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This page contains some useful presales information and is mainly prepared for those of you, who are new to the ELP (Enhanced Laser Printing) software.

First some links:

Just in order to find out if ELP or other solutions can do the requested job, it is especially for bar code printing nice to know how the clients application does address the bar code. Also for testing all the other functionality like Emulations, Forms Management etc. it is sometimes nice having a data stream for evaluation.

Here are quite some possible solutions how to get it / them:

How to capture spool files with and without ELP, overview:

A. On a Microsoft Windows based operating system. Using either standard windows methods or the partly freeware stethos ELP (Enhanced Laser Printing) software.

B. Using the stethos AP-ELP external print server

C. Other operation systems

A. How to capture spool files on a MS Windows based operating system

Sometimes you are requested by stethos support to provide your data streams to us in order to give support or implementation services. Here is the step by step procedure on a Microsoft Windows based operating system for those cases:

1. The job comes already through a MS Windows print queue
2. A host system uses the lp / lpr protocol to send data streams to a printer
3. A host system uses standard TCP/IP to send data stream to a printer
4. Printing from SAP

1. The job comes already through a MS Windows print queue

• The best way without having ELP installed is to change the queue port to FILE. Then you will be prompted for a specific file name for every incoming print job.
• Alternatively to the next option, simply set the queue to status hold.
  
• If the print queue does quite a bit of printing, the solution above is may be a little too interrupting.
  
  Open the CONTROL PANEL - printers - Properties and open the Enhanced tab. In the second last option you can set the queue to NOT deleting a job after it is printed. Turn it on and save the setting.
  
  
  
  
• For each printed job you find 2 files in the spooling folder (which is usually at %windir% \system32\spool\printers for a non clustered Windows installation). If you are unsure about your spooling folder check the windows spooling system for the spooling folder:
  *.shd which contains the information seen in the queue windows for that job, Name, user, etc.
  *.spl is the job itself. Sometimes the ending can be named differently. In rare cases, this file is not the print file itself, but contains a windows internal data format before printing.
  
  
  
  In order to see if it is a raw print file, just send it directly to the printer:
  
  lpr -S ###.###.###.### -P raw %windir%\system32\spool\printers\$$$.spl
  ###.###.###.### is the IP address of the printer $$$.spl the file name to be sent,  here 00012.spl.
  
  Notes:
  - Instead of "raw" you can also try the ports "lp", "prn" or "9100"
  - The -S and -P must be written in upper case
  - If that command is Not available, use a utility called TCPSend. tcpsend ###.###.###.### 9100 $$$.spl
  
  If the printed result is rubbish, then you need to use solution 1 or the next one.
  
  
• Having ELP installed, start PPAdmin Control Center and select theConfiguration Tab Now you have 2 options:
  
  1. Storing just always the last data stream: Need help? How to get support!
  2. Archive all jobs like described below using the AP-ELP Box: Archiving of data streams

2. Job coming from an SAP host which is hosted somewhere, and you have a good SAP printer admin service (Detailed steps below, chapter 5):

In that case please share your queue using the following 4 digit share name: 9100.

Then ask your SAP admin to setup a new printer with Host Access Method U and give it your TCP/IP Address of your PC and the name for the Host printer: 9100.

3. A host system uses the lp / lpr protocol to send data streams to a printer

Note: Alternatively for SAP you can also use in that case Host Spool Access Method L.

In any case you need to make sure that on your PC the service: TCP/IP-Printserver is installed and running. If the service is not yet installed, open in the CONTROL PANEL "ADD/REMOVE Programs" (in German: Software).
Then "Add Windows components" and open the additional printer services. Here you find the Unix printing services:

or

Add them and make sure the new available TCP/IP-Print service is set to autostart.

or

You may test the functionality by opening a DOS cmd window via START - Run - cmd. Then check if you can find in the actual directory any file using the dir command. You can send this file now to the queue using the same LPR command as described above.

lpr -S YourNewIPAdress -P PrinterQueueName Filename.ext
Like that: lpr -S 192.168.0.234 -P 9100 "c:\windows\setuplog.txt"

If the printer queue name contains blanks, use double quotes like this:
Lpr -S 192.168.0.234 -P "My Printer Host Name" "filename"

You may then erase the print job and set the queue back into printing mode. In both cases you can track the jobs like described in section 1.

4. The job comes from a host system, like UNIX or AS400 etc or any other system, and you have no access to the system administrator.

There are 2 ways how the data streams are sent to the printer:

1. Using the LPR (LP) protocol to the tracked port 515 and from there the printer sends the job to the requested internal queue (usually named 9100) or
2. direct usage of TCP/IP printing method to port 9100.

For both cases you need to power on your printer and set your PC to the IP address of your printer: START -> CONTROL PANEL -> Network connections -> double click on the LAN connection -> button properties -> double click "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)" -> Use the following IP address -> fill in IP address and subnet mask

After saving this settings, open a DOS cmd window: Start - Run - cmd and type in "IPCONFIG | more" and check if the IP address was changed, here 192.168.0.167.

• Receive jobs via LPR protocol:
  
  Setup the TCP/IP Print service like explained above. Then try to send the job. If an error is generated and the printer is not available in most cases you need to change the queue share name to one of the names listed above, or ask for the queue name.
  
