How SANE works

The steps needed to make SANE work on OS/2

1. Which backend.conf file do you need?
   To find out which backend.conf file you need, enter your Scanner-Model to the SANE-Search-Engine and see whether your scanner is supported at all and (if it is) which backend is responsable for your scanner.
   Be aware that scanner-name and backend-name do not match in all cases!
   
2. If your scanner is supported create a directory for your sane-configuration-file(s) SANE comes from the unix-world and so the natural place for this directory would be x:\home\.sane where HOME is the value of an environement-variable set in config.sys.
   So normally you need in config.sys the following lines:
   SET HOME=x:\home
   SET SANE_CONFIG_DIR=x:\home\.sane
   where x: has to be replaced with your real drive-letter and x: should be the same letter to which you unpacked your sane-package and where eventually your other gnu-unix-software lives.
3. If you have a SCSI-scanner you additionally need the ASPIROUT.SYS - device-driver from Paul Ratcliffe and the lines
   BASEDEV=OS2ASPI.DMD /ALL (or BASEDEV=OS2ASPI.DMD /