Hey there...

I'm hoping someone out there has seen this problem, because frankly right now I'm stumped and need help.

We have a Linux server running Red Hat Linux 8.0. We have several serial printers connected to this server using Digi Etherlite 32 multiport boxes. The printers are Intermec and Prodigy label printers and HP laser printers.

What's happening is that some printouts to one or two of the label printers cause the whole server to lock up. The machine refuses to respond to the keyboard or to serial terminals, and stops responding to the network. Also, there are no errors on the screen (if it's not blanked), and /var/log/messages shows nothing as well. The only thing I can do then is powercycle the machine. Printing to the laser printers does not have that issue. I think this is more of a general serial issue than something specific to these Etherlite boxes, because we had the same issue on a Slackware 4.0 box with Chase multiport serial cards installed (though, back then, I thought it WAS that one's drivers). The output of ditty-rp on one of the afflicted ports:

onstr \033[5i offstr \033[4i term ansi
maxcps 100 maxchar 50 bufsize 100
-forcedcd -altpin -fastbaud (9600)
-rtspace -dtrpace -ctspace -dsrpace -dcdpace
DTR+ RTS+ CTS- CD- DSR- RI-
startc = 0x11 stopc = 0x13
-aixon astartc = 0x0 astopc = 0x0
speed 9600 baud; rows 0; columns 0; line = 0;
intr = ^C; quit = ^\; erase = ^?; kill = ^U; eof = ^D; eol = <undef>;
eol2 = <undef>; start = ^Q; stop = ^S; susp = ^Z; rprnt = ^R; werase = ^W;
lnext = ^V; flush = ^O; min = 1; time = 0;
-parenb -parodd cs8 hupcl -cstopb cread clocal -crtscts
-ignbrk -brkint -ignpar -parmrk -inpck -istrip -inlcr -igncr icrnl ixon -ixoff
-iuclc -ixany -imaxbel
opost -olcuc -ocrnl onlcr -onocr -onlret -ofill -ofdel nl0 cr0 tab0 bs0 vt0 ff0
isig icanon iexten echo echoe echok -echonl -noflsh -xcase -tostop -echoprt
echoctl echoke

I've also tried setting ixoff on the serial port, with no success. The data is being sent directly to the serial port by the application's (UniVerse) built-in print spooler.

If anyone has any ideas, I would greatly appreciate it!

did you use the builtin redhat printfilters/print system?

if itis out of the box it might not be able to handle some configs, specially comples ones liek yours.

you may want to manually configure the printers.. on how to do it I am not sure. I know you should look at /etc/printtab

No, the UniVerse system has its own built-in print spooler which sends the output directly to the serial port, complete with serial port settings. I've checked the serial port settings and as near as I can tell they match those on the printers.

hmm, sorry then not familiar with it.