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Date: Thu, 25 Oct 2012 08:18:59 -0600 (MDT)
From: Warren Block <wblock@wonkity.com>
To: Olivier Nicole <Olivier.Nicole@cs.ait.ac.th>
Subject: Re: FreeBSD based, standalone, print server
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On Thu, 25 Oct 2012, Olivier Nicole wrote:

> The network card on my HP 4300 is definitely dead. All I am left with
> is a... parallel port!

Just for clarity, is that the good kind of HP 4300, a laser printer, or 
the other kind, a multifunction inkjet?

> But the printer is still working fine, printing fast and in good
> quality.
>
> I don't want to invest in a new network card though, while I have a
> bunchg of old systems lying around.
>
> Solutions are:
>
> 1) I set-up a small FreeBSD box, with printer spooler, and all my
>   quota stuff;
>
> 2) I find a solution to bridge the parallel port and the ethernet
>   port. This is more exciting and I keep the quota and spooling on
>   the original print server.
>
> Any cue for the option 2?

Without a way to reprogram the firmware in the printer, you'll have to 
use a server on a computer.  lpd(8) works, but your later post says you 
want to use port 9100.  It should be possible to use something like 
nc(1) to receive raw data on port 9100 and just dump it to the parallel 
port.  There will be little or no error handling.

Finding an EIO JetDirect would be better, if it is the right kind of 
printer.