[ale] Kernel assistance required

[Michael H. Warfield]

On Sat, 2011-02-05 at 13:07 -0500, Michael B. Trausch wrote: 
> Hi all,
> 
> I need help from someone who is familiar with the Linux kernel and its
> drivers and so forth.
> 
> I have this:
> 
> 03:06.0 Communication controller: NetMos Technology PCI 9815 Multi-I/O
> Controller (rev 01)
> 
> Details:
> 
> 03:06.0 Communication controller: NetMos Technology PCI 9815 Multi-I/O
> Controller (rev 01)
>     Subsystem: LSI Logic / Symbios Logic 2P0S (2 port parallel adaptor)
>     Control: I/O+ Mem+ BusMaster- SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr-
> Stepping- SERR+ FastB2B- DisINTx-
>     Status: Cap- 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B+ ParErr- DEVSEL=medium >TAbort-
> <TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR- INTx-
>     Interrupt: pin A routed to IRQ 21
>     Region 0: I/O ports at d800 [size=8]
>     Region 1: I/O ports at d400 [size=8]
>     Region 2: I/O ports at d000 [size=8]
>     Region 3: I/O ports at c800 [size=8]
>     Region 4: I/O ports at c400 [size=8]
>     Region 5: I/O ports at c000 [size=16]
>     Kernel driver in use: parport_pc
>     Kernel modules: parport_pc

> But, uh, it doesn't work.

How did you test it?

Did the printer subsystem configure the printer for you?

Do the /dev/lp[01] devices show up?

Did you try cat'ing a file to the raw device (cat /etc/inittab
> /dev/lp0)?

> The kernel detects it (and the printer attached to it) alright:
> 
> 2011-02-05 12:17:18 EST (Linux 2.6.35-26-generic)
> <mbt at aloe> ~ $ dmesg|egrep '(parport|lp)'
> [   10.931931] lp: driver loaded but no devices found
> [   11.201761] parport_pc 0000:03:06.0: PCI INT A -> GSI 21 (level, low)
> -> IRQ 21
> [   11.201807] parport0: PC-style at 0xd800 (0xd400), irq 21, using FIFO
> [PCSPP,TRISTATE,COMPAT,ECP]
> [   11.242729] parport0: Printer, CITIZEN 500
> [   11.242800] lp0: using parport0 (interrupt-driven).
> [   11.242857] parport1: PC-style at 0xd000 (0xc800), irq 21, using FIFO
> [PCSPP,TRISTATE,COMPAT,ECP]
> [   11.330295] lp1: using parport1 (interrupt-driven).

> But sending anything to it is as good as sending it to /dev/null: it
> does nothing.

Define "sending".  Are you using cups and the high level print drivers?
Does the job show up then go away?

> The card itself works, as the Windows operating system can print to it.
> I'm not sure what the problem is: there is no status information, nor
> any errors, output to dmesg or the system logs when I attempt to use the
> printer.  Just, nothing happens.  At all.
> 
> I don't really know where to begin looking at this.  I don't have any
> idea if any Linux kernel actually works with this hardware, nor do I
> know really how to go about figuring out whether any of them do other
> than by brute force.
> 
> The last time I had a problem with anything in the parallel subsystem,
> the kernel people were less helpful than not helpful at all, which is
> why I am asking here.  Nobody there was willing to offer me any
> guidance, and I wound up throwing away the hardware because I had no
> time to fuss with it.

I haven't used the parallel ports in ages.  Most everything has either
USB or network.  The few ancient dot-matrix printers I have in operation
any more, I slapped parallel to USB adapters on them and disabled the lp
ports on the motherboards (recovered an interrupt I needed for the sound
system).

> 	--- Mike

Regards,
Mike
-- 
Michael H. Warfield (AI4NB) | (770) 985-6132 |  mhw at WittsEnd.com
   /\/\|=mhw=|\/\/          | (678) 463-0932 |  http://www.wittsend.com/mhw/
   NIC whois: MHW9          | An optimist believes we live in the best of all
 PGP Key: 0x674627FF        | possible worlds.  A pessimist is sure of it!
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