How to prevent CUPS omitting the bottom of the CUPS Printer test page

This is something that has been bugging me for years but I never bothered to look into it until now. When I set up a printer using CUPS Administration and then print a test page, for some printers the bottom of the test page image is cut off, as shown in the scanned image below. Also, the left side of the test page image is too close to the left side of the sheet of paper. This happens when I use the Gutenprint printer drivers, although I do not know if that is a coincidence. The CUPS printer test page (A4 paper) shown below is from a Canon PIXMA MP510 printer using the Gutenprint v5.3.3 driver for that model.

I had a look at the values of the ImageableArea for A4 paper in the printer’s PPD file, and the as-installed values were as follows:

user $ sudo grep "ImageableArea A4" /etc/cups/ppd/MP510.ppd
*ImageableArea A4/A4:   "0.000 0.000 595.000 842.000"

I then edited the PPD file and changed the x,y coordinates of the bottom left of the imageable area from 0,0 to 10,3 for A4 paper so the file now contains the following:

user $ sudo grep "ImageableArea A4" /etc/cups/ppd/MP510.ppd
*ImageableArea A4/A4:   "10.000 3.000 595.000 842.000"

It is necessary to restart CUPS when a change is made to the PPD file:

Gentoo Linux installation using OpenRC

user $ sudo rc-service cupsd restart

Lubuntu 20.10 installation using systemd

user $ sudo systemctl restart cups

Now the ‘Printer test page’ printed by CUPS looks like this:

Much better.
 
 
ADDENDUM (2 May 2021): I have discovered that the ImageableArea is not the only factor…

I also have a Canon PIXMA MP560 printer, and I printed a CUPS ‘Printer test page’ on that using the Gutenprint v5.3.3 driver for the Canon PIXMA MP560. A scan of the printed test page is shown below:

The as-installed values of the ImageableArea for A4 paper in the printer’s PPD file were as follows:

user $ sudo grep "ImageableArea A4" /etc/cups/ppd/Canon_MP560_Wi-Fi.ppd
*ImageableArea A4/A4:   "0.000 0.000 595.000 842.000"

Unlike the original test page for the Canon PIXMA MP510, the vertical lines on the left and right sides of the test image are more or less equidistant from the edges of the paper. However, as with the original test page for the Canon PIXMA MP510, the bottom line of the test page was missing. So I tried editing the y coordinate of the bottom left of the ImageableArea in the PPD file for the Canon PIXMA MP560. However, whatever value I used for the y coordinate of the bottom left of the test image, the bottom line was never printed.

I then looked at the contents of the file /etc/cups/printers.conf and found that the configuration for the Canon PIXMA MP510 included a line ‘Option fitplot True‘ whereas the configuration for the Canon PIXMA MP560 did not:

# Printer configuration file for CUPS v2.3.3
# Written by cupsd
# DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE WHEN CUPSD IS RUNNING
NextPrinterId 3
<Printer Canon_MP560_Wi-Fi>
PrinterId 2
UUID urn:uuid:428a074e-0e81-3ba3-7789-f8050da82c5a
Info Canon MP560 Wi-Fi
Location My office upstairs
MakeModel Canon PIXMA MP560 - CUPS+Gutenprint v5.3.3
DeviceURI lpd://192.168.1.78/lpt1
State Idle
StateTime 1619978009
ConfigTime 1619880075
Type 36892
Accepting Yes
Shared No
JobSheets none none
QuotaPeriod 0
PageLimit 0
KLimit 0
OpPolicy default
ErrorPolicy retry-job
</Printer>
<DefaultPrinter MP510>
PrinterId 1
UUID urn:uuid:0a2a12b5-ea49-33eb-572a-341c1af02f7e
Info Canon MP510
Location aspirexc600
MakeModel Canon MP510 series - CUPS+Gutenprint v5.3.3
DeviceURI usb://Canon/MP510?serial=934631&interface=1
State Idle
StateTime 1619662185
ConfigTime 1619628669
Type 36876
Accepting Yes
Shared Yes
JobSheets none none
QuotaPeriod 0
PageLimit 0
KLimit 0
OpPolicy default
ErrorPolicy retry-job
Option fitplot True
</DefaultPrinter>

 
So I stopped the CUPS service, edited the file to add the line ‘Option fitplot True‘ for the Canon PIXMA MP560, and restarted the CUPS service:

user $ sudo systemctl stop cups
user $ sudo nano /etc/cups/printers.conf
user $ sudo systemctl start cups

The file now looks like this:

# Printer configuration file for CUPS v2.3.3
# Written by cupsd
# DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE WHEN CUPSD IS RUNNING
NextPrinterId 3
<Printer Canon_MP560_Wi-Fi>
PrinterId 2
UUID urn:uuid:428a074e-0e81-3ba3-7789-f8050da82c5a
Info Canon MP560 Wi-Fi
Location My office upstairs
MakeModel Canon PIXMA MP560 - CUPS+Gutenprint v5.3.3
DeviceURI lpd://192.168.1.78/lpt1
State Idle
StateTime 1619978009
ConfigTime 1619880075
Type 36892
Accepting Yes
Shared No
JobSheets none none
QuotaPeriod 0
PageLimit 0
KLimit 0
OpPolicy default
ErrorPolicy retry-job
Option fitplot True
</Printer>
<DefaultPrinter MP510>
PrinterId 1
UUID urn:uuid:0a2a12b5-ea49-33eb-572a-341c1af02f7e
Info Canon MP510
Location aspirexc600
MakeModel Canon MP510 series - CUPS+Gutenprint v5.3.3
DeviceURI usb://Canon/MP510?serial=934631&interface=1
State Idle
StateTime 1619662185
ConfigTime 1619628669
Type 36876
Accepting Yes
Shared Yes
JobSheets none none
QuotaPeriod 0
PageLimit 0
KLimit 0
OpPolicy default
ErrorPolicy retry-job
Option fitplot True
</DefaultPrinter>

 

I have the ImageableArea for A4 paper configured as follows in the Canon PIXMA MP560 PPD file for the Gutenprint v5.3.3 driver (I had to increase the y coordinate of the bottom left of the area to 2.000 in order for the bottom line to be printed):

user $ sudo grep "ImageableArea A4" /etc/cups/ppd/Canon_MP560_Wi-Fi.ppd
*ImageableArea A4/A4:   "0.000 2.000 595.000 842.000"

After restarting the CUPS service I printed another CUPS Printer test page and the result is shown below. As you can see, the bottom line is now printed.

