`lprq`

spool queue examination utility

Syntax:

lprq [-l] [-Pprinter] [jobnum ...] [user ...]

Options:

-l

Print information about each of the files comprising the job entry. Normally, only as much information as will fit on one line is displayed.

-Pprinter

Specify a particular printer; otherwise, the default line printer is used (or the value of the PRINTER variable in the environment). All other arguments supplied are interpreted as user names or job numbers to filter out only those jobs of interest.

jobnum

For each job submitted (i.e. invocation of lpr), lprq reports the user's name, current rank in the queue, the names of files comprising the job, the job identifier (a number that may be supplied to lprrm for removing a specific job), and the total size in bytes.

Job ordering is dependent on the algorithm used to scan the spooling directory and is supposed to be FIFO (First in First Out).

File names comprising a job may be unavailable (when lpr is used as a sink in a pipeline), in which case the file is indicated as ``standard input.''

If lprq warns that there's no daemon present (i.e. due to some malfunction), the lprc command can be used to restart the printer daemon.

user

Specify a particular user name.

Description:

The lprq utility examines the spooling area used by lpd for printing files on the line printer, and reports the status of the specified jobs or all jobs associated with a user. Invoking lprq without any arguments will show any jobs currently in the queue.

Files:

/etc/printcap: Determines printer characteristics.

Environment variables:

If the following environment variable exists, lprq uses it:

PRINTER: Specifies an alternate default printer.

Caveats:

Due to the dynamic nature of the information in the spooling directory, lprq may report unreliably. Output formatting is sensitive to the line length of the terminal; this can result in widely spaced columns.