SunSoft Print Clients

This section of the overview focuses on the print client, a system that can send print requests to a print server, and print commands, which enable the print client to initiate print requests.

Figure 39-2 highlights the part of the print process in which the user submits a print request from a SunSoft print client.

Figure 39-2 The User Submits a Print Request from a SunSoft Print Client

What Is a SunSoft Print Client?

A system becomes a SunSoft print client when you install the SunSoft print client software and enable access to remote printers on the system. The SunSoft print client commands have the same names and produce the same output as the print commands of the previous Solaris releases.

How the SunSoft Print Client Commands Improve the Print Process

With the Solaris 2.6 SunSoft print client commands, the client system becomes a more effective print client: the commands use a greater number of options to locate printer configuration information, and the client communicates directly with the print server. In the previous Solaris operating environment, the print client did not have these advantages.

The Solaris 2.6 SunSoft print client commands:

• Use more options to locate printer information.

  The SunSoft print client commands check the following resources to locate printers and printer configuration information:

  • The command-line interface

  • A printer alias file in the user's home directory

  • Local (print client) configuration files

  • A network (shared) configuration file, if you use a name service

• Enable clients to submit requests directly to the print server.

  The SunSoft print client sends its requests to the print server's queue; the client does not have a local queue. The client writes the print request to a temporary spooling area only if the print server is not available or if an error occurs. This streamlined path to the server decreases the print client's use of resources, reduces the chances for printing problems, and improves performance.