So, if the outline of the CUPS Printer test page is not centred or is missing one or more of the lines, first adjust the ImageableArea for the paper size on which the test page is being printed, and, if that does not result in success, check if ‘Option fitplot‘ exists for the printer in the file /etc/cups/printers.conf and that it is set to ‘True‘.

Implementing a quick and easy way to check from the Linux Desktop Environment if the ClamAV signatures database is up-to-date

If you use ClamAV with the Freshclam daemon and your Linux installation does not hide the console output during boot, you might see a message similar to the following on the console briefly during boot if the signatures database has not been updated recently:

LibClamAV Warning: **************************************************
LibClamAV Warning: ***  The virus database is older than 7 days.  ***
LibClamAV Warning: ***        Please update it IMMEDIATELY!       ***
LibClamAV Warning: **************************************************

This can happen for a number of reasons. The Freshclam daemon may not have been enabled, for example. Or you purposely configured your installation not to use the Freshclam daemon but forgot to run Freshclam manually (either from the command line or via ClamTk) during the past seven days to update the database. Or there is a problem with the Freshclam configuration or software installation itself. Or everything is configured correctly but you have not powered up the installation for over seven days. And so on.

This happened to me recently simply because I had forgotten to enable the Freshclam service in one of my Linux installations but had not noticed the error message on the console at boot. Anyway, I fixed it quickly and ran Freshclam from the command line to update the database. The database was very out-of-date and I had to run Freshclam several times – do not enter the sudo freshclam command more frequently than once per hour otherwise Cisco Systems’ ClamAV server will block you for several hours due to excessive use of their bandwidth – but I got everything working in the end.

If Freshclam is actually running, the situation with database updating can be checked by looking in the file /var/log/clamav/freshclam.log. However, as all my Linux machines use ClamAV I decided it would be worth adding a quicker way of checking on the database status that is easy to do from the Desktop. I created a Bash script which can be launched by double-clicking on an icon on the Desktop. It opens a terminal window and reports the current status of the ClamAV signatures database. The current status will depend on the frequency you update the database, so you would expect the database to be out of date briefly from time to time; there is nothing wrong with that. But if it consistently reports that the database is out of date longer than the update frequency specified in freshclam.conf (don’t forget to look in the system freshclam.conf file and, if it exists, the user freshclam.conf file) then further investigation would be warranted.

I created a Bash script ~/.clamav_db_up-to-date_check.sh containing the following:

#!/bin/bash
echo
echo "+--------------------------------------------------------------+"
echo "|    Check if ClamAV database is up-to-date on this machine    |"
echo "+--------------------------------------------------------------+"
((ping -w5 -c3 8.8.8.8 || ping -w5 -c3 4.2.2.1) > /dev/null 2>&1) && INTERNET="y" || (INTERNET="n")
if [ "$INTERNET" = "y" ]; then
  echo
  echo "       ** Internet check for latest update available **"
  echo
  echo -n "    Date update available: "
  DNSLKUP=$( host -t txt current.cvd.clamav.net )
  date -d @$( echo $DNSLKUP | awk '{ print $4 }' | awk -F ":" '{ print $4 }' )
  echo
  echo -n "    Signatures version:    "
  RMTSIGV=$( echo $DNSLKUP | awk '{ print $4 }' | awk -F ":" '{ print $3 }' )
  echo $RMTSIGV
else
  echo
  echo "** No connection to the Internet - Cannot check remote server **"
fi
echo
echo -n "    Date when checked:     "
date
echo
echo "----------------------------------------------------------------"
echo
echo "         ** Currently installed on this machine **"
echo
CLAMINST=$( clamscan --version )
echo -n "    Signatures version:    "
LCLSIGV=$( echo $CLAMINST | awk -F "/" '{ print $2 }' )
echo $LCLSIGV
echo
echo -n "    Date of signatures:    "
echo $CLAMINST | awk -F "/" '{ print $3 }'
echo
echo -n "    ClamAV version:        "
echo $CLAMINST | awk -F "/" '{ print $1 }'
echo
echo "----------------------------------------------------------------"
echo
if [ "$INTERNET" = "y" ]; then
  if [ "$LCLSIGV" = "$RMTSIGV" ]; then
    echo " Same version of signatures as the latest on the remote server"
  else
    echo " Different version of signatures to latest on the remote server"
  fi
fi
echo
read -p "Press any key to exit..." -n1 -s
exit

and made it executable:

user $ chmod +x ~/.clamav_db_up-to-date_check.sh

On a machine running Lubuntu 20.10 (LXQt Desktop Environment), I created the Desktop Configuration File ~/Desktop/ClamAV_DB_check.desktop containing the following:

[Desktop Entry]
Name=ClamAV_DB_check
GenericName=ClamAV_DB_check
Comment=Check if ClamAV database is up-to-date
Exec=qterminal -e '/home/fitzcarraldo/.clamav_db_up-to-date_check.sh'
Type=Application
Icon=/home/fitzcarraldo/Pictures/Icons/clamav-icon.png
Terminal=false

I downloaded from the Web a nice ClamAV icon and specified it in the Desktop Configuration File.

I right-clicked on the icon on the Desktop and selected ‘Trust this executable’.

In my Gentoo Linux installations that use KDE, the Desktop Configuration File looks like this:

[Desktop Entry]
Comment[en_GB]=Check if ClamAV database is up-to-date
Comment=Check if ClamAV database is up-to-date
Exec=konsole -e '/home/fitzcarraldo/.clamav_db_up-to-date_check.sh'
GenericName[en_GB]=Run ClamAV DB check in Konsole
GenericName=Run ClamAV DB check in Konsole
Icon=/home/fitzcarraldo/Pictures/Icons/clamav-icon.png
MimeType=
Name[en_GB]=ClamAV_DB_check
Name=ClamAV_DB_check
Path=
StartupNotify=true
Terminal=true
TerminalOptions=
Type=Application
X-DBUS-ServiceName=
X-DBUS-StartupType=none
X-KDE-SubstituteUID=false
X-KDE-Username=

When I checked earlier today on one of my machines, the output of the script looked like this:

+--------------------------------------------------------------+
|    Check if ClamAV database is up-to-date on this machine    |
+--------------------------------------------------------------+

       ** Internet check for latest update available **

    Date update available: Tue 27 Apr 12:29:00 BST 2021

    Signatures version:    26153

    Date when checked:     Tue 27 Apr 12:52:49 BST 2021

----------------------------------------------------------------

         ** Currently installed on this machine **

    Signatures version:    26152

    Date of signatures:    Mon Apr 26 12:04:28 2021

    ClamAV version:        ClamAV 0.103.2

----------------------------------------------------------------

 Different version of signatures to latest on the remote server

Press any key to exit...

