Xerox 7830 - How to disable Bi-Directional Communication on macOS Sierra by default?

[Joe Arseneau]

Here is the Official response from Engineering regarding your setup, in short, they don't support it. This is from back when Apple implemented the new rules, nothing has changed since.

Take note of this entry, I am not currently at a Mac and can't verify if it is still there or not

 Modify the driver PPD file and remove the following command “cupsCommands: "ReportLevels ReportStatus”. Removing this command will also prevent any bi-di communication to occur between the device and driver.

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 The resolution is provided in the info below, which are previous submitted SPARs on this matter. End result an LPR connection between a Windows print server and a Mac client.

Escalation #1

Reason for Decline:
I am writing in response to the issue raised in SPAR number <Redacted> “when printing from a mac through a Windows Print server share the job will get "Stuck" with Printer Status.” Our engineers have investigated this problem and are declining this issue because of the following two reasons

Decline Reason 1: Xerox does not support the following configuration: an LPR connection between a Windows print server and a Mac client.

The Xerox Mac OSX driver contains custom XBDS filters/commands which are used to communicate directly with the device. When communicating from a Mac to a Windows server, via LPR/LPD, the printer status jobs can hang in the Mac OS print queue. This occurs because Windows server cannot resolve the communication being sent from the Mac client. The reason the Windows server cannot resolve the communication is because the information sent from the Mac is meant for a printer and not a Windows OS.

Decline Reason 2:
These jobs appear even if a printer is not shared through a windows server because the print driver is working to meet new Apple OS design requirements. As part of new security measures, Apple OS's are preventing all print drivers (Xerox and Competitor's) to have access to network communication. Therefore, in order for a print driver to receive BiDi status from the device, the Mac OS requires a print job (that is not printed) requesting communication from the printer.

If the job is titled "Printer Status" this was created by Xerox and is sent because of the above explanation. If Bi-Di communication is turned off and a preset is created with Bi-Di off this job will not be sent to the printer.

If the job is titled "Supply Levels" this job is created by the Mac OS and is required to capture Toner Levels. This also occurs because of the above description.

Xerox engineering can offer four (4) possible workarounds to resolve the customer’s issue.

Workarounds provided:
A. Disable Bi-Directional Communication (To configure a preset with bi-di disabled please perform the following)
1. Open any application
2. Select File – Print – Xerox Features
3. Select Advanced – scroll down and select Bi-Directional Communication…
4. Select Off then Ok
5. Select the Presets dropdown
6. Enter a new name for this preset, select All Printers and select Ok.
Refer to the following link to describe how to set a custom preset as the new defaults
http://www.404techsupport.com/2012/08/setting-printing-defaults-in-mac-os-x-through-presets-and-cups...

B. Configure the printer on the Mac using SMB instead of using LPR. Please refer to the following information on how to configure a printer via SMB

Below are two links with steps on how to add the printer on the Mac.
http://www.codedifferent.com/2008/06/28/how-to-connect-from-mac-os-x-leopard-to-a-shared-printe-via-...
- This link offers steps on how to add the printer but does not provide all the correct URLs. It only covers Mac OSX 10.5 from an XP server.

http://reality-and-a-half.multiversum.com/how-to-smb-connection-url-mac-os-x-10-5-10-6-10-7-windows-...
-This link offers the correct URLs for 2k3 and 2K8 windows servers to Mac OSX all the way back to 10.4.

C. Modify the driver PPD file and remove the following command “cupsCommands: "ReportLevels ReportStatus”. Removing this command will also prevent any bi-di communication to occur between the device and driver. The modified PPD can then be loaded onto the Mac clients.

D. Create the print queue using Bonjour instead of using an IP address.

Escalation #2

Problem: When printing from newer Mac OS's 10.7 and 10.8 a user will see additional print jobs appear in the Mac queue. This occurs when printing locally from a Mac or when printing from a shared queue. (Example of a shared queue Windows 2008

server pointed via LPR://server ip/printershare)

Solution: Declined

Decline Rationale:

This decline explains what and why the print status jobs are sent.

It also explains why they be getting stuck when printing through a Windows server.

What and Why the jobs now appear:

Our engineers have investigated this problem and are declining this issue because the print driver is working to meet new apple OS design requirements.

As part of ongoing security measures, Apple operating systems starting in 10.6 prevent any application that does not need network access to complete its "work" from having network access. This includes print drivers inside of  applications. All print drivers (Xerox and Competitors) are bound by the same rules and no longer have access to direct network communication. Xerox uses the "Printer Status job" as their way to meet this security requirement and still be able to gather the necessary device information. If the job is titled "Supply Levels" this job is created by the Mac OS and is required to capture Toner Levels. This also occurs because of the above description.

Why jobs may be stuck in a shared queue:

Xerox does not support the following configuration: an LPR connection between a Windows print server and a Mac client.

The Xerox Mac OSX driver contains custom XBDS filters/commands which are used to communicate directly with the device. When communicating from a Mac to a Windows server, via LPR/LPD, the printer status jobs can hang in the Mac OS print queue. This occurs because Windows server cannot resolve the communication being sent from the Mac client. The reason the Windows server cannot resolve the communication is because the information sent from the Mac is meant for a printer and not a Windows OS.

Second Possible Reason for jobs being stuck in the Mac queue:

The Mac driver intends to send this print job to the device, however in this customer's case the Windows Server is between the client and device. Since the Mac does not know it is not communicating with a printer it continues to send the Printer Status job, via HTTP (port 80), waiting for a response back. The server does not know it is being asked to act like a "printer," and does nothing with the job, and eventually rendering the job stuck in the print queue until it is manually deleted.

