Re: script for USB printers

["Robert Holmgren" holmgren@xxxxxxxx]

** Reply to message from "Paul Ambos"  on Sat, 10 Jun 2006
20:19:14 -0400


> My problem is printing locally (remotely) to a USB printer through a
> GoToMyPC connection to my office copy of Xy4. I haven't been able to get
> DOS applications on my office computer to print over the GoToMyPC
> connection. Has anyone solved this one?

So: you're at home, you want office Xy4 to print an office file on your home
printer -- right? Can you get GoToMyPC to print a file generated by a remote
site to a *non*-USB local printer?

I don't have GoToMyPC, but I use something which (I think) is similar (VNC).
The obvious things to do are use GTMP to xfer the source file to home, then
just print locally. Or use GTMP to TYF the file at office, then xfer FO.TMP to
home, and print locally. But another way to do this would be to install an FTP
server at the office (I've used WarFTP for ages), then to map your office
drive(s) to local drives using a NetDrive application like the one you can
download from Novell (works great). Then you'd "see" your office drives as if
they were local, and your local copy of Xy4 could just CAll and print files
from the remote machine. See further this post:
 http://www.holmgren.org/xywrite/2005/msg00926.htm

The niftiest option would be to configure your home printer so that the office
computer sees it as a network printer. Network printers can be anywhere! This
would require (or be greatly simplified by) a static IP address at home. Then
you'd just print over the Internet to your printer. Your router would direct
printer traffic to the USB device. Of course, the drivers for your local
printer need to be installed on the remote machine... I just tested this
method, using LPR. First, I did a port scan (using NMAP) on my local printer,
and determined that the printer was accepting Port 515 for printing. Then I
logged into my local router and started forwarding traffic on Port 515 to the
IPaddress of my printer. Then I logged into my NYC server 400 miles from where
I am, using VNC (Remote Desktop), and composed a short note on the NYC machine,
using the XyWrite installation on that machine (loaded an early HP LaserJet
.PRN). I TYF-ed it, then used (at DOS Prompt on the NYC box) "LPR.EXE -S
my_WAN_IPaddress -P HP2840 -o l G:\XY4\FO.TMP" -- and less than 2 seconds later
it came out of the printer here (in downeast Maine)! Looks great, too.
Entirely with free tools.

This is do-able hands-off with the new TYN frame in U2 (which had a fatal error
that I fixed and uploaded tonight -- U2 refresh of 11 June). TYN essentially
does automatically what I just did manually. Gosh, what a great way to send
documents to another user! Who needs a fax machine?

If you have XP machines, you can of course use Remote Desktop -- it has
built-in remote printing. Or, if you use VPN, the local printer should appear
as a node on the remote's network -- printing ought to work.

I think there are a lot of ways to skin this cat, and USB should not really
matter. I remember reading that XP's Remote Desktop was flaky with remote
printing to USB, so maybe GTMP has the same problem; but these other methods
should work if GTMP won't.

-----------------------------
Robert Holmgren
holmgren@xxxxxxxx
-----------------------------