The next time I checked, roughly 50 minutes later, the output of the script then looked like this:

+--------------------------------------------------------------+
|    Check if ClamAV database is up-to-date on this machine    |
+--------------------------------------------------------------+

       ** Internet check for latest update available **

    Date update available: Tue 27 Apr 12:29:00 BST 2021

    Signatures version:    26153

    Date when checked:     Tue 27 Apr 13:41:38 BST 2021

----------------------------------------------------------------

         ** Currently installed on this machine **

    Signatures version:    26153

    Date of signatures:    Tue Apr 27 12:09:27 2021

    ClamAV version:        ClamAV 0.103.2

----------------------------------------------------------------

 Same version of signatures as the latest on the remote server

Press any key to exit...

As you can see, the signatures database had been updated automatically by Freshclam in the intervening period.

Using open-plc-utils in Linux with Powerline (HomePlug) adapters

According to the open-plc-utils documentation, open-plc-utils supports INT6000, INT6300, INT6400, AR6410, QCA7000, AR7400 and AR7420 and later Powerline products from Qualcomm Atheros. ‘INT’ stands for ‘Intellon’, which was acquired by Atheros in 2009. ‘AR’ stands for ‘Atheros’, which was acquired by Qualcomm in 2011. ‘QCA’ stands for ‘Qualcomm Atheros’.

The open-plc-utils command int6k supports legacy chipsets INT6000, INT6300 and INT6400.

The open-plc-utils command plctool supports QCA6410, QCA7000 and QCA7420 chipsets.

The open-plc-utils command amptool supports AR7400 and QCA7450 chipsets.

I have used open-plc-utils successfully with the following Powerline products:

• NETGEAR XAVB1301-100UKS (uses AR6405 chipset).
• NETGEAR XAVB5221-100UKS (uses QCA7420 chipset).
• TP-Link TL-PA4010 (uses QCA7420 chipset).
• TP-Link TL-PA4010P (uses QCA7420 chipset).
• TP-Link TL-PA4020P (uses QCA7420 chipset).

For example, I used open-plc-utils to update the chipset firmware in my TP-Link Powerline adapters, as explained in my earlier post ‘Updating the Powerline adapters in my home network‘.

Below I summarise how I install open-plc-utils in Linux and how I use them to interrogate the Powerline adapters in my home network.

1. Download the open-plc-utils source code

user $ cd
user $ wget https://github.com/qca/open-plc-utils/archive/refs/heads/master.zip
user $ unzip master.zip # (This creates ~/open-plc-utils-master directory.)

2. Install plc-utils

user $ cd ~/open-plc-utils-master/
user $ cat README # Tells you how to install/uninstall plc-utils.
user $ sudo make
user $ sudo make install
user $ sudo make manuals

3. Bookmark the documentation index pages in your Web browser

user $ cd ~/open-plc-utils-master/docbook

Bookmark file:///home/<username>/open-plc-utils-master/docbook/index.html

Bookmark file:///home/<username>/open-plc-utils-master/docbook/toolkit.html

4. Use open-plc-utils commands to interrogate the adapters in the network

One example of the many possible commands:

user $ plcstat -t -i eno1 # eno1 is the Ethernet interface on this computer.
 P/L NET TEI ------ MAC ------ ------ BDA ------ TX  RX  CHIPSET FIRMWARE
 LOC STA 038 11:11:11:11:11:11 88:88:88:88:88:88 n/a n/a QCA7420 MAC-QCA7420-1.5.0.26-02-20200114-CS
 REM STA 003 33:33:33:33:33:33 55:55:55:55:55:55 277 268 QCA7420 MAC-QCA7420-1.5.0.26-02-20200114-CS
 REM CCO 004 22:22:22:22:22:22 FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FF 009 009 QCA7420 MAC-QCA7420-1.5.0.26-02-20200114-CS

(For security reasons, in the output above I have edited the MAC addresses of the three adapters, and the BDA of the two STAs. The BDA of the CCO adapter, which is automatically selected, really is displayed as FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FF though.)

• LOC = ‘Local’, i.e. the Powerline adapter connected to this computer.
• REM = ‘Remote’, i.e. the other Powerline adapters in the network.
• CCO = ‘Central Coordinator’, i.e. the automatically selected Powerline adapter acting as the coordinator of the Powerline adapters in this network.
• STA = ‘Station’, i.e. the Powerline adapters being coordinated by the CCO.
• MAC = The MAC address of the adapter.
• BDA = ‘Bridged Destination Address’ (see the Powerline specifications for the meaning).
• TX/RX = the transmission/reception rate in Mbps of the adapter.
• CHIPSET = Atheros Qualcomm chipset type.
• FIRMWARE = Atheros Qualcomm chipset firmware version.

For other open-plc-utils commands, consult the documentation in a Web browser.

