Print Server Translates Characters Below 0x40 to Spaces (0x20)

ID: Q194558

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft SNA Server, versions 3.0, 3.0 Service Pack 1, 3.0 Service Pack 2, 3.0 Service Pack 3, 3.0 Service Pack 4, 4.0, and 4.0 Service Pack 1

IMPORTANT: This article contains information about editing the registry. Before you edit the registry, make sure you understand how to restore it if a problem occurs. For information about how to do this, view the "Restoring the Registry" Help topic in Regedit.exe or the "Restoring a Registry Key" Help topic in Regedt32.exe.

SYMPTOMS

SNA Print Server translates EBCDIC characters below 0x40, including null characters (0x00), to ASCII spaces (0x20). This can cause unwanted lines and incomplete sections in HP-GL plots.

CAUSE

In the HP-GL language, an ASCII space is treated as a command terminator. An HP-GL print job from a host may contain null characters in the middle of a command. When SNA Print Server translates the null to a space, it may cause the plotter to terminate the command in the wrong place, possibly in the middle of a plot address. This can cause the address to be truncated and a line to be plotted incorrectly.

EBCDIC characters below 0x40 are control codes that are not normal printable characters. Therefore, the SNA Server Print Server is designed to convert these to ASCII spaces.

RESOLUTION

SNA Server 3.0

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for SNA Server version 3.0. For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q184307 How to Obtain the Latest SNA Server Version 3.0 Service Pack

Note: A fix is also available for SNA Server 3.0, which is newer than SNA Server 3.0 SP4. The updated module is PPD3270.DLL, which needs to be applied on the SNA Server 3.0 SP4 computer.

SNA Server 4.0

This problem was corrected in the latest SNA Server version 4.0 U.S. Service Pack. For information on obtaining this Service Pack, query on the following word in the Microsoft Knowledge Base (without the spaces):

S E R V P A C K

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article.

MORE INFORMATION

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys And Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in Regedt32.exe. Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it. If you are running Windows NT, you should also update your Emergency Repair Disk (ERD).

In addition to the fix, a registry entry is required to enable the translation of characters below 0x40. After applying the hotfix:

Start Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe).

Locate the following key in the registry: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\SnaPrint\Parameters NOTE: The above registry key is one path; it has been wrapped for readability.

On the Edit menu, click Add Value, and then add the following registry value: Value Name: HonorCharsUnder0x40 Data Type: REG_SZ Value: (leave blank)

Quit Registry Editor.

Additional query words:

Keywords :
Version :
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbbug