP print service can detect printer faults only
through an adequate fast filter and only when the stan-
dard interface program or a suitable customized inter-
face program is used. Furthermore, the level of
recovery after a fault depends on the capabilities of
the filter.
If the printer is all, the alerting defined in this
command applies to all existing printers.
If the -W option is not used to arrange fault alerting
for printer, the default procedure is to mail one mes-
sage to the administrator of printer per fault. This
is equivalent to specifying -W once or -W 0. If
minutes is a number greater than zero, an alert will be
sent at intervals specified by minutes.
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-c class
Insert printer into the specified class. Class will be
created if it does not already exist.
-D comment
Save this comment for display whenever a user asks for
a full description of printer [see lpstat(1)]. The LP
print service does not interpret this comment.
-e printer1
Copy the interface program of an existing printer1 to
be the interface program for printer. (Options -i and
-m may not be specified with this option.)
-F fault-recovery
This option specifies the recovery to be used for any
print request that is stopped because of a printer
fault, according to the value of fault-recovery:
continue
Continue printing on the top of the page where
printing stopped. This requires a filter to
wait for the fault to clear before automati-
cally continuing.
beginning
Start printing the request again from the
beginning.
wait Disable printing on printer and wait for the
administrator or a user to enable printing
again.
During the wait the administrator or the user
who submitted the stopped print request can
issue a change request that specifies where
printing should resume. (See the -i option of
the lp command.) If no change request is made
before printing is enabled, printing will
resume at the top of the page where stopped, if
the filter allows; otherwise, the request will
be printed from the beginning.
-f allow:form-list
-f deny:form-list
Allow or deny the forms in form-list to be printed on
printer. By default no forms are allowed on a new
printer.
For each printer, the LP print service keeps two lists
of forms: an ``allow-list'' of forms that may be used
with the printer, and a ``deny-list'' of forms that may
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not be used with the printer. With the -f allow
option, the forms listed are added to the allow-list
and removed from the deny-list. With the -f deny
option, the forms listed are added to the deny-list and
removed from the allow-list.
If the allow-list is not empty, only the forms in the
list may be used on the printer, regardless of the con-
tents of the deny-list. If the allow-list is empty,
but the deny-list is not, the forms in the deny-list
may not be used with the printer. All forms can be
excluded from a printer by specifying -f deny:all. All
forms can be used on a printer (provided the printer
can handle all the characteristics of each form) by
specifying -f allow:all.
The LP print service uses this information as a set of
guidelines for determining where a form can be mounted.
Administrators, however, are not restricted from mount-
ing a form on any printer. If mounting a form on a
particular printer is in disagreement with the informa-
tion in the allow-list or deny-list, the administrator
is warned but the mount is accepted. Nonetheless, if a
user attempts to issue a print or change request for a
form and printer combination that is in disagreement
with the information, the request is accepted only if
the form is currently mounted on the printer. If the
form is later unmounted before the request can print,
the request is canceled and the user is notified by
mail.
If the administrator tries to specify a form as accept-
able for use on a printer that doesn't have the capa-
bilities needed by the form, the command is rejected.
Note the other use of -f, with the -M option, below.
-h Indicate that the device associated with the printer is
hardwired. If neither of the mutually exclusive
options, -h and -l, is specified, this option is
assumed.
-I content-type-list
Allow printer to handle print requests with the content
types listed in a content-type-list. If the list
includes names of more than one type, the names must be
separated by commas or blank spaces. (If they are
separated by blank spaces, the entire list must be
enclosed in double quotes.)
The type simple is recognized as the default content
type for files in the UNIX system. A simple type of
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file is a data stream containing only printable ASCII
characters and the following control characters.
Control_Character____Octal_Value________________Meaning_____________
backspace 108 move back one character, except
at beginning of line
tab 118 move to next tab stop
linefeed (newline) 128 move to beginning of next line
form feed 148 move to beginning of next page
carriage return 158 move to beginning of current line
To prevent the print service from considering simple a
valid type for the printer, specify either an explicit
value (such as the printer type) in the content-type-
list, or an empty list. If you do want simple included
along with other types, you must include simple in the
content-type-list.
Except for simple, each content-type name is freely
determined by the administrator. If the printer type
is specified by the -T option, then the printer type is
implicitly considered to be also a valid content type.
-i interface
Establish a new interface program for printer. Inter-
face is the pathname of the new program. (The -e and
-m options may not be specified with this option.)
-l Indicate that the device associated with printer is a
login terminal. The LP scheduler (lpsched) disables
all login terminals automatically each time it is
started. (The -h option may not be specified with this
option.)
-M -f form-name [-a [-o filebreak]]
Mount the form form-name on printer. Print requests
that need the pre-printed form form-name will be
printed on printer. If more than one printer has the
form mounted and the user has specified any (with the
-d option of the lp command) as the printer destina-
tion, then the print request will be printed on the one
printer that also meets the other needs of the request.
The page length and width, and character and line
pitches needed by the form are compared with those
allowed for the printer, by checking the capabilities
in the terminfo database for the type of printer. If
the form requires attributes that are not available
with the printer, the administrator is warned but the
mount is accepted. If the form lists a print wheel as
mandatory, but the print wheel mounted on the printer
is different, the administrator is also warned but the
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mount is accepted.
If the -a option is given, an alignment pattern is
printed, preceded by the same initialization of the
physical printer that precedes a normal print request,
with one exception: no banner page is printed. Print-
ing is assumed to start at the top of the first page of
the form. After the pattern is printed, the adminis-
trator can adjust the mounted form in the printer and
press return for another alignment pattern (no initial-
ization this time), and can continue printing as many
alignment patterns as desired. The administrator can
quit the printing of alignment patterns by typing q.
If the -o filebreak option is given, a formfeed is
inserted between each copy of the alignment pattern.
By default, the alignment pattern is assumed to
correctly fill a form, so no formfeed is added.
A form is ``unmounted'' either by mounting a new form
in its place or by using the -f none option. By
default, a new printer has no form mounted.
Note the other use of -f without the -M option above.
-M -S print-wheel
Mount the print-wheel on printer. Print requests that
need the print-wheel will be printed on printer. If
more than one printer has print-wheel mounted and the
user has specified any (with the -d option of the lp
command) as the printer destination, then the print
request will be printed on the one printer that also
meets the other needs of the request.
If the print-wheel is not listed as acceptable for the
printer, the administrator is warned but the mount is
accepted. If the printer does not take print wheels,
the command is rejected.
A print wheel is ``unmounted'' either by mounting a new
print wheel in its place or by using the option -S
none. By default, a new printer has no print wheel
mounted.
Note the other uses of the -S option without the -M
option described below.
-m model
Select model interface program, provided with the LP
print service, for the printer. (Options -e and -i may
not be specified with this option.)
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-o printing-option
Each -o option in the list below is the default given
to an interface program if the option is not taken from
a preprinted form description or is not explicitly
given by the user submitting a request [see lp(1)].
The only -o options that can have defaults defined are
listed below.
length=scaled-decimal-number
width=scaled-decimal-number
cpi=scaled-decimal-number
lpi=scaled-decimal-number
stty='stty-option-list'
The term ``scaled-decimal-number'' refers to a non-
negative number used to indicate a unit of size. The
type of unit is shown by a ``trailing'' letter attached
to the number. Three types of scaled decimal numbers
can be used with the LP print service: numbers that
show sizes in centimeters (marked with a trailing c);
numbers that show sizes in inches (marked with a trail-
ing i); and numbers that show sizes in units appropri-
ate to use (without a trailing letter), that is, lines,
characters, lines per inch, or characters per inch.
The first four default option values must agree with
the capabilities of the type of physical printer, as
defined in the terminfo database for the printer type.
If they do not, the command is rejected.
The stty-option-list is not checked for allowed values,
but is passed directly to the stty program by the stan-
dard interface program. Any error messages produced by
stty when a request is processed (by the standard
interface program) are mailed to the user submitting
the request.
For each printing option not specified, the defaults
for the following attributes are defined in the ter-
minfo entry for the specified printer type.
length
width
cpi
lpi
The default for stty is
stty='9600 cs8 -cstopb -parenb ixon
-ixany opost -olcuc onlcr -ocrnl -onocr
-onlret -ofill nl0 cr0 tab0 bs0 vt0 ff0'
You can set any of the -o options to the default values
(which vary for different types of printers), by typing
them without assigned values, as follows:
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length=
width=
cpi=
lpi=
stty=
-o nobanner
Allow a user to submit a print request specifying that
no banner page be printed.
