Angelo,
> Excellent point. Currently, the "Busy" state is what everyone seems to
> be using when printing a job. There is no Active state defined for
> Overall Printer Status. This leads me to wonder why the sub-unit
> states (Idle, Standby, Active, and Busy) don't correspond directly to
> Printer Status values in the Overall Printer Status table???
What do you mean by the "Overall Printer Status table"? Are you referring
to the "magic decoder ring" set of values from the Host Resources MIB (which
include hrDeviceStatus, hrPrinterStatus and hrPrinterDetectedErrorState)?
If this is what you mean, then the answer as to why there is no "Active"
state is that the folks who designed the HR MIB didn't include that kind
of state information. Unfortunately, we're constrained to staying within
those definitions for "overall state" definitions for the printer. :-(
> Also, section 2.2.13.2.2. is SUB-unit status. The proposed definitions
> here seem to be for the overall printer, correct? If so, then they
> belong in section 2.2.13.2. for Overall Printer Status. But the
> proposed definition of Active really corresponds to the Busy overall
> printer status. Further, by the proposed definitions the sub-unit
> status "Available and Busy" is an impossible state. Am I missing
> something here?
First of all, I think we have to nail down the definition of "Busy".
Old fashioned, under-powered (and under-featured) products do not
allow for multiple threads of activity. Newer devices don't have
such limitations. So, defining "Busy" as "go away and try again
later when I might be able to handle your request" is pretty ancient.
Should we support such an old fashioned notion of "Busy" in the MIB?
(Boy, this should generate a few flames! Better get my asbestos suit
on... ;-)
Depending on the resolution to the definition of "Busy", then you're
right, "Available and Busy" is a contradiction.
What say the other readers of the list?
...jay