File Name: 140958-006 Title: NetLinq for NetWare Software Support Diskette version 2.30. Ethernet Version: 2.30/9408 Token Ring Version: 2.10/9330 NICPrint Version: 2.1 Instructions Version: 09/07/94 CATEGORY: Software and Firmware EFFECTIVE DATE: 07/19/94 PRODUCTS AFFECTED: NetLinq Option for PageMarq 15 and PageMarq 20 printers OPERATING SYSTEM: MS-DOS and Novell NetWare SYSTEM CONFIGURATION: N/A SUPERSEDES: SP0655 DESCRIPTION: This document explains the installation and use of the NICPrint utility and instructions on how to upgrade the firmware on the NetLinq for NetWare option for the Compaq PageMarq 15 and PageMarq 20 laser printers. FEATURES: NICPrint 2.1 1. TOKEN RING SUPPORT NICPrint now supports Token Ring. NICPrint should be used in mixed Ethernet and Token Ring environments. The installation and update utilities included on this disk have been changed to support both Ethernet and Token Ring. AppleTalk (TokenTalk) is not supported with the Token Ring option. 2. QUICK CONFIG A "Quick Configure" option has been added to NICPrint. This option automatically creates a print server and print queue using a user-specified logical name. For custom Print Server and Remote Printer installations refer to the NetLinq Option for Novell NetWare Operation Guide. 3. NETLINQ REPORTS The Configuration/Status and Statistics Reports can now be printed using NICPrint. These reports contain useful information on printer and NIC configuration/status for both NetWare and EtherTalk. 4. ADDING FILE SERVERS Support for adding files servers to be serviced by the print server has be included in NICPrint. 5. UPDATE UTILITY An UPDATE utility to facilitate the transition from previous releases of firmware is included with this NetLinq option. (See UPGRADE NOTE below.) NETLINQ OPTION FOR NOVELL NETWARE/ETHERTALK FIRMWARE VERSION: 9408 ETHERNET FIRMWARE VERSION: 9330 TOKEN RING This release of the NetLinq option hardware includes a new version of firmware to address specific functionality concerns with earlier versions. Highlighted below are some of the areas that have been addressed. 1. PRINTER DISCONNECTING/DISAPPEARING FROM NETWORK An extreme number of very short Ethernet packets addressed to the NetLinq option (NIC) could cause a failure mode where the NIC would cease operating on the network. Large broadcast packets on the network could cause earlier versions of the printer NIC to drop its network connection. While both NetWare and Apple EtherTalk use an Ethernet packet size less than 1200 bytes, other Ethernet users may use larger broadcast packet sizes. Network traffic seen by the NetLinq option was mishandled by the NIC when larger packet sizes were used. For example, DECNET using the LAT protocol will broadcast messages using 1514 bytes per packet. The NIC would recognize the packet address as a broadcast but mishandle the packet, thereby causing the NIC to cease operating on the network. Using this release of firmware, the NIC correctly handles the larger packets and continues normal operation. 2. ETHERTALK PHASE 1/PHASE 2 CONFLICT Earlier versions of the NIC firmware defaulted to supporting both Phase 1 and Phase 2 EtherTalk, which in some environments could cause the printer not to appear in the Macintosh Chooser. This release defaults to supporting just Phase 2. When Apple discontinued Phase 1 support in 1989, users were guided to begin using EtherTalk's Phase 2 exclusively. Despite this recommendation, some network environments that use internet routers still have a mix of Phase 1 and Phase 2. Because the prior firmware supported Phase 1 or Phase 2 as the default configuration, the NIC could be confused in network settings that allowed both Phase 1 and Phase 2 support simultaneously on the EtherTalk segment used by NetLinq. The Macintosh Chooser could not see the PageMarq printer when this happened. With this firmware release, Phase 1 support is disabled as the default configuration. Thus, the NetLinq option avoids conflict and the PageMarq printer is visible via EtherTalk's Phase 2 in the Macintosh Chooser. The NetLinq Manager software can be used to change default setting and enable Phase 1 support. Do this only when the NetLinq option must operate on older, Phase 1-only, networks. UPGRADE NOTE This NetLinq option is not backwards compatible with NICPrint versions less than NICPrint 2.00 (for Ethernet) and 2.10 (for Token Ring) and firmware version 9XXX. An UPDATE utility has been provided with this release of NICPrint to upgrade the NICPrint utility and both Ethernet and Token Ring firmware (UPGRADE.EXE). This utility is executed automatically from the install program. The install program will generate a log file listing all the NIC cards which have been successfully upgraded or provide an error indication as appropriate. The UPDATE utility can also be executed separately. The Token Ring and Ethernet upgrade must be completed as separate activities by executing the UPDATE utility once for Ethernet and again for Token Ring. The UPDATE utility and NICPrint 2.XX are designed to work on networks with the same frame format. The UPDATE utility and NICPrint 2.XX will not downgrade firmware to releases previous to 9XXX. HOW TO USE: 1. LOGIN SERVER SELECTION When configuring the NIC for a Login Server for the first time, the default server (the server the user is currently logged into) is assumed to be the login server for the NIC. To change the Login Server, press the key while in the Configure Print Server Panel in the Login Server field in NICPrint. A list of available file servers (on which supervisor privileges are granted) displays. Select the desired server to change the Login Server. 