Subject: lpt/NetBSD-1.0
To: None <netbsd-bugs@NetBSD.ORG>
From: Rick Jardine <jardine@jardine.math.uwo.ca>
List: netbsd-bugs
Date: 01/13/1995 08:55:13
I'm having trouble with the NetBSD-1.0 lpt driver on two different
configurations: a Laserjet II connected to a Pentium on a PCI bus and
a Laserjet III connected to a 486-66 on an EISA bus.
The symptoms are that when I 

cat texfile.lj > /dev/lpt0

I get intermittent and random overstrikes, missing characters and
switched characters in the resulting printout. 

I've printed these files this way under multiple flavours of UNIX,
because it has meant that I've never had to think about lpr too much.
Turning off lpd does not kill the problem.

The *.lj files are created from the *.dvi files with dvilj2 and
dvilj2p on the respective machines. I've tried recompiling these
programs, but it didn't help. Furthermore, said *.lj files print just
fine on the Laserjet II connected to a DOS box down the hall at work,
so I don't think that there's anything wrong with them.

I applied patch_04 (and all other patches) when I installed
the system, so that's not the problem. I've tried taking it out as
well, but it doesn't make any difference.

lpa0 works just fine, but it's strictly slow mo. 

I have some questions:

1. The relevant line in my GENERICAHA file is

device          lpt0    at isa? port "IO_LPT1" irq 7

Is there something that should be changed here, or some other place in the
NetBSD-1.0 code?

2. The NetBSD-0.9 lpt driver worked just fine. Can it be used in place
of the NetBSD-1.0 lpt driver?

3. I see that lpt.c is written differently again in
NetBSD-current. Does this mean that the driver has been fixed in
current?

Any other suggestions would be welcome. It would be nice to get this
problem solved. Processing tex files is 80% of the business of these
two machines.

Thanks in advance

Rick Jardine