Job Prints While Spooling Option Ineffective With LPR (131982)
The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft Windows NT Server 3.5
- Microsoft Windows NT Server 3.51
This article was previously published under Q131982 SYMPTOMS
If you run Print Manager, choose either Create Printer or Printer
Properties from the Printer menu, choose Details, and select Job Prints
While Spooling for a printer that prints using LPR, the option has no
effect when you print.
CAUSE
Enabling the Job Prints While Spooling option saves time by sending the
first part of the print job to the print device as soon as the spooler
receives it, rather than waiting for the entire job to finish spooling
before sending it to the print device. Technically, this option tells the
local print provider to despool print jobs to the print monitor (LPR in
this case) before the local print provider has finished receiving the
print job. If the print monitor immediately starts sending the print job to
the print device, then this option saves time as described above.
Most print monitors send data immediately upon receiving it, but LPR
cannot. Per LPR specification (RFC1179), the LPR print monitor and command
line utility supplied with Windows NT, always send a control file with each
data file. The control file includes a count of the number of bytes in the
data file. As a result, LPR cannot send any part of the data file until it
sends the control file, and it cannot send the control file until it has
received the entire data file from the local print provider. This negates
the effect of the Job Prints While Spooling option.
STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Windows NT versions 3.5 and
3.51. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in
the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.
| Modification Type: | Major | Last Reviewed: | 10/30/2003 |
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| Keywords: | KB131982 |
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