This chapter describes how to enable peripheral devices such as printers and touch screens for the JavaStation computer.
JavaStation printers can be set up quickly using Netra j. For information on Netra j, go to http://www.sun.com/netra-j or refer to the Netra j 3.0 Administrator's Guide.
The JavaStation computer is able to access:
Serial and parallel printers that are directly attached to the JavaStation
Printers located on the network
Printer access is configured using JavaOS properties. The JavaOS properties used to set up each type of printer are listed below.
Table 9-1 JavaOS Properties Used to Set Up JavaStation Printers
This chapter describes the properties in the preceding table in detail and explains their possible settings. For complete instructions on setting JavaOS properties, see "Setting Properties".
The JavaOS software receives NIS printer names in a JavaOS property and relies on the NIS map printers.conf.byname for printer addresses. To set up NIS printer access for the JavaStation computer, use the following procedure.
Use the javaos.printers.selected property to set printer names.
This property is a semicolon-separated list of entries with the syntax print_service:printer@server. For example:
-djavaos.printers.selected=NIS:mde@mde-host;NIS:mdecolor@mde-host
The above example specifies that mde and mdecolor are NIS printers available to the JavaStation computer, and that mde-host is their server.
Set up an NIS printer map.
The printers.conf.byname NIS map is the default NIS map for printers for the JavaStation computer.
If printers.conf.byname already exists, you do not need to do anything.
If the name of the NIS printer map is something other than printers.conf.byname, you can configure the JavaOS software to use the new map name by setting the javaos.printservice.NIS.mapname property. For example:
-djavaos.printservice.NIS.mapname=js.nismap
Whenever you add or remove printers, follow the procedure below to update the NIS map (must be done every time).
On the NIS server, use Admintool to set up the printers.
Refer to the chapter titled "Managing Printing Services" in the Solaris 2.6 System Administrator Guide.
On the NIS server, become root and type the following commands to push the map out.
# cd /var/yp # /usr/ccs/bin/make -f /var/yp/Makefile -f /usr/lib/print/Makefile.yp \ printers.conf.byname
You can use two different properties to specify lpd printer names to the JavaOS software.
Use either javaos.printers.selected or javaos.printservice.lpd.printers to list the lpd printers accessible to the JavaStation computer.
The javaos.printers.selected property is a semicolon-separated list of entries with the syntax print_service:printer@server. It is a system property that must be set using the -D flag. For example:
-Djavaos.printers.selected=lpd:raw@konaprint
The javaos.printers.selected property can list both NIS and lpd printers. For example:
-Djavaos.printers.selected=NIS:mde@mde-host;lpd:raw@konaprint
All JavaStation models support local printing over a serial port. Future JavaStation models will also support local printing over a parallel port. (However, this feature is not available at this writing).
Use the javaos.printservice.local.params.serial-port property to set serial port transmission parameters.
The port portion of this property is the name of a serial port, which can be:
SerialA or SerialB for an on-board JavaStation serial port (SerialB is not available on any JavaStation model at this writing)
One of SerialP1 - SerialP8 for a serial port enabled by the multiport serial card (MPSC), which is not available on any JavaStation model at this writing
The syntax of the parameters is baud_rate:data_bits:stop_bit: parity: flow_control. For example:
-djavaos.printservice.local.params.serialSerialA=57600:8:1:none:hh
The serial parameters supported are listed under "Printing Properties".
An application running on the JavaStation computer must use the CommPort API to communicate with the JavaStation serial port. To view the CommPort API, go to http://www.sun.com/javastation.
Use the javaos.printservice.local.params.parallel-port property to enable the parallel port.
The port portion of this property is the name of the parallel port. At this writing, a parallel port is not available on any JavaStation model. To enable the parallel port, you would set this property to true as follows:
-djavaos.printservice.local.params.parallel-LPT1=true
An application running on the JavaStation computer must use the CommPort API to communicate with the JavaStation parallel port. To view the CommPort API, go to http://www.sun.com/javastation.
A touch screen can be connected to the JavaStation serial port for user input when the JavaStation computer is implemented as a kiosk.
Since the touch screen functions as a mouse, a facility outside the JavaOS software is needed to generate mouse events. A handler applet or application must be written, using the CommPort API and the MouseInput class, to move the cursor and generate button press events. To view the CommPort API and the MouseInput class, go to http://www.sun.com/javastation.
Use the javaos.printservice.local.params.serial-port property to set serial port transmission parameters.
For instructions on setting this property to enable the serial port, see "To Set Up a Local Serial Printer ".