UniQue Interface Instructions for APPX Direct Connect

Requirements:

• Windows NT File Server
• APPX for Windows
• UniQue for Windows NT
• TCP/IP Networking
• Remote Shell Server and Clients (rshd / rsh)

Overview:

This installation procedure applies only to sites which DO NOT use the APPX Client (Java or Presentation Manager) via 'appxd' or 'winappxd'. Installation instructions for sites which do use 'appxd' or 'winappxd' are available here.

An appx_print for sites using UniQue on a Unix APPX Server is available from here.

UniQue is an advanced print queue and spooler for Unix and Windows NT Systems, developed by LBM Systems, LLC. APPX can interface to UniQue in both of these environments. This document explains how to interface APPX to UniQue on a Windows XP/NT/2000 network.

Under UniQue, the usual APPX print sequence:

  APPX =>
     Winprint.exe =>
        Windows Print Spooler

... is replaced by the following UniQue print sequence:

  APPX =>
     print.bat =>
        ulp.bat =>
           appx_print =>
              UniQue's ulp
 

In this scenario, an NT disk server loaded with UniQue and APPX. A combination of NT and 95 clients mount the NT Server APPX drive and run APPX from the server. APPX is running on the client machine, but all file access and printing are done on the server.

In this example, APPX is loaded on the NT Server C: drive, UniQue is loaded on the NT Server D: drive, and all of the client machines have the NT Server C: drive mounted as a local X: drive. The RSH Server and Client we are using is a shareware package from Ataman Software.

Instructions:

1. Install and Test UniQue on the NT server. Follow the UniQue installation manual for this step.

2. Install and Test APPX for Windows on the NT Server and the networked Clients.

3. Install and Test your RSH Server and Client software. Make sure rsh.exe is in your client PATH.

4. Add an rshd user profile on the NT RSHD Server using the following settings:

   User Name: appx
   Home Directory: D:\OpenNT\usr\spool\uprint
   Command Processor: 
   Host Access List: *111.222.333.* (replace with your IP address
    for your network)

5. On each client, set the following environment variable:

    *set APPX_PRT_SCRIPT=print.bat* 

6. Create a PRINT.BAT file in the APPXPATH directory on the file server containing the following commands:

    *rsh.exe servername -l appx ulp.bat %1 %2 %3 %4 %5 %6 %7 %8 %9* (replace servername with TCP/IP name or address of your NT Server) 

7. Create a ULP.BAT file in your UniQue home directory on your NT Server containing the following commands. The UniQue home directory on our server is d:\OpenNT\usr\spool\uprint\.

    *D:\OpenNT\bin\ksh.exe //D/OpenNT/usr/spool/uprint/appx_print
    %1 %2 %3 %4 %5 %6 %7 %8 %9* 

8. Copy our modified appx_print script for UniQue NT into your UniQue home directory. Rename it to appx_print. Edit it to change the setting of two environment variables to match your system. These variables are midway down the script.

   export PATH=$PATH://D/OpenNT/bin: //D/OpenNT/usr/spool/uprint export APPX_PREFIX=//C/

   The 'PATH' export updates the shell PATH variable so the rest of the script will run OK.
   The 'APPX_PREFIX' export specifies the OpenNT drive prefix of where APPX is installed on the NT Server.

   
   

   It is EXTREMELY important that you use the correct case for the file and directory names in these variables. They are CASE SENSITIVE! To do this, use an MS-DOS popup box to look at the Upper/lower case presentation of directory and file names. MS Explorer does not always present the true Upper/lower case status of directory and file names!

   
   
9. Test by starting the UniQue server, the RSHD server, and try printing from a client. A DOS box should popup showing the rsh command from the PRINT.BAT file being executed. When this is done, you will need to close the DOS box. This is for debugging. This will be hidden later. Check to see if the print file appeared in the UniQue console. If so, go on the next step. If not, then look at the messages in the DOS window for error messages.

10. To hide the DOS box, create a DOS Shortcut in the X:\appx\data directory and rename it to "print". Edit the properties of this shortcut and set the following:

    Under the PROGRAM tab, set: 
    CMD Line: command.com
    Working: Batch File: print.bat
    Shortcut Key: 
    Run: Minimized
    Close on Exit: *(Checked)* 

11. Re-test printing from APPX. It should now queue into UniQue without the DOS box showing up on the client. If you need to debug the queue submission, just edit the shortcut and change Run: to Normal Window and Close on Exit: to (unchecked).

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