2. PRINT SERVER ERROR NOTIFICATION When the NIC option is configured to run as a print server, it is capable of sending printer error messages to users defined in the "Print Server Operators" list in Novell's PCONSOLE utility. These messages are broadcast to these users once and will not be repeated. The "First" and "Next" intervals specified in the "Notify Intervals" panel in PCONSOLE are ignored by the NIC option. 3. PRINTER SERVER PASSWORD If the NIC was previously configured for Print Server mode and a password was specified, assigning a new Logical Name to the Print Server will result in the password being reset to the default value [none]. 4. ODI DRIVERS When running NICPrint or CPQADMIN, it is recommended that you use the latest NetWare DOS ODI drivers. The recommended version numbers of the drivers are as follows: IPXODI.COM - Version 2.10 or later LSL.COM - Version 2.01 or later NETX.COM - Version 3.26 or later Similarly, the latest drivers for the workstation NIC should be used. For the MICOM NI5210 (NI5210.COM), use 2.11 or later. 5. PRINT SERVER LOGICAL NAME When configuring for Print Server mode, the Print Server's Logical Name must already exist on the login (default) file server as it is checked for existence when entered. Use PCONSOLE to create the Print Server on the login file server. 6. CONNECTING TO MULTIPLE FILE SERVERS If the NIC is being configured to service multiple queues on several file servers, upon exiting (Reset and Save) from the Configure Print Server screen, the NIC may initially be reported as "not responding." A subsequent rebuilding of the NIC list by pressing eventually allows NICPrint to communicate with the NIC. The NIC will not respond until a connection to each of the file servers has been established. 7. ATTACHING TO A FILE SERVER If the NIC has been configured for a frame format which no file server on the network is running, an error of "Unable to attach to nearest server" is reported. This error also occurs if all file servers are down or if the Disable Near Server command is enabled on the file server(s). 8. DISABLING THE NIC INTERFACE FROM THE PRINTER Disabling the network interface from the printer's front panel only stops the printer from servicing the NIC. It does not stop the NIC from processing an incoming print job. 9. NETWARE BANNER PAGES When printing NetWare jobs with banners enabled, there is a small time window where a pending job from another port (parallel, serial, etc.) may print between the banner page and its associated NetWare job. Use the PriorityLock option in the Setup Printer Menu on the front panel to avoid this situation. 10. LOGIN SERVER HARD ERRORS Configuration errors such as "Bad Password" or "Login Disabled" which occur on the login server are treated as hard errors these require the NIC to be reset via NICPrint or power-cycled to clear the error condition after the problem has been corrected on the login server. 11. DELETING A PRINT SERVER Deleting a Print Server name from PCONSOLE's Queue Servers list will not force the Print Server to unattach from the queue until the NIC is reset or power-cycled. If a job is put into the queue while the Print Server is in this state, it will go ACTIVE "being serviced by print server unknown" but nothing prints and no error is reported to NICPrint. 12. NETWARE 286 PRINT SERVER DELETION When the NIC is running in Print Server mode attached to a NetWare_286 (2.15c, 2.2) file server and the Print Server definition is deleted from PCONSOLE, no error will be reported by the NIC until it is reset or power-cycled. This is because NW_286 does not report the error to the NIC. 13. SELECTIVE LOGICAL NAME The "Selective Logical Name" filter option in NICPrint doe not allow lowercase letters to be entered. To search for remote printers with mixed case use the "Remote Printer" search criteria. 14. SAVE CHANGES NICPrint prompts the user to "Save Changes and Reset" upon exiting the Configure Print Server Panel if or is pressed in the Login Server field even if no changes are made. 15. NICPRINT OPERATION WITH NO SUPERVISOR PRIVILEGES Users with no supervisor privileges are only allowed to view NIC status. The read-only options will be displayed in NICPrint. All other configuration and administration options will not display. NOTE: The next section applies only to the NetLinq Ethernet option GENERAL USAGE NOTES: ETHERTALK 1. DEVICE/ZONE SUPPORT The NetLinq Utility supports up to 100 devices (NICs) and 255 zones. 2. DEVICE SELECTION SCREEN REFRESH Only the device being named, zoned, phased, or status-checked is refreshed in the device selection screen. To refresh all devices, execute a search. 3. FONT DOWNLOADING SUPPORT The Adobe and Apple font downloaders are not supported in this release of the NetLinq option. Please contact Compaq Customer Support as directed in the user guide for additional information on expected support for this feature in future NetLinq support software releases. 4. MACINTOSH FAX SUPPORT For support of the Internal Fax Mode in a EtherTalk environment, a PageMarq printer driver with integrated features is included. This Macintosh driver, the LaserWriter 8.0 enhancer, can also be downloaded from CompuServe or AppleLink.