Services

This server needs to host the following services: file server (NFS), TFTP, Irix installation server and CUPS print server. 

NFS server

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Install Print server and printers

CUPS: Common UNIX Printing Solution

I decided to use CUPS for the printing system on my Unix/linux system. It is more widely used and well supported.
You can also use IRIX Impressario (on CDs IRIX 6.5 Applications, November 2004 and IRIX 6.5.26 Overlays 2 of 3, November 2004).

I will use this procedure to describe the easiest way to install freeware, in my opinion.

1. Login as root
2. Open Software Manager from the Toolchest.
3. Type in http://freeware.sgi.com/Inst in the source box and click on Lookup.
   It takes a little while to load all the distributions.
4. Click Customize Installation... to open the content.
5. Click on Selected, Unmark All to deselect all the products automatically selected.
   In the product list, select 'cups-1.1.19 Common UNIX Printing System'. Click on Conflicts and select all the other distributions to install until all conflicts are gone.
   Note: Select Ghostscript too, to make sure to be able to use all the possible drivers from CUPS.
6. Click Start to start the installation. You can quit Software Manager once the products are installed.
7. Type chkconfig fw_cups on on a console to make CUPS starts automatically at startup.

Zeus 1# chkconfig fw_cups on

8. You can access CUPS with a web browser at the address http://localhost:631 from the workstation.
   The configuration of CUPS goes behond this document, and is well documented. I will just go over the setup of PPD so that they are available in CUPS.

Install PPDs:

We now need to install the proper drivers for the printer(s). I usually use the windows PPD driver file, if unix one aren't available. In my case, I need to install a Xerox DocuPrint P1210 printer (it has a PostScript PDL).

1. Copy the ppd files to the /usr/freeware/share/cups/model folder. (using FTP for example) The file needs to end with .ppd
2. We need to correct the file format and set the proper security on the file. Open a Unix shell and go to the PPD folder, convert the Windows file to the unix format, rename it, change its owner and set its access.

Zeus 1# cd /usr/freeware/share/cups/model
Zeus 2# to_unix p1210.ppd > temp.ppd
Zeus 3# mv temp.ppd p1210.ppd
Zeus 4# chown lp.lp p1210.ppd
Zeus 5# chmod 644 p1210.ppd

3. The drivers are now ready.

Install Printer:

I use a Xerox External Ethernet Adapter, also known as XEEA or CentreDirect, to plug the printer on the network.
I used the Cups administrator to setup the printer. Gave it a name, selected 'LPD/LPR Host or Printer' for the device, and set the device URL to 'lpd://XEEA/raw'. XEEA is the entry in the /etc/hosts file for the network adapter, and raw the name of the lpd queue on the adapter. I then selected the make and model of the printer.

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