5. Optional: Create a Bash script to interrogate Powerline adapters in your network

user $ cd
user $ nano ~/homeplug.sh
user $ chmod +x ~/homeplug.sh

homeplug.sh

#!/bin/bash
#
# This script is to interrogate a network to find the details of the Powerline
# HomePlug wall adapters in the network. It uses open-plc-utils tools:
# https://github.com/qca/open-plc-utils
# See https://github.com/qca/open-plc-utils/blob/master/README for
# instructions on how to install (and uninstall) the tools.
# Therefore this script is limited to the chipsets that open-plc-utils supports:
# https://github.com/qca/open-plc-utils/blob/master/plc/chipset.h
#
# The command int6k supports legacy chipsets INT6000, INT6300 and INT6400.
# The command plctool supports QCA6410, QCA7000 and QCA7420 devices.
# The command amptool supports chipsets AR7400 and QCA7450.
# NETGEAR XAVB1301-100UKS uses AR6405. NETGEAR XAVB5221-100UKS uses QCA7420.
# TP-Link TL-PA4010, TL-PA4010P and TL-PA4020P use QCA7420.
#
echo "================================================================================"
# Specify the interface on this PC connected to a HomePlug device:
export PLC=$( ifconfig | head -1 | cut -d ":" -f1 )
echo
echo -n "The Ethernet interface on this PC is: "
echo $PLC
echo
echo "================================================================================"
echo
#
# Step 1. Send VS_SW_VER to local device to determine its MAC address and device type.
#
MACINT6K=$( int6k -qr | awk -F ' ' '{print $2}' )
MACPLCTOOL=$( plctool -qr | awk -F ' ' '{print $2}' )
if [[ $MACINT6K != $MACPLCTOOL ]]
then
  echo "Unable to determine MAC address of local HomePlug wall adapter."
  exit
else
  MAC=$MACINT6K
fi
echo "Details for the HomePlug wall adapter connected to this computer:"
echo
if [ $( int6k -qI $MAC | wc -l ) -lt 2 ]
then
  plctool -m $MAC
  plctool -qI $MAC
  echo
  CHIPSET=$( plctool -qr $MAC | awk -F ' ' '{print $3}' )
  echo -n "Chipset: "
  echo $CHIPSET
  CHIPSETTYPE=2
else
  int6k -m $MAC
  int6k -qI $MAC
  echo
  CHIPSET=$( int6k -qr $MAC | awk -F ' ' '{print $3}' )
  echo -n "Chipset: "
  echo $CHIPSET
  CHIPSETTYPE=1
fi
echo
echo "================================================================================"
#
# Step 2. Send VS_NW_INFO (int6k -m or plctool -m, depending on device type)
# to local MAC address to find MAC addresses of the other devices.
#
if [[ $CHIPSETTYPE == 2 ]]
then
  plctool -qm $MAC | grep MAC | cut -d " " -f3 > maclist.txt
elif [[ $CHIPSETTYPE == 1 ]]
then
  int6k -qm $MAC | grep MAC | cut -d " " -f3 > maclist.txt
else
  echo "Unable to determine chipset of the local HomePlug wall adapter."
  exit
fi
#
# Step 3. Send VS_SW_VER (int6k -r or plctool -r, depending on device type) to
# each device to find the device type of each.
#
echo -n "" > chipsetlist.txt
while read -r MAC
do
  if [ $( int6k -qI $MAC | wc -l ) -lt 2 ]
  then
    CHIPSET=$( plctool -qr $MAC | awk -F ' ' '{print $3}' )
    echo $CHIPSET >> chipsetlist.txt
  else
    CHIPSET=$( int6k -qr $MAC | awk -F ' ' '{print $3}' )
    echo $CHIPSET >> chipsetlist.txt
  fi
done < maclist.txt
#
# Step 4. Send VS_NW_INFO (int6k -m or plctool -m, depending on device type) to
# each device to determine full PHY Rate.
#
echo
echo "Details for the other HomePlug wall adapters in the network"
echo "(adapters in Power Saving Mode are not shown):"
while read -r MAC && read -r CHIPSET <&3
do
  echo
  if [ $( int6k -qI $MAC | wc -l ) -lt 2 ]
  then
    plctool -m $MAC
    plctool -qI $MAC
  else
    int6k -m $MAC
    int6k -qI $MAC
  fi
  echo
  echo -n "Chipset: "
  echo $CHIPSET
  echo
  echo "--------------------------------------------------------------------------------"
done <maclist.txt 3<chipsetlist.txt
rm maclist.txt chipsetlist.txt
echo
echo "Some of the abbreviations are listed below, but refer to the open-plc-utils"
echo "documentation for more details. (Also see http://www.homeplug.org/ for"
echo "detailed HomePlug specifications)"
echo
echo "BDA   Bridged Destination Address"
echo "CCo   Central Coordinator"
echo "DAK   Device Access Key"
echo "MDU   Multiple Dwelling Unit"
echo "NID   Network Identifier"
echo "NMK   Network Membership Key"
echo "PIB   Parameter Information Block"
echo "SNID  Short Network Identifier"
echo "STA   Station"
echo "TEI   Terminal Equipment Identifier"
echo
exit

 
Run homeplug.sh to see details of Powerline adapters with Qualcomm Atheros chipsets in the network:

user $ ./homeplug.sh

N.B. Adapters in Power Saving Mode are not detected, so, if you want to see details of all Powerline adapters on the network, make sure none of the adapters are in Power Saving Mode before you run the script.

Below is the script’s output for my home network with the following three TP Link Powerline adapters currently connected to wall power sockets:

• TP-Link TL-PA4010P(UK) VER:5.0 (one device)
• TP-Link TL-PA4010(UK) VER:3.0 (two devices)

I also own the following Powerline adapters, which are currently not plugged in to wall power sockets, but this script would detect them if they were plugged in (as I have seen previously):

• TL-PA4020P(UK) VER:4.0 (one adapter)
• NETGEAR XAVB1301-100UKS (three adapters)
• NETGEAR XAVB5221-100UKS (two adapters)

user $ ./homeplug.sh 
================================================================================

The Ethernet interface on this PC is: eno1

================================================================================

Details for the HomePlug wall adapter connected to this computer:

eno1 11:11:11:11:11:11 Fetch Network Information
eno1 11:11:11:11:11:11 Found 1 Network(s)

source address = 11:11:11:11:11:11

        network->NID = 99:99:99:99:99:99:99
        network->SNID = 5
        network->TEI = 38
        network->ROLE = 0x00 (STA)
        network->CCO_DA = 22:22:22:22:22:22
        network->CCO_TEI = 4
        network->STATIONS = 2

                station->MAC = 33:33:33:33:33:33
                station->TEI = 3
                station->BDA = 55:55:55:55:55:55
                station->AvgPHYDR_TX = 279 mbps Primary
                station->AvgPHYDR_RX = 276 mbps Primary

                station->MAC = 22:22:22:22:22:22
                station->TEI = 4
                station->BDA = FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FF
                station->AvgPHYDR_TX = 009 mbps Primary
                station->AvgPHYDR_RX = 009 mbps Primary

        PIB 0-0 8836 bytes
        MAC 11:11:11:11:11:11
        DAK 66:66:66:66:66:66:66:66:66:66:66:66:66:66:66:66
        NMK 77:77:77:77:77:77:77:77:77:77:77:77:77:77:77:77
        NID 99:99:99:99:99:99:99
        Security level 0
        NET Qualcomm Atheros Enabled Network
        MFG tpver_401115_191120_901
        USR tpver_401115_191120_901
        CCo Auto
        MDU N/A

Chipset: QCA7420

================================================================================

Details for the other HomePlug wall adapters in the network
(adapters in Power Saving Mode are not shown):

eno1 33:33:33:33:33:33 Fetch Network Information
eno1 33:33:33:33:33:33 Found 1 Network(s)

source address = 33:33:33:33:33:33

        network->NID = 99:99:99:99:99:99:99
        network->SNID = 5
        network->TEI = 3
        network->ROLE = 0x00 (STA)
        network->CCO_DA = 22:22:22:22:22:22
        network->CCO_TEI = 4
        network->STATIONS = 2

                station->MAC = 22:22:22:22:22:22
                station->TEI = 4
                station->BDA = FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FF
                station->AvgPHYDR_TX = 305 mbps Primary
                station->AvgPHYDR_RX = 319 mbps Primary

                station->MAC = 11:11:11:11:11:11
                station->TEI = 38
                station->BDA = 88:88:88:88:88:88
                station->AvgPHYDR_TX = 276 mbps Primary
                station->AvgPHYDR_RX = 279 mbps Primary

        PIB 0-0 8836 bytes
        MAC 33:33:33:33:33:33
        DAK 00:00:00:00:00:00:00:00:00:00:00:00:00:00:00:00 (none/secret)
        NMK 77:77:77:77:77:77:77:77:77:77:77:77:77:77:77:77
        NID 99:99:99:99:99:99:99
        Security level 0
        NET Qualcomm Atheros Enabled Network
        MFG tpver_401013_171025_901
        USR tpver_401013_171025_901
        CCo Auto
        MDU N/A

Chipset: QCA7420

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

eno1 22:22:22:22:22:22 Fetch Network Information
eno1 22:22:22:22:22:22 Found 1 Network(s)

source address = 22:22:22:22:22:22

        network->NID = 99:99:99:99:99:99:99
        network->SNID = 5
        network->TEI = 4
        network->ROLE = 0x02 (CCO)
        network->CCO_DA = 22:22:22:22:22:22
        network->CCO_TEI = 4
        network->STATIONS = 2

                station->MAC = 33:33:33:33:33:33
                station->TEI = 3
                station->BDA = 55:55:55:55:55:55
                station->AvgPHYDR_TX = 319 mbps Primary
                station->AvgPHYDR_RX = 305 mbps Primary

                station->MAC = 11:11:11:11:11:11
                station->TEI = 38
                station->BDA = 88:88:88:88:88:88
                station->AvgPHYDR_TX = 009 mbps Primary
                station->AvgPHYDR_RX = 009 mbps Primary

        PIB 0-0 8836 bytes
        MAC 22:22:22:22:22:22
        DAK 00:00:00:00:00:00:00:00:00:00:00:00:00:00:00:00 (none/secret)
        NMK 77:77:77:77:77:77:77:77:77:77:77:77:77:77:77:77
        NID 99:99:99:99:99:99:99
        Security level 0
        NET Qualcomm Atheros Enabled Network
        MFG tpver_401013_171025_901
        USR tpver_401013_171025_901
        CCo Auto
        MDU N/A

Chipset: QCA7420

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Some of the abbreviations are listed below, but refer to the open-plc-utils
documentation for more details. (Also see http://www.homeplug.org/ for
detailed HomePlug specifications)

BDA   Bridged Destination Address
CCo   Central Coordinator
DAK   Device Access Key
MDU   Multiple Dwelling Unit
NID   Network Identifier
NMK   Network Membership Key
PIB   Parameter Information Block
SNID  Short Network Identifier
STA   Station
TEI   Terminal Equipment Identifier

For security reasons, in the output above I have edited the network membership key, device access key, network identifier and adapter addresses in the above output as follows:

• I have changed the three MAC addresses of the three adapters to be 11:11:11:11:11:11, 22:22:22:22:22:22 and 33:33:33:33:33:33.
• I have changed the two BDAs of the two adapters that are Stations (STAs) to be 55:55:55:55:55:55 and 88:88:88:88:88:88.
• I have changed the DAK of the adapter connected to the computer on which the script was run to be 66:66:66:66:66:66:66:66:66:66:66:66:66:66:66:66.
• I have changed the NMK of the three adapters to be 77:77:77:77:77:77:77:77:77:77:77:77:77:77:77:77.
• I have changed the NID of the three adapters to be 99:99:99:99:99:99:99.

Some of the information that can be gleaned from the above output of the script:

• the adapter with MAC address 22:22:22:22:22:22 has been automatically set as the CCO (Central Coordinator) for the Powerline network, and the other two adapters (MAC addresses 11:11:11:11:11:11 and 33:33:33:33:33:33) are STAs (Stations);
• the only DAK that can be read is for the adapter connected to the computer;
• the BDA of the CCO is reported as FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FF;
• all three Powerline adapters use the QCA7420 chipset;
• the two Powerline stations are different models of TP-Link adapter (TP-Link versions ending in ‘401115_191120_901’ and ‘401013_171025_901’); the central coordinator is the same TP-Link model as one of the stations (TP-Link version ending in ‘401013_171025_901’).

Indeed, a TP-Link TL-PA4010P(UK) VER:5.0 adapter is connected to this computer, and the two remote adapters are TP-Link TL-PA4010(UK) VER:3.0, one of which is currently acting as the CCO. Last year I updated the Qualcomm Atheros firmware in all of them (see my 2020 post ‘Updating the Powerline adapters in my home network‘).

Resurrecting my Iomega Zip 100 parallel-port drive – Linux comes to the rescue

Top view of Z100P2 drive with 100 MB Zip disk in front.

Z100P2 drive with disk inserted.

Rear sockets of Z100P2 drive.

