Specifications

9-1
Configuring Terminal–Attached Printers
Chapter 9. Configuring Terminal–Attached Printers
Many of the ASCII terminals used today have an auxiliary serial or parallel port on which to
connect a printer device. Connections of this type offer administrators a means of sharing
valuable computer resources and increasing user productivity and efficiency by moving the
printers as close as possible to the users. This section describes the steps necessary to
configure this type of terminal–attached printer in this operating system environment.
Hardware Requirements
• IBM 8– or 128–port adapter
• ASCII display (an IBM 3151 display is used for this hardware)
• Serial printer
• EIA 232 serial cabling and gender changers
Prerequisites
1. The 128–port adapter is properly configured and operational.
2. The 3151 display is attached to the 128–port adapter and is operational.
3. The ASCII display is attached to the 128–port adapter and is operational.
4. Printer software for terminal–attached printing is installed.
Setting Up the Hardware
Before adding the printer to your system, perform the following steps:
1. Connect the serial printer to the auxiliary port of your terminal using an EIA 232 modem
cable (cable D). A null–modem cable is not needed on the AUX port of a 3151 terminal.
2. Make note of the following settings for your printer: line speed, word length (or
bits–per–character), parity (odd, even, no, space, mark), and the number of stop bits.
Configuring the Auxiliary Port
On the 3151 terminal, perform the following steps:
1. Turn on your terminal simultaneously pressing the Ctrl and Setup keys. The SETUP
menu is then displayed on the 3151 screen.
2. Use the Send key to move between menu screens until the KEYBOARD/PRINTER
option is displayed. Fill in the PRINTER options with the printer settings you noted
previously.
3. Press the Send key until the FUNCTION screen is displayed. Select the Save option and
press the Spacebar to save the configuration.