ID Number: Q82947
2.00 2.10
OS/2
Summary:
Below are instructions (Methods A-C) on how to get your printer to
work with serial ports above COM3.
Before you begin, check the following:
1. For OS/2 versions other than MS OS/2 1.30.1, make sure you are not
using the IBMNULL driver. The IBMNULL driver works only for ports
up to COM3. To use any port above COM3, use a driver that comes
with the printer. For example, if you are using the HP LaserJet
printer, use HPLASERJET.DRV.
2. When LAN Manager is installed, it installs 9 serial and 9 parallel
ports. Information regarding this is stored in the OS2SYS.INI file.
By default, all the COM ports have the following settings:
Baud Rate: 1200
Word Length: 7
Parity: Odd
Stop Bits: 1
Handshake: None
Set your printer to the above settings and see if it prints
correctly.
Control Panel allows you to change the settings of the COM ports
(but only up to COM3).
Note: Sometimes the OS2SYS.INI file gets corrupted. When this file
gets corrupted, you cannot change the COM port settings. To correct
this, follow Method C (below) to create a new OS2SYS.INI file.
More Information:
Method A
--------
A utility named SC is available on CompuServe that enables you to
change the settings of the COM ports. Use this program to change the
settings. This program can be obtained on CompuServe in the MSNETWORKS
forum.
Method B
--------
Use the INIEDIT utility to change the COM port settings as described
below:
1. Run the INIEDIT utility that comes with the OS/2 Programmer's
Toolkit (PTK).
2. Double-click the PM_SPOOLER_PORT application.
3. Double-click the port whose settings you want to modify, then
change the proper key value.
4. Exit the INIEDIT utility.
Method C
--------
Warning: When you use this method, the changes that were made (such as
creating different OS/2 groups, changing the colors, and so forth)
will be lost. If you are running local security, disable it before
making any of these changes. Also make sure that you remove the ACLs
on the directories that contain the original OS2SYS.INI file (C:\OS2)
and the new OS2SYS.INI file (C:\) on HPFS386 machines.
1. From the OS/2 install disk, use the following command to expand the
file INISYS.RC@ to the C:\ directory:
UNPACK inisys.rc@ c:\
2. Using a text editor, edit the INISYS.RC file. (Note that by default
no COM port definition exists.) Insert the COM port definition
lines in the following format, immediately after the definitions
for LPT1 through LPT3. Insert as many of these lines as there are
COM ports to define. The format is
"PM_SPOOLER_PORT" "COMx;9600;0;1;0;"
where x is the number of the port being defined.
Note: The PM_SPOOLER_PORT and COM must be in uppercase letters.
3. Save this INISYS.RC file as a text file, then run the following
command:
MAKEINI OS2SYS.INI INISYS.RC
This creates the OS2SYS.INI file in the C:\ directory.
4. Because OS/2 uses the OS2SYS.INI file when you boot off the hard
disk, boot from a floppy disk to update this file. As a
precautionary measure, it is advisable at this time to copy the
current OS2SYS.INI file from the C:\OS2 directory to some other
directory or a floppy disk. Then copy the newly created OS2SYS.INI
file from C:\ to the C:\OS2 directory.
5. Restart your machine.
6. Re-create the print queues and make any other system changes that
were lost in this exercise.
Additional reference words: 2.00 2.10