Back in 1998 I purchased what was then a state-of-the-art storage medium: an external Iomega Zip 100 drive, which used removable 100 MB ‘SuperFloppy’ disks. Until 2002 I backed up my important files on removable Zip 100 MB disks. Over several years in the 1990s Iomega released various models of the Zip 100 MB drive: internal SCSI; internal IDE; internal ATAPI; external DB-25 IEEE 1284 parallel port; external USB 1.1. I bought the external DB-25 IEEE 1284 parallel port model Z100P2. When affordable CD drives and external hard disk drives started to appear I began using those for backups instead, and the Zip drive and a box full of Zip 100 MB disks had been gathering dust on a shelf at home since I stopped using them in 2002.

Now, I was fairly sure I had copied all the files off those Zip disks all those years ago, but recently I wanted to check the contents and then wipe the disks prior to disposing of them and the drive. The trouble was, I have not owned a computer with a legacy parallel port for many years. This is the story of how I managed to use the Zip 100 drive again after a hiatus of some nineteen years.

Notice that the drive has a second DB-25 port with the icon of a printer above it. That socket is to allow a legacy parallel port printer to be connected (‘daisy chained’) to the computer at the same time as the Zip 100 drive. I have not owned a parallel port printer for many years, so that port is of no interest to me.

By the way, the Iomega Zip 100 drive gained rather a bad reputation because of the so-called click of death, although Iomega stated that it affected less than 0.5 percent of all Jaz and Zip drives. I never experienced this problem with my Zip 100 drive and it is still working.

PART 1 – HARDWARE

Power supply for Z100P2

When I purchased it in 1998, the Zip 100 drive was supplied with a chunky and rather heavy 240 VAC to 5 VDC PSU. However, I gave that away several years ago with an old 250 MB external USB HDD that required a 5 VDC power supply. So my first job was to get a 5 VDC supply for the Zip 100 drive. I decided to buy a USB-to-barrel-plug cable to power the Zip drive from a USB port on a computer. So I purchased a ‘USB to 5V DC power cable compatible with the Iomega Z100P2 ZIP drive’ from Amazon. The LEDs on the drive lit up and the drive briefly made the expected noise when I connected the drive to a computer using this power cable, so I was making progress. If a computer happens to have USB Type-A ports, this turns out to be a much neater approach than having to use a 5 VDC PSU.

5 Volts DC power socket on Z100P2 and barrel connector of the cable that is connected to the computer via USB Type-A at the other end.

 
Failed first attempt: USB to legacy parallel port printer adapters do NOT work with parallel Zip drives!

None of my laptops and desktop machines have the legacy DB-25 parallel port that the Z100P2 drive requires. No problem, I thought to myself, I’ll just buy a ‘USB to Printer DB25 25-Pin Parallel Port Cable Adapter’ – there are umpteen of these adapters available on eBay and Amazon. It wasn’t expensive, but I found out the hard way that these cable adapters usually work with parallel printers but definitely do not work with Iomega Zip 100 drives. So I needed to do one of the following:

• get a parallel printer interface card for a PCIe slot in my modern desktop machines – and hope it would work with a Z100P2 drive;
• get a legacy computer with a bidirectional parallel port with a DB-25 socket;
• get a legacy computer with a PCI slot into which I could insert a legacy parallel printer PCI interface card (assuming I could get hold of one).

Computer with legacy parallel port

I searched eBay and found a second-hand Dell OptiPlex 780 SFF (Small Form Factor) with a legacy DB-25 parallel port (connected to the motherboard rather than to a card in one of its PCI slots), Intel Pentium E5800 CPU (3.20 GHz, 800 Mz FSB), 4 GB of PC3-10600U (1333 MHz) DDR3 DIMM memory and Windows 10 Pro installed with a valid licence. It also has plenty of USB 2.0 Type-A ports, convenient for the USB-to-barrel-plug cable I bought to power the Z100P2 drive. The price was very reasonable indeed, so I bought it in the hope that it would be usable. The vendor assured me that Windows 10 detected the parallel port and no errors were reported, but the vendor had no legacy devices (e.g. parallel port printer) with which to actually test the port. Anyway, as it was so cheap I took a gamble and purchased it, although my research on the Web had already indicated that Windows 10 does not support parallel port Iomega Zip drives. I was thinking I could either try using a virtual machine or just wipe Windows 10 and install Linux on the machine.

The FSB speed of the legacy CPU actually limits the memory speed to 800 MHz, but performance is not too bad. I actually replaced the 4 GB of PC3-10600U memory with 8 GB of PC3-12800U (1600 MHz) memory (Crucial CT51264BD160B.C16FED2) which I purchased for a very good price on eBay, although upgrading to 8 GB of memory was not necessary for the purpose of getting the Zip 100 drive working. I decided to increase the memory because the machine is in a nice condition so I will keep it for future projects, which might need more memory.

By the way, the Dell documentation for the OptiPlex 780 SFF that I downloaded from Dell’s Web site states that the machine can only use 1066 MHz memory modules or 1333 MHz memory modules, and the 1333 MHz memory modules would only be able to have a speed of 1066 MHz. What is not obvious is that the documentation assumes that one of the E6xxx series or E7xxx series Wolfdale-3M CPUs (45 nm) is installed, as the speed of the FSB (Front Side Bus) of those CPUs is 1066 MHz. The earlier Wolfdale-3M CPUs which are installed in some OptiPlex 780 SFF machines have a FSB speed of 800 MHz, so even 1066 MHz memory modules are only going to have a speed of 800 MHz in those machines. The Wolfdale-3M CPU in my Dell machine is an E5800, which has a FSB speed of 800 MHz, so the memory speed is limited to 800 MHz (as confirmed on the BIOS System Setup screen, by the CPU-Z utility program running in Windows 10 (2 x 399.0 MHz), and by the Linux commands ‘sudo dmidecode --type 17‘ and ‘sudo lshw -short -C memory‘). The Crucial CT51264BD160B.C16FED2 PC3-12800 modules work fine in the machine, albeit limited to 800 MHz due to the CPU bus speed. On another note, if you happen to be looking for memory for a Dell OptiPlex 780 SFF, do NOT buy CT51264BD160BJ modules: the ‘J’ stands for ‘high-density’, and high-density modules do not work in this model.

Parallel port settings in the PC BIOS

The refurbished Dell OptiPlex 780 SFF has the following user-selectable options:

1. Disable = Port is disabled
2. AT = Port is configured for IBM AT compatibility
3. PS/2 = Port is configured for IBM PS/2 compatibility
4. EPP = Enhanced Parallel Port protocol
5. ECP No DMA = Extended Capability Port protocol with no DMA
6. ECP DMA 1 = Extended Capability Port protocol with DMA 1
7. ECP DMA 3 = Extended Capability Port protocol with DMA 3

The BIOS had option ‘PS/2’ selected when I received the machine, which I eventually changed to ‘ECP No DMA’ but I think that was unnecessary.

The BIOS also had the Parallel Port Address set to 378h when I received it, and I left it as that.

Data connection

Fortunately I still had the original parallel cable to connect the Zip drive to a DB-25 parallel port on a computer.

Z100P2 end of cable connected to computer parallel port.

Rear of legacy Dell PC with Z100P2 cable connected to the parallel port, and USB-to-barrel-plug power cable connected to a USB port.

PART 2 – SOFTWARE

First attempt – Failure: Windows XP in a VirtualBox virtual machine

My original intention was to wipe Windows 10 from the Dell machine and install Linux to see if I could get Linux to access the Zip drive. But, on second thoughts, I decided I might have a better chance in Windows because my research on the Web had already indicated that several people had successfully used Iomega Zip 100 parallel-port drives with Windows XP running in a virtual machine under Windows 10. I carefully followed a detailed article on how to do this using VirtualBox (How to use iomega zip 100 with parallel port on a windows 10 computer (so long as you have a free PCI slot)), but the Zip drive would not work with the Dell machine. I tried every BIOS option for the parallel port; I tried allowing Windows XP to install the driver; I installed the last official Iomega issue of the driver for Windows XP. Nothing worked.

Second attempt – Failure: Lubuntu 20.10 in a VirtualBox virtual machine

Then I decided to try installing Linux in a VirtualBox virtual machine under Windows 10. I chose Lubuntu 20.10 because it already has the necessary ppa (for older Zip parallel-port drives like mine) and the imm (for later versions of Zip 100 parallel-port drives than mine) modules built and either could simply be loaded from the command line. But that couldn’t access the drive either. Again, I tried without success every BIOS option for the parallel port.

Third attempt – Success: Live Lubuntu 20.10 on a USB pendrive

I was resigned to wiping Windows 10 and installing a Linux distribution when I had a brainwave: Why not try a Live Linux distribution? I used the mkusb utility to create a persistent installation of Live Lubuntu 20.10 on a USB pendrive (it had to use PC BIOS, as the legacy Dell machine does not support UEFI), booted it and used the command modprobe ppa to load the ppa parallel port driver. Shazam! The drive became device /dev/sdc4 and was auto-mounted as ‘ZIP-100’ in the LXQt file manager window. I can browse all the files on the 100 MB ZIP disks. It’s fast, too. I wish I’d thought of trying that first. I could have reformatted the disks with a Linux filesystem (ext4 or whatever) if I wanted to do that.

I then downloaded from a Debian amd64 repository the binary package for a 1996 Linux GUI utility named ‘jaZip‘ that someone named Jarrod Smith (thank you!) wrote in 1996 for Iomega Jaz and Zip drives, and I installed it easily in the Live Lubuntu 20.10 environment. It works perfectly, allowing me to mount, unmount, lock, unlock and eject Zip 100 MB disks. Linux came to the rescue again. I’m chuffed. Below are details of the steps I took to create a persistent Live USB pendrive with Lubuntu 20.10 with the ability to use my Iomega Z100P2 drive connected to the Dell OptiPlex 780 SFF PC.

By the way, a persistent Live Linux USB pendrive is not essential, it just means you don’t have to manually load the ppa module, re-install jaZip and configure it every time you boot the Live Linux environment.

1. Download the ISO of Lubuntu 20.10 from the official Lubuntu Web site.

2. Use the procedure in the following ‘How To’ article to create a persistent Live pendrive of Lubuntu 20.10 by using the utility mkusb:

Create a persistent Ubuntu USB which boots to RAM

The mkusb windows in that 2016 article are a bit different to those in the version of mkusb (12.3.9) that was installed by following the procedure, but it is fairly obvious what to do. Select the old user interface (Option e: Old User Interface). There is no need to perform the steps in ‘Extra: Boot the Live USB to RAM’ because it is now done automatically for you and added to the GRUB boot menu as an additional option.

3. Once I had created the persistent Live pendrive, I booted it and performed the installation procedure for jaZip, and configured the persistent Live installation. The console output for all these steps is shown below:

lubuntu@lubuntu:~$ sudo apt install libforms2
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree       
Reading state information... Done
The following NEW packages will be installed:
  libforms2
0 upgraded, 1 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
Need to get 327 kB of archives.
After this operation, 975 kB of additional disk space will be used.
Get:1 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu groovy/universe amd64 libforms2 amd64 1.2.3-1.4 [327 kB]
Fetched 327 kB in 0s (807 kB/s)  
Selecting previously unselected package libforms2.
(Reading database ... 240052 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to unpack .../libforms2_1.2.3-1.4_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking libforms2 (1.2.3-1.4) ...
Setting up libforms2 (1.2.3-1.4) ...
Processing triggers for libc-bin (2.32-0ubuntu3) ...
lubuntu@lubuntu:~$ cd ~/Downloads
lubuntu@lubuntu:~/Downloads$ wget http://ftp.uk.debian.org/debian/pool/main/j/jazip/jazip_0.34-15.1+b2_amd64.deb
--2021-04-14 15:09:15--  http://ftp.uk.debian.org/debian/pool/main/j/jazip/jazip_0.34-15.1+b2_amd64.deb
Resolving ftp.uk.debian.org (ftp.uk.debian.org)... 2001:1b40:5600:ff80:f8ee::1, 78.129.164.123
Connecting to ftp.uk.debian.org (ftp.uk.debian.org)|2001:1b40:5600:ff80:f8ee::1|:80... connected.
HTTP request sent, awaiting response... 200 OK
Length: 81280 (79K) [application/octet-stream]
Saving to: ‘jazip_0.34-15.1+b2_amd64.deb’

jazip_0.34-15.1+b2_amd64.de 100%[===========================================>]  79.38K  --.-KB/s    in 0.08s

2021-04-14 15:09:15 (941 KB/s) - ‘jazip_0.34-15.1+b2_amd64.deb’ saved [81280/81280]

lubuntu@lubuntu:~/Downloads$ sudo dpkg -i jazip_0.34-15.1+b2_amd64.deb
Selecting previously unselected package jazip.
(Reading database ... 240059 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to unpack jazip_0.34-15.1+b2_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking jazip (0.34-15.1+b2) ...
Setting up jazip (0.34-15.1+b2) ...
Processing triggers for man-db (2.9.3-2) ...
lubuntu@lubuntu:~/Downloads$ sudo adduser lubuntu floppy
Adding user `lubuntu' to group `floppy' ...
Adding user lubuntu to group floppy
Done.
lubuntu@lubuntu:~/Downloads$ sudo modprobe ppa # Load the parallel port driver for the Zip drive.
lubuntu@lubuntu:~/Downloads$ sudo blkid # Check if the Zip drive has now been detected.
/dev/sda1: LABEL="system" BLOCK_SIZE="512" UUID="BCF27E52F27E10BE" TYPE="ntfs" PARTUUID="6da119a3-01"
/dev/sda2: LABEL="windows" BLOCK_SIZE="512" UUID="527280DF7280C8E5" TYPE="ntfs" PARTUUID="6da119a3-02"
/dev/sdb1: LABEL="usbdata" BLOCK_SIZE="512" UUID="347345C33A9B90D1" TYPE="ntfs" PARTUUID="793c91c2-01"
/dev/sdb3: LABEL_FATBOOT="lub201064" LABEL="lub201064" UUID="7EAA-D59C" BLOCK_SIZE="512" TYPE="vfat" PARTUUID="793c91c2-03"
/dev/sdb4: BLOCK_SIZE="2048" UUID="2020-10-22-14-26-38-00" LABEL="Lubuntu 20.10 amd64" TYPE="iso9660" PTUUID="509643ab-f22d-4d70-8a47-8708c562cbfe" PTTYPE="gpt" PARTUUID="793c91c2-04"
/dev/loop0: TYPE="squashfs"
/dev/sdb5: LABEL="casper-rw" UUID="55459d4d-48f3-4b50-bd9b-3fd71e552bb2" BLOCK_SIZE="4096" TYPE="ext4" PARTUUID="793c91c2-05"
/dev/zram0: UUID="073aa55f-241b-4deb-b6a0-907676dfff65" TYPE="swap"
/dev/zram1: UUID="692d4cc6-21fa-48b8-8ef7-948dc13dec53" TYPE="swap"
/dev/sdc4: SEC_TYPE="msdos" LABEL_FATBOOT="ZIP-100" LABEL="ZIP-100" UUID="15F9-2C71" BLOCK_SIZE="512" TYPE="vfat" PARTUUID="726a014e-04"
lubuntu@lubuntu:~/Downloads$ sudo mkdir -p /media/lubuntu/ZIP-100
lubuntu@lubuntu:~/Downloads$ sudo /usr/sbin/jazipconfig
There are currently no entries in /etc/jazip.conf.

Zip devices detected on the system:

  1:  Device /dev/sdc

There are no Jaz devices detected on the system.

Available commands:
 (a)dd an entry listed from detected devices.
 (c)reate an entry from scratch.
 (q)uit without saving.
 (e)xit and save changes.
                           ? a

What mount point? (e.g. /zip) /media/lubuntu/ZIP-100
--------------------------------------------
These are the entries currently selected for /etc/jazip.conf:

  1:   Device /dev/sdc   Mount point /media/lubuntu/ZIP-100

There are no other Zip devices detected on the system.

There are no Jaz devices detected on the system.

Available commands:
 (d)elete an entry from /etc/jazip.conf
 (c)reate an entry from scratch.
 (q)uit without saving.
 (e)xit and save changes.
                           ? e
Creating /etc/jazip.conf
lubuntu@lubuntu:~/Downloads$ cat /etc/jazip.conf
# Configuration file for jaZip
#
# Raw Device         Mount Point                  Read but ignored
  /dev/sdc              /media/lubuntu/ZIP-100                      auto    auto        0 0
lubuntu@lubuntu:~/Downloads$ sudo jazip # Launch jaZip.
ERROR! Couldn't write entry to /etc/mtab.
lubuntu@lubuntu:~/Downloads$ sudo jazip # Launch jaZip.
lubuntu@lubuntu:~/Downloads$ sudo nano /etc/modules # Add ppa so it gets loaded automatically.

 
4. Add a jaZip icon on the Linux Desktop so that you can launch jaZip easily:

4.1 Create the file /home/lubuntu/Desktop/jazip.desktop containing:

[Desktop Entry]
Name=jazip
GenericName=Manage Iomega Jaz and Zip drives
Comment=
Exec=/home/lubuntu/.launch_jazip.sh
Type=Application
Icon=/usr/share/doc/jazip/icons/jazip1.gif
Terminal=false

4.2 Right-click on the icon on the Desktop and tick ‘Trust this executable’.

4.3 Create the file /home/lubuntu/.launch_jazip.sh containing:

#!/bin/bash
lxqt-sudo nohup jazip &

4.4 Make it executable:

lubuntu@lubuntu:~/Downloads$ chmod +x ~/.launch_jazip.sh

jaZip window open on the Lubuntu 20.10 Desktop.

What a pleasure to find that the ppa module, which has been part of the kernel distribution since sometime in the 1.3.x series, is still available and working in today’s Linux kernels, and that jaZip, a utility program for Linux originally released in 1996 and last updated (as far as I can tell) in the year 2001, still works in today’s Linux to manage hardware that has been obsolete for almost as long.

Using jaZip to mount a Zip disk will mount the disk with ownership root:root. Therefore, if I want to copy files to a Zip disk, instead of using jaZip to mount and unmount the disk I click on the device ‘101 MB Volume’ that appears in the Lists pane of the PCManFM-Qt file manager window after a Zip disk is inserted in the drive. I just use jaZip to eject the Zip disk from the drive after unmounting it by clicking on the Unmount icon in the Lists pane of PCManFM-Qt.