Eric Schuele wrote:
Bill Moran wrote:
This will be FreeBSD 5.4 machine.
I need to hook a printer to a server (actually, it's a "plotter", an HP
inkjet plotter). The server doesn't have a parallel port, and the
printer
doesn't have a USB port.
The guy who provides our hardware recommended a USB -> parallel adapter,
but I've got no experience with these. I've been warned about USB ->
serial adapaters and how the translation isn't always 100%, so I'm
trying to gather some information before I go forward with this plan.
Anyone use one of these? How well do they work in general? How well
do they work under FreeBSD?
There are definitely 'some issues' with USB -> Parallel port adapters.
I've had good luck printing, but obviously others have had plenty of bad
luck. And they (the adapters) definitely have difficulties with other
parallel devices (think security dongles, data acquisition, etc).
Yes, there are 'some issues' and they are by no means limited to
FreeBSD. I have seen numerous odd behaviors from all kinds of
USB-to-somethingelse adapters under Windows, too. If you have to buy
an adapter, get it from a vendor that lets you return products if
they don't work out in your specific environment, and do a lot of
stress testing as soon as you connect things up.
I believe there are some PCMCIA -> parallel adapters that should work
better. Though they are a bit pricey.
More basic PCI parallel port cards are very common throughout my
network, and we get them for under $15, IIRC. As cheap (or cheaper)
and far more consistently well-behaved than most USB adapters.
--
Greg Barniskis, Computer Systems Integrator
South Central Library System (SCLS)
Library Interchange Network (LINK)
<gregb at scls.lib.wi.us>, (608) 266-6348
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