Mark, This is the results of the commands you gave me to see if I have a parallel port. Does it indicate having the port? I see a lot of things listed but it means nothing to me. Jim


parport_pc 31981 1
parport 40836 3 lp,ppdev,parport_pc
james@james-System-Product-Name:~$ sudo lsmod | grep lp
drm_kms_helper 48868 1 i915
drm 244037 4 i915,drm_kms_helper
lpc_ich 16864 0
lp 13299 0
parport 40836 3 lp,ppdev,parport_pc
james@james-System-Product-Name:~$ sudo lsmod | grep parport_pc
parport_pc 31981 1
parport 40836 3 lp,ppdev,parport_pc

I think so. Feel free to try the command in post #43 and see if that works.

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Well, my memory's nowhere as good as it used to be. For instance, when typing the original message about CP/M and MS-DOS, I couldn't remember the name of the man who created SCP-DOS for Seattle Computer Products. That was the work of Tim Paterson (yes, only one "t") -- and what makes it so bad is that I actually interviewed Tim via telephone back in 1989 when writing a second edition of the MS-DOS Programmers Reference Manual for Que Publications, to get the proper history of the system direct from the original author!

So far as I know, he's still around, but I believe he was a bit older than me -- and that would put him at a quite advanced age by now. I keep my mind young by hanging out with you youngsters who've only been collecting social security for a few years, but my body has long since been ready for the scrap pile.

I do try to help translate our jargon and help with the transition from older systems to Linux; it's my way of "paying forward" for all the help others have given me since I came into the computer industry -- which was almost 10 years before the first microcomputer chip made the personal computer possible.

JimKyle, Sounds like you have had a very interesting labor of love. I didn't get into fooling around with computer until 1985. Of course I never was a programmer and couldn't understand it to start with. Mainly everything I have done was and is through what you might call dumb luck. I just liked playing around with them and to see if I could manage to get something going with old junk boxes. To put it another way, I didn't have the money to get anything worth while but would fool around with other folks machines to see if I might be able to help them get them going again. At one time I had so many old computers all over the place it looked like a computer grave yard. You know, the ones with the Amber or green screens as well as the huge IBM boxes. I even got an Old Epson Equity II working and running the more modern stuff at the time. I would set many up with Norton Commander (I think that was what it was called?} So you could select a menu of programs listed and run any program you desired. Windows though from roughly 95 foward took the fun out of fooling around due to all the licese nonsense and making it next to impossible to even re-install the system softwre without a ton of headaches. This is one of the greater reasons back last December I decided to set up a box with Ubuntu to get away from being locked into a continual and unending upgrade deal which also seems have an unending supply of "bugs!" Bugs that they know and rearly and totally fix before they put out another bug ridden system. I just hope that I can manage to learn enough to have a somewhat dependable system and forget having to keep buying new update programs every single year and, have to put up with stuff that has many problems that go along with it. So far, I am very happy with what I see as well as the kind folks trying to help. That makes it a totally new experience as well as a plesant one. Thank you, Jim

If anyone could figure out what all of this might mean, it could be the reason my old printer is not working. I went to Unbuntu Wiki under "debugging Printing problems." On page #3 it lists "Parallel port Printer" and gives a number of commands to check various things of which I used below. My problem is I am not certain of what I am looking at. I think the problems might be spelled out in this or, some problem areas. Thanks, Jim






james@james-System-Product-Name:~$ lsmod | grep lp
lpc_ich 16864 0
drm_kms_helper 48868 1 i915
lp 13299 0
drm 244037 4 i915,drm_kms_helper
parport 40836 3 lp,ppdev,parport_pc
james@james-System-Product-Name:~$ dmesg | grep ppdev
[ 18.960745] ppdev: user-space parallel port driver
james@james-System-Product-Name:~$ ls -1 /dev/lp* /dev/paraport*
ls: cannot access /dev/paraport*: No such file or directory
/dev/lp0
james@james-System-Product-Name:~$ ls -1 /proc/sys/dev/parport*/autoprobe*
ls: cannot access /proc/sys/dev/parport*/autoprobe*: No such file or directory
james@james-System-Product-Name:~$ cat /proc/sys/dev/parport*/autoprobe*
cat: /proc/sys/dev/parport*/autoprobe*: No such file or directory
james@james-System-Product-Name:~$ lpinfo -v
network ipp
network http
network ipps
network https
serial serial:/dev/ttyS0?baud=115200
network socket
network ipp14
network lpd
network smb
direct parallel:/dev/lp0
file cups-pdf:/
direct hp
direct hpfax
network tea4cups:ipp
network tea4cups:http
network tea4cups:smb
network tea4cups:ipp14
network tea4cups:https
direct tea4cups:hp
serial tea4cups:serial:/dev/ttyS0?baud=115200
network tea4cups:lpd
network tea4cups:ipps
network tea4cups:socket
direct tea4cups://
james@james-System-Product-Name:~$ /usr/lib/cups/backend/parallel
james@james-System-Product-Name:~$ sudo /usr/lib/cups/backend/parallel
[sudo] password for james:
direct parallel:/dev/lp0 "unknown" "LPT #1" "" ""
james@james-System-Product-Name:~$

It seems to indicate that you have the parport, parport_pc, and lp modules loaded. From this tutorial on the subject, they say

The site further states that further descriptions of what the modules are for can be obtained with the modinfo command (assuming the author of the module provided this, which isn't always the case). parport_pc, which the readout of lsmod shows is loaded on your machine, has the following printout from modinfo:

It's a driver for the parallel port. So you've got the required modules loaded (which, from other sites I've seen, are lp, parport, and parport_pc).

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Mark, Thank you for the info. I wanted to try to clear up the idea about the port and to be shure there is such a port as that seems to be a big deal. Jim

Nothing like a good ol' parallel port.

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Mark, Thanks, but I do know the physical port and the way it looks. I am or was reffering to the deal where most folks are talking about having the port seen by Ubuntu and through the commands that are supposed to give that sort of information. Jim

If you are still wondering if it is being detected by Ubuntu run;
which should list (ls) all pci devices. Paralell and Serial ports should be listed with pci devices.

Can't show you the output with such devices because this is pretty new box and has neither of them. My last box didn't either and I had to get a pci expansion card so could run my old printer which is about dead so I haven't put that card in this new box.

widget, I will give it a try soon and try to let you know. Right at the moment I am on my HP laptop and it is strictly Windows 7. The old Asus box I have Unbuntu on had to be set aside for a short time. I had a total crash on my HP desktop with Windows 7. That seems to be an all to common problem with the old Pavilion. I've been fooling with it for several days and even the system disk it wouldn't start. I ended having to take the hard drive out and install it into a USB Enclosure and then find a date where it did fire up and change it. It did work when I put it back into the machine but, then updates etc., and on and on. Now waiting for the backup to another hard drive to finish.
Thank you, Jim

widget, this is what the command shows which you wanted me to try. I really don't see a parallel port mentioned but I also am probably wrong as usual too.
Thank you, Jim
james@james-System-Product-Name:~$ lspci
00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation 82G33/G31/P35/P31 Express DRAM Controller (rev 10)
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation 82G33/G31 Express Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 10)
00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family High Definition Audio Controller (rev 01)
00:1c.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family PCI Express Port 1 (rev 01)
00:1c.1 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family PCI Express Port 2 (rev 01)
00:1d.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family USB UHCI Controller #1 (rev 01)
00:1d.1 USB controller: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family USB UHCI Controller #2 (rev 01)
00:1d.2 USB controller: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family USB UHCI Controller #3 (rev 01)
00:1d.3 USB controller: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family USB UHCI Controller #4 (rev 01)
00:1d.7 USB controller: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family USB2 EHCI Controller (rev 01)
00:1e.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801 PCI Bridge (rev e1)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation 82801GB/GR (ICH7 Family) LPC Interface Bridge (rev 01)
00:1f.1 IDE interface: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) IDE Controller (rev 01)
00:1f.2 IDE interface: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family SATA Controller [IDE mode] (rev 01)
00:1f.3 SMBus: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family SMBus Controller (rev 01)
01:00.0 Ethernet controller: Qualcomm Atheros AR8121/AR8113/AR8114 Gigabit or Fast Ethernet (rev b0)
03:00.0 Ethernet controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL-8100/8101L/8139 PCI Fast Ethernet Adapter (rev 10)
james@james-System-Product-Name:~$

I'll be jiggered if I see it there. Did you have your printer connected and turned on?

Yes, I did have it on but will give it another shot just in case. I've been fooling around with this so much I am getting lost. But that doesn't take a lot to get me that way these days. I also have been doing a lot of digging into the cups thing but I probably will not get all that far there either. (Compliers & such)
Thany you, Jim

james@james-System-Product-Name:~$ lspci
00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation 82G33/G31/P35/P31 Express DRAM Controller (rev 10)
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation 82G33/G31 Express Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 10)
00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family High Definition Audio Controller (rev 01)
00:1c.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family PCI Express Port 1 (rev 01)
00:1c.1 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family PCI Express Port 2 (rev 01)
00:1d.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family USB UHCI Controller #1 (rev 01)
00:1d.1 USB controller: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family USB UHCI Controller #2 (rev 01)
00:1d.2 USB controller: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family USB UHCI Controller #3 (rev 01)
00:1d.3 USB controller: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family USB UHCI Controller #4 (rev 01)
00:1d.7 USB controller: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family USB2 EHCI Controller (rev 01)
00:1e.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801 PCI Bridge (rev e1)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation 82801GB/GR (ICH7 Family) LPC Interface Bridge (rev 01)
00:1f.1 IDE interface: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) IDE Controller (rev 01)
00:1f.2 IDE interface: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family SATA Controller [IDE mode] (rev 01)
00:1f.3 SMBus: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family SMBus Controller (rev 01)
01:00.0 Ethernet controller: Qualcomm Atheros AR8121/AR8113/AR8114 Gigabit or Fast Ethernet (rev b0)
03:00.0 Ethernet controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL-8100/8101L/8139 PCI Fast Ethernet Adapter (rev 10)
james@james-System-Product-Name:~$
This is with the printer connected and turned on. However, I'm not seeing any mention of a parallel port of any kind unless it is named something else? Thank you, Jim