How Local Printing Works

The following figure shows what happens when a user submits a request to print a PostScript file on a local printer, which is a printer connected to the user's system. The local system does all processing. However, the print request follows the same path it would if the client and server were separate systems. Requests always flow from client to server following the same path.

Figure 8-2 The Local Printing Process

How Remote Printing Works

The following figure shows what happens when a user on a Solaris print client submits a print request to a lpd-based print server. The command opens a connection and handles it's own communications with the print server directly.

Figure 8-3 Printing Between a Solaris Print Client and a lpd-based Print Server

The following figure shows a lpd-based print client submitting a print request to a Solaris print server. The lpd daemon handles the local part of the print request and the connection to the print server. On the print server, the network listen process, inetd, waits for network printing requests and starts a protocol adaptor to service the request. The protocol adaptor communicates with the lpsched daemon, which processes the request on the print server.

Figure 8-4 Printing Between a lpd-based Print Client and a Solaris Print Server

The following figure shows what happens when a user on a Solaris print client submits a print request to a Solaris print server. The print command on the print client handles the local part of each print request by communicating directly with the print server.

The inetd process on the print server monitors network printing requests and starts a protocol adaptor to communicate with the lpsched daemon on the print server, which processes the print request.

Figure 8-5 Printing Between a Solaris Print Client and a Solaris Print Server