-o banner
Force a banner page to be printed with every print
request, even when a user asks for no banner page.
This is the default; you must specify -o nobanner if
you want to allow users to be able to specify -o
nobanner with the lp command.
-r class
Remove printer from the specified class. If printer is
the last member of class, then class will be removed.
-S list
Allow either the print wheels or aliases for character
sets named in list to be used on the printer.
If the printer is a type that takes print wheels, then
list is a comma or space separated list of print wheel
names. (Enclose the list with quotes if it contains
blanks.) These will be the only print wheels con-
sidered mountable on the printer. (You can always
force a different print wheel to be mounted, however.)
Until the option is used to specify a list, no print
wheels will be considered mountable on the printer, and
print requests that ask for a particular print wheel
with this printer will be rejected.
If the printer is a type that has selectable character
sets, then list is a comma or blank separated list of
character set name ``mappings'' or aliases. (Enclose
the list with quotes if it contains blanks.) Each
``mapping'' is of the form
known-name=alias
The known-name is a character set number preceded by cs
(such as cs3 for character set three) or a character
set name from the Terminfo database entry csnm. [See
terminfo(4) in the Programmer's Reference Manual.] If
this option is not used to specify a list, only the
names already known from the Terminfo database or
numbers with a prefix of cs will be acceptable for the
printer.
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If list is the word none, any existing print wheel
lists or character set aliases will be removed.
Note the other uses of the -S with the -M option
described above.
-s system-name[!printer-name]
Make a remote printer (one that must be accessed
through another system) accessible to users on your
system. System-name is the name of the remote system
on which the remote printer is located; it must be
listed in the systems table (/etc/lp/Systems).
Printer-name is the name used on the remote system for
that printer. For example, if you want to access
printer1 on system1 and you want it called printer2 on
your system, enter -p printer2 -s system1!printer1
-T printer-type-list
Identify the printer as being of one or more printer-
types. Each printer-type is used to extract data from
the terminfo database; this information is used to ini-
tialize the printer before printing each user's
request. Some filters may also use a printer-type to
convert content for the printer. If this option is not
used, the default printer-type will be unknown; no
information will be extracted from terminfo so each
user request will be printed without first initializing
the printer. Also, this option must be used if the
following are to work: -o cpi, -o lpi, -o width, and
-o length options of the lpadmin and lp commands, and
the -S and -f options of the lpadmin command.
If the printer-type-list contains more than one type,
then the content-type-list of the -I option must either
be specified as simple, as empty (-I ""), or not speci-
fied at all.
-u allow:login-ID-list
-u deny:login-ID-list
Allow or deny the users in login-ID-list access to the
printer. By default all users are allowed on a new
printer. The login-ID-list argument may include any or
all of the following constructs:
login-ID a user on any system
system-name!login-ID
a user on system system-name
system-name!all
all users on system system-name
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all!login-ID a user on all systems
all all users on all systems
For each printer the LP print service keeps two lists
of users: an ``allow-list'' of people allowed to use
the printer, and a ``deny-list'' of people denied
access to the printer. With the -u allow option, the
users listed are added to the allow-list and removed
from the deny-list. With the -u deny option, the users
listed are added to the deny-list and removed from the
allow-list.
If the allow-list is not empty, only the users in the
list may use the printer, regardless of the contents of
the deny-list. If the allow-list is empty, but the
deny-list is not, the users in the deny-list may not
use the printer. All users can be denied access to the
printer by specifying -u deny:all. All users may use
the printer by specifying -u allow:all.
-U dial-info
The -U option allows your print service to access a
remote printer. (It does not enable your print service
to access a remote printer service.) Specifically, -U
assigns the ``dialing'' information dial-info to the
printer. Dial-info is used with the dial routine to
call the printer. Any network connection supported by
the Basic Networking Utilities will work. Dial-info
can be either a phone number for a modem connection, or
a system name for other kinds of connections. Or, if
-U direct is given, no dialing will take place, because
the name direct is reserved for a printer that is
directly connected. If a system name is given, it is
used to search for connection details from the file
/etc/uucp/Systems or related files. The Basic Network-
ing Utilities are required to support this option. By
default, -U direct is assumed.
-v device
Associate a device with printer. Device is the path
name of a file that is writable by lp. Note that the
same device can be associated with more than one
printer.
Restrictions
When creating a new printer, one of three options (-v, -U,
or -s) must be supplied. In addition, only one of the fol-
lowing may be supplied: -e, -i, or -m; if none of these
three options is supplied, the model standard is used. The
-h and -l options are mutually exclusive. Printer and class
names may be no longer than 14 characters and must consist
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entirely of the characters A-Z, a-z, 0-9 and (underscore).
If -s is specified, the following options are invalid: -A,
-e, -F, -h, -i, -l, -M, -m, -o, -U, -v, and -W.
Removing a Printer Destination
The -x dest option removes the destination dest (a printer
or a class), from the LP print service. If dest is a
printer and is the only member of a class, then the class
will be deleted, too. If dest is all, all printers and
classes are removed. No other options are allowed with -x.
Setting/Changing the System Default Destination
The -d [dest] option makes dest, an existing printer or
class, the new system default destination. If dest is not
supplied, then there is no system default destination. No
other options are allowed with -d.
Setting an Alert for a Print Wheel
-S print-wheel -A alert-type [-W minutes] [-Q requests]
The -S print-wheel option is used with the -A alert-
type option to define an alert to mount the print wheel
when there are jobs queued for it. If this command is
not used to arrange alerting for a print wheel, no
alert will be sent for the print wheel. Note the other
use of -A, with the -p option, above.
The alert-types are:
mail Send the alert message via the mail command to
the administrator.
write Write the message, via the write command, to
the terminal on which the administrator is
logged in. If the administrator is logged in
on several terminals, one is arbitrarily
chosen.
quiet Do not send messages for the current condition.
An administrator can use this option to tem-
porarily stop receiving further messages about
a known problem. Once the print-wheel has been
mounted and subsequently unmounted, messages
will again be sent when the number of print
requests reaches the threshold specified by the
-Q option.
none Do not send messages until the -A option is
given again with a different alert-type (other
than quiet).
shell-command
Run the shell-command each time the alert needs
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to be sent. The shell command should expect
the message in standard input. If there are
blanks embedded in the command, enclose the
command in quotes. Note that the mail and
write values for this option are equivalent to
the values mail user-name and write user-name
respectively, where user-name is the current
name for the administrator. This will be the
login name of the person submitting this com-
mand unless he or she has used the su command
to change to another user ID. If the su com-
mand has been used to change the user ID, then
the user-name for the new ID is used.
list Display the type of the alert for the print
wheel on standard output. No change is made to
the alert.
The message sent appears as follows:
The print wheel print-wheel needs to be mounted
on the printer(s):
printer (integer1 requests)
integer2 print requests await this print wheel.
The printers listed are those that the administrator
had earlier specified were candidates for this print
wheel. The number integer listed next to each printer
is the number of reque1
sts eligible for the printer.
The number integer shown after the printer list is the
total number of r2
equests awaiting the print wheel. It
will be less than the sum of the other numbers if some
requests can be handled by more than one printer. If
the print-wheel is all, the alerting defined in this
command applies to all print wheels already defined to
have an alert. If the -W option is not given, the
default procedure is that only one message will be sent
per need to mount the print wheel. Not specifying the
-W option is equivalent to specifying -W once or -W 0.
If minutes is a number greater than zero, an alert will
be sent at intervals specified by minutes. If the -Q
option is also given, the alert will be sent when a
certain number (specified by the argument requests) of
print requests that need the print wheel are waiting.
If the -Q option is not given, or requests is 1 or the
word any (which are both the default), a message is
sent as soon as anyone submits a print request for the
print wheel when it is not mounted.
FILES
/var/spool/lp/*
/etc/lp
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SEE ALSO
accept(1M), lpsched(1M), and lpsystem(1M).
enable(1), lp(1), lpstat(1), and stty(1) in the User's
Reference Manual.
dial(3C), terminfo(4) in the Programmer's Reference Manual.
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