LPC(8) | System Manager's Manual | LPC(8)

# NAME

`lpc` — line printer control program

# SYNOPSIS

`lpc` | [command [argument ...]]

# DESCRIPTION

`lpc` is used by the system administrator to control the operation of the line printer system. For each line printer configured in /etc/printcap, `lpc` may be used to:

- disable or enable a printer,
- disable or enable a printer's spooling queue,
- rearrange the order of jobs in a spooling queue,
- find the status of printers, and their associated spooling queues and printer daemons.

Without any arguments, `lpc` will prompt for commands from the standard input. If arguments are supplied, `lpc` interprets the first argument as a command and the remaining arguments as parameters to the command. The standard input may be redirected causing `lpc` to read commands from file. Commands may be abbreviated; the following is the list of recognized commands.

`?` [command ...]
`help` [command ...]
  Print a short description of each command specified in the argument list, or, if no argument is given, a list of the recognized commands.

`abort` {all | printer ...}
  Terminate an active spooling daemon on the local host immediately and then disable printing (preventing new daemons from being started by lpr(1)) for the specified printers.

`clean` {all | printer ...}
  Remove any temporary files, data files, and control files that cannot be printed (i.e., do not form a complete printer job) from the specified printer queue(s) on the local machine.

`disable` {all | printer ...}
  Turn the specified printer queues off. This prevents new printer jobs from being entered into the queue by lpr(1).

`down` {all | printer} [message ...]
  Turn the specified printer queue off, disable printing and put message in the printer status file. The message doesn't need to be quoted, the remaining arguments are treated like echo(1). This is normally used to take a printer down and let users know why. lpq(1) will indicate the printer is down and print the status message.

`enable` {all | printer ...}
  Enable spooling on the local queue for the listed printers. This will allow lpr(1) to put new jobs in the spool queue.

`exit`
`quit`
  Exit from `lpc`.

`restart` {all | printer ...}
  Attempt to start a new printer daemon. This is useful when some abnormal condition causes the daemon to die unexpectedly, leaving jobs in the queue. lpq(1) will report that there is no daemon present when this condition occurs. If the user is the superuser, try to abort the current daemon first (i.e., kill and restart a stuck daemon).

`start` {all | printer ...}
  Enable printing and start a spooling daemon for the listed printers.

`status` {all | printer ...}
  Display the status of daemons and queues on the local machine.

`stop` {all | printer ...}
  Stop a spooling daemon after the current job completes and disable printing.

`topq` printer [jobnum ...] [user ...]
  Place the jobs in the order listed at the top of the printer queue.

`up` {all | printer ...}
  Enable everything and start a new printer daemon. Undoes the effects of `down`.

# FILES

/etc/printcap
  printer description file
/var/spool/output/*
  spool directories
/var/spool/output/*/lock
  lock file for queue control

# DIAGNOSTICS

?Ambiguous command
  Abbreviation matches more than one command.
?Invalid command
  No match was found.
?Privileged command
  You must be a member of group “operator” or user “root” to execute this command.

# SEE ALSO

lpq(1), lpr(1), lprm(1), printcap(5), lpd(8)

# HISTORY

The `lpc` command appeared in 4.2BSD.

October 29, 2009 | Debian