Workarounds to prevent the jobs from occurring:

1. Disable Bi-Directional Communication (To configure a preset with bi-di disabled please perform the following)
2. Open any application
3. Select File > Print > Xerox Features
4. Select Advanced > scroll down and select Bi-Directional Communication
5. Select Off then Ok
6. Select the Presets dropdown
7. Enter a new name for this preset, select All Printers and select Ok.

Refer to the following link to describe how to set a custom preset as the new

defaults

http://www.404techsupport.com/2012/08/setting-printing-defaults-in-mac-os-x-through-presets-and-cups...

1. Configure the printer on the Mac using SMB instead of using LPR. Please refer to the following information on how to configure a printer via SMB

¢This is only valid for shared print queues¦

Below is a link with steps on how to add the printer on the Mac.

http://reality-and-a-half.multiversum.com/how-to-smb-connection-url-mac-os-x-10-5-10-6-10-7-windows-...

-This link offers the correct URLs for 2k3 and 2K8 windows servers to Mac OSX

all the way back to 10.4.

1. Modify the driver PPD file and remove the following command cupsCommands:

"ReportLevels ReportStatus". Removing this command will also prevent any bi-di communication to occur between the device and driver. The modified PPD can then be loaded onto the Mac clients

1. Create the print queue using Bonjour instead of using an IP address. This problem only occurs if the print queue was created manually using an IP address and it does not occur if the printer is installed via Bonjour

1. If Port 80 or Port 443 is blocked please add an exception to the Mac OSX proxy.

Escalation #3

Reason for Decline:
I am writing in response to the issue raised in SPAR number <Redacted> “Unable to print from Mac 10.7 or 10.8 with the 75xx 2.71.0 driver through a Windows 2008 server pointed via LPR://serverip/printershare until print status is deleted.” Our engineers have investigated this problem and are declining this issue because Xerox does not support the following configuration: an LPR connection between a Windows print server and a Mac client.

The Xerox Mac OSX driver contains custom XBDS filters/commands which are used to communicate directly with the device. When communicating from a Mac to a Windows server, via LPR/LPD, the printer status jobs can hang in the Mac OS print queue. This occurs because Windows server cannot resolve the communication being sent from the Mac client. The reason the Windows server cannot resolve the communication is because the information sent from the Mac is meant for a printer and not a Windows OS.

Xerox engineering has offered three (3) possible workarounds to resolve the customer’s issue.

Workarounds provided:
A. Disable Bi-Directional Communication (To configure a preset with bi-di disabled please perform the following)
1. Open any application
2. Select File – Print – Xerox Features
3. Select Advanced – scroll down and select Bi-Directional Communication…
4. Select Off then Ok
5. Select the Presets dropdown
6. Enter a new name for this preset, select All Printers and select Ok.
Refer to the following link to describe how to set a custom preset as the new defaults
http://www.404techsupport.com/2012/08/setting-printing-defaults-in-mac-os-x-through-presets-and-cups...

B. Configure the printer on the Mac using SMB instead of using LPR. Please refer to the following information on how to configure a printer via SMB
Below are two links with steps on how to add the printer on the Mac.
http://www.codedifferent.com/2008/06/28/how-to-connect-from-mac-os-x-leopard-to-a-shared-printe-via-...
- This link offers steps on how to add the printer but does not provide all the correct URLs. It only overs Mac OSX 10.5 from an XP server.

http://reality-and-a-half.multiversum.com/how-to-smb-connection-url-mac-os-x-10-5-10-6-10-7-windows-...
 -This link offers the correct URLs for 2k3 and 2K8 windows servers to Mac OSX all the way back to 10.4.

C. Modify the driver PPD file and remove the following command “cupsCommands: "ReportLevels ReportStatus”. Removing this command will also prevent any bi-di communication to occur between the device and driver.

[dkolegaev]

Hi Joe,

Thank you for reply, unfortunately it does not answer my question. To give you more information, we use SMB printing with Xerox Pull Printer driver installed on Windows Server. All jobs that were sent from macOS to that printer are resulting in empty job called 'Printer Status', users must manually remove it several times before actual job shows up. I discovered that once I turn off Bi-Directional printing within 'Xerox Features' problem disappears, job gets spooled without any 'ghost' jobs. So I am trying to find a way to turn this option off by default.

[Joe Arseneau]

Bi-Directional is simply the ability for the driver to communicate to and from the printer to get jobs status>Tray config, Finisher options, supply levels. So it still won't change what the app does by default, most just use the driver defaults, and some will use the driver defaults at first print, then hold the last used settings until the Mac is rebooted or changed.

None of that has anything to do with the printer model. It's just Apple

IPP ports are BiDirectional, you don't change that, the driver doesn't decide either, if it is there it will use it.

Install the driver using an HP Jet Direct port manually, remember to set up all your trays and finisher options when you do since you are killing the ability for the OS/Driver to do anything, and remember the driver will no longer communicate in any way with the printer trays so it won't know what paper is in it.

[dkolegaev]

 Hi,

I am having hard time dealing with Xerox 7830 and macOS Sierra. By default Xerox driver (downloaded from Xerox or from Apple) enables Bi-Directional Communication under "Xerox Features". When I disable it myself and save settings as a new preset, Bi-Directional communication still stays on when I try to print from another app. Basically settings are getting saved "per app", not system-wide. How can I permanenty disable Bi-Directional Communication? I tried changing default settings with CUPS and there is no such option, it doesn't exist in PPD.

Thank you