Configuring a Plotter or other Non-Automatically Configurable Output Devices Using HP-UX Commands




	NOTE: Although this procedure refers explicitly to plotters, it can be used to configure other devices that need the `instr0` device driver on a Series 800 computer.

Unlike printers, plotters cannot be automatically configured by the kernel. Instead, you must manually ensure that the driver is associated with the hardware path by using the capabilities of ioscan.

Connect your plotter, noting the hardware address to which you are connecting it and the HP-IB address to which you are setting the plotter. In this example, we are configuring an HP 7596A Draftmaster II to an HP-IB interface located in card-cage slot 12 in a Model 806 computer. The HP-IB address is set to 5.

Identify the hardware path to the plotter by invoking ioscan. An excerpt of the output might resemble the following:

/usr/sbin/ioscan -f
Class    I  H/W Path  Driver    S/W State  H/W Type   Description
=================================================================
bc       0            root      CLAIMED    BUS_NEXUS
bc       1  56        bc        CLAIMED    BUS_NEXUS  Bus Converter
ext_bus  1  56/40     hpfl1     CLAIMED    INTERFACE  HP 28615A - HP-FL Interface
lanmux   0  56/44     lanmux0   CLAIMED    INTERFACE  HP J2146A - 802.3 LAN
lan      1  56/44.1   lan3      CLAIMED    INTERFACE
ext_bus  2  56/48     hpib1     CLAIMED    INTERFACE  HP 28650B - HP-IB Interface

The interface driver is hpib1 and the hardware path of interface card to which the plotter is connected is 56/48 (hardware path equals slot number times four; the bus converter is in slot 14, the interface card is in slot 12). Neither the HP-IB address of the plotter nor the instr0 device driver is shown.

Rebuild the kernel to include the instr0 driver. Here is how to do so:
1. Change directory to the build environment (/stand/build). There, execute a system preparation script, system_prep, which extracts the system file from the current kernel and writes a system file in your current directory. (That is, it creates /stand/build/system.) The -v provides verbose explanation as the script executes.
  cd /stand/build /usr/lbin/sysadm/system_prep -v -s system
2. Edit the /stand/build/system file to add the absent driver(s).
3. Build the kernel by invoking the mk_kernel command, which compiles the kernel and loads it. mk_kernel creates /stand/build/vmunix_test, a kernel ready for testing.
  /usr/sbin/mk_kernel -s system
4. Save the old system file and kernel by moving them. Thus, if anything goes wrong, you still have a bootable kernel.
  mv /stand/system /stand/system.prev mv /stand/vmunix /stand/vmunix.prev
5. Move the new system file and new kernel into place, ready to be used when you reboot the system.
  mv /stand/build/system /stand/system mv /stand/build/vmunix_test /stand/vmunix
Reboot the system by invoking the shutdown command with sufficient grace period to allow users to exit their files before the system goes down. See shutdown(1M) in the HP-UX Reference.

Bind the software driver used by the plotter (instr0) to the plotter's full hardware path (56/48.5) by executing /usr/sbin/ioscan with the -M and -H options. Then verify the results by executing ioscan again.

As shown in the following sequence of commands and ioscan output, the device driver (instr0) associates with a peripheral device at address 56/48.5. The instr0 driver cannot identify any more specifically what instrument is attached, but it can communicate with it.

/usr/sbin/ioscan -M instr0 -H 56/48.5/usr/sbin/ioscan -kf 
Class    I  H/W Path  Driver    S/W State  H/W Type   Description
=================================================================
bc       0            root      CLAIMED    BUS_NEXUS
bc       1  56        bc        CLAIMED    BUS_NEXUS  Bus Converter
ext_bus  1  56/40     hpfl1     CLAIMED    INTERFACE  HP 28615A - HP-FL Interface
lanmux   0  56/44     lanmux0   CLAIMED    INTERFACE  HP J2146A - 802.3 LAN
lan      1  56/44.1   lan3      CLAIMED    INTERFACE
ext_bus  2  56/48     hpib1     CLAIMED    INTERFACE  HP 28650B - HP-IB Interface
instr    0  56/48.5   instr0    NO_HW      DEVICE     HP-IB Instrument

Create a device special file for the plotter by invoking /usr/sbin/insf with the -H (hardware path) option; for example:
/usr/sbin/insf -H 56/48.5
This installs the device special file for the hardware path and instr0. You can verify this by executing ioscan -H 56/48.5 -fn to see the file name and then lssf filename to see the device file's attributes.

Your next step will be to configure the LP spooler to enable you to send print jobs to the plotter; for procedure, see "Managing Printers and Printer Output" of the HP-UX System Administration Tasks manual.

Configuring a Plotter or other Non-Automatically Configurable Output Devices Using HP-UX Commands

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