  
• Receive IP Jobs:
  
  Download from our website welp.stethos.com link Download the our MS Windows based W-ELP Software and install it. Then start PPAdmin Control Center. You can skip the startup Agent and all popups. Open the "Get IP Jobs" tab and enter
  9100 into the first field and a path in the archive field, then click apply. Get IP Jobs Register Tab
  
  Finally start the port listener and use for first test the tcpsend tool, mentioned above in chapter 1. But this time: tcpsend 127.0.0.1 9100 "Filename". If the local host IP 127.0.0.1 does not work, then use the name localhost or  the real IP adress.
  
  Note: The ELP GetIPJob routine is smart enough to communicate with the host and answer all its questions, like page count, echo etc. So the behaviour is the same as a real printer.

5. Printing from SAP

Open from Start Menu:

Double click on any listed printer, which usually prints to an PCL 5 enabled [laser] printer

Open the printers properties

Open the sharing tab and share the printer using any 8 character / digit long name
Here: ELP

Open the Advanced tab and enable: "Keep printed documents" like seen in the picture in chapter 1.

Then check for the IP address of your PC as shown in chapter 4 above by  opening the DOS BOX, type ipconfig and check for the PCs IP address. Close the box using the exit command.

Connect to SAP and type in the transaction: spad and press enter. SAP will lead you to this screen:

Click on button: "Output devices" and there click on the white paper icon in order to ceate a new output device (Printer)

Name in the top line your new printer and give it a short name, Also make sure, that you use the correct device type.

Then click on the Access Method Tab and use the U: Berkeley protocol and the printer share name and the IP address of your PC. Store the new printer setting.

In order to test, click on Tools "For device types" Test data (SAPscript)

Enter a new name for a new document, here test01 again and click on create
Click on the printer icon

Enter the name of the new created Output Device or search for it for example by typing in on the search screen the
short name tes. Anyway the result will be like shown below. Then click on the print button

And in your Windows Queue the job is supposed to arrive now. Remember the print job is not erased after beeing printed

Final Notes:
1. The spl file is the one which is needed for evaluation
2. The ending of the SPL file may vary.
3. If the directory is empty, then check in the registry for the location of the spool directory for this printer.

B. Setup the AP-ELP

Preparation of the box:

Change the IP address of the printer to another one.
Reset the box and check on your DHCP server, which IP address was assigned to the box.
Enter the web-interface of AP-ELP. After logging in, change the destination printer IP address to the new printer IP.
Setup the appliance's IP address (use the old one of the printer).
Restart the appliance to apply all the changes.

Setup the configuration to capture incoming data streams

Log into the web-interface.
Your ELP configuration file "convert.ini" (can be found on the box in the menu "storage" in the folder "runs") should look something like this. Therefore open Notepad copy the next 5 lines into it and store it into the fielname convert.ini. Make sure using the file explorer and that the filename is in lower case!

[GLOBAL]
Macro_Download=ON
ELP_Max_Heap=2500000
ELP=ON
InArchiveDir=#ELP_FORMS_PATH#captured

Using the browser, finally return to the AP-ELP storage runs directory amd download the new convert.ini

Technical background informaton: InArchiveDir defines the folder and filename where to store the incoming data streams. Usage:
InArchiveDir=#ELP_FORMS_PATH#foldername;filename
#ELP_FORMS_PATH# is the ELP internal variable for the folder "runs" on the box.
The folder must be created before archiving can start.
The data streams then will be stored as:
runs/foldername/filename
runs/foldername/filename_1
runs/foldername/filename_2
runs/foldername/filename_3
[...]

If you don't define a folder name, the data streams are stored in the "runs" folder.
If you don't define a file name like in the example above (gray background), the incoming data streams are stored with a date/time stamp:

Recommended is not to use a separate folder, but using the file name parameter. Reason for this: If you define a folder, you won't be able to download the files via FTP.

 

Here an example how to use the internal variable DATESERIAL for naming of the captured files:
[GLOBAL]
Macro_Download=ON
ELP_Max_Heap=2500000
ELP=ON
InArchiveDir=#ELP_FORMS_PATH#captured;#DATESERIAL#

Setup the configuration to capture outgoing data streams

It's almost the same like capturing incoming data streams. Just add to your convert.ini the following line:

OutArchiveDir=#ELP_FORMS_PATH#;out_#DATESERIAL#.prn

Usage is exactly the same like for incoming data streams (see above). Recommended is to create to folders or to use different names, here an example doing both:

[GLOBAL]
Macro_Download=ON
ELP_Max_Heap=2500000
ELP=ON
InArchiveDir=#ELP_FORMS_PATH#;in_#DATESERIAL#.prn
OutArchiveDir=#ELP_FORMS_PATH#;out_#DATESERIAL#.prn

Downloading the files from the appliance

There are two common ways to do this:

1. Using the web-interface and the browser (recommended):
   Just right-click on the file -> save as... / save target as...
   
2. Using an FTP client (only works if the captured files are stored in "runs"): Setup an ftp connection to the appliance:
   Username: storage Password: storage
   
   Example:
   Enter in the address bar of the Windows Explorer the following: ftp:storage:storage@IPADDRESS
   Change directory to runs and copy the files to your local disk.
   
   Hints:
   - SNMP requests can not be forwarded through the appliance at the moment.
   - Don't wonder if a single print job generates multiple archived files (some might be without content). Each time it gets a UEL from the data stream (Esc%-12345X) it creates a new file.

C. Other operating systems

For all other operating system either use one of the above explained methods.

Contact and support address

Please open the PPAdmin software -> License Tab -> about
or start the convert.exe software without any argument
or ask your system administrator

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