Tag: aix

How do I resolve common printer errors under AIX?

To check the status of an AIX print queue (for example, lp1):

lpstat -plp1

If the status is DOWN, try enabling the print queue:

enable lp1

If the status remains DOWN, try pinging the printer:

ping -c4 lp1

If there is no response to the pings, verify the printer’s network connection.

The best way to verify a printer is working outside of Eclipse is to test the printer with a standard Windows workstation. If you cannot print from Windows, there is a chance the printer is mis-configured. For your convenience, here are the numbers for a few common printer manufacturers:

  • HP: 800-474-6836
  • Okidata: 800-654-3282
  • Zebra: 847-913-2259

If the printer responds to pings, but immediately goes DOWN after attempting to enable the printer, try to cancel all jobs on the print queue:

cancel lp1

If the printer still goes DOWN, remove and recreate the AIX print queue:

  • How do I remove a printer under AIX?
  • How do I add a printer under AIX?

How do I add a user in AIX?

As with every command entered when performing system administration tasks from a command line, syntax is important. Please make sure that every character is entered exactly as shown below. To avoid common syntactical mistakes, we recommend you copy and paste the entire example commands into a text editor, make the necessary changes, and then paste the resulting commands into your terminal session.

  • NOTE: in the example below, we are adding a user with the username “johndoe.” Replace “johndoe” with the username you wish to add to the system.
  • Log into your server as root
  • Create a new user that’s a member of the “eclipse” user group:
mkuser johndoe
  • Set the user’s Linux login password:
passwd johndoe
  • NOTE: if you attempt to set a weak password, you may see a warning. If you are willing to accept using a weak password, simply type it in again and confirm to proceed. If you would like to create a user with a blank password, please see this article.
  • Create a link for the user’s profile, which will automatically launch Eclipse when they login:
Important: please verify that the order of arguments in the command is correct: /u2/eclipse/.profile must come first, followed by a space, and then the new user’s profile directory.
Important: please note there is a space between the source and destination locations.
ln -sf /u2/eclipse/.profile /home/johndoe/.profile
  • Open Eterm and log into the server using the newly created username and password. If you added the user correctly,  you will be presented with the blue Eclipse login screen.

Troubleshooting

If you are presented with a prompt to update the directory’s VOC, modify the /u2/eclipse/.profile file as root, adding the following block of code before the “Setup the Eclipse environment” section:

# Move to the Eclipse account home directory
export ECLIPSEHOME=/u2/eclipse
cd $ECLIPSEHOME

If you’re still not able to log in using the new user’s credentials, please open a support request, and the Eclipse support team will provide assistance.

How do I enable a printer in AIX?

  • Log into the server as root
  • Enable the UV print queue:
usa +o -p lp1
  • Enable the AIX print queue:
enable lp1
  • Check the status of the print queue:
lpstat -plp1
  • If the status is stuck in SENDING, run fixq, press ENTER followed by the printer name (ie: lp1):
fixq
  • If these commands do not work, it may be necessary to “power cycle” (unplug device from power and plug it back in) the printer AND print server, then repeat the commands above such as “enable lp1” or “fixq”.

You may want to try to “ping” the printer.  From the server, you can type “ping lp1” or from your PC, you can type “ping 192.168.x.x” (substitute the actual IP address for the printer). If you cannot ping the printer, check that the IP is correct, check the switch, cable, etc.  If you cannot ping the printer, it will never print from Eclipse.

Sometimes there is a job “stuck” in the queue that needs to be removed so the rest can print. This will often show up with a job stuck in “sending” when you run this command: lpstat -plp1 (lp1 is an example). You can cancel the job with the following command:

cancel (job number)

Example:

Queue   Dev   Status    Job Files              User         PP %   Blks  Cp Rnk
------- ----- --------- --- ------------------ ---------- ---- -- ----- --- ---
lp13    @lp13 SENDING    51 STDIN.46158        root                   4   1   1
              QUEUED    161 STDIN.7472         root                   4   1   2
cancel 51
To cancel all jobs on lp13, you can type: cancel lp13

How do I find my AIX server’s IP address?

To find the LAN IP address, open a shell and run:

ifconfig -a

Look for the inet addr in the output, which will look like below:

en0: flags=5e080863,c0
        inet 172.17.188.74 netmask 0xfffffe00 broadcast 172.17.189.255
         tcp_sendspace 131072 tcp_recvspace 65536
lo0: flags=e08084b
        inet 127.0.0.1 netmask 0xff000000 broadcast 127.255.255.255
        inet6 ::1/0
         tcp_sendspace 131072 tcp_recvspace 131072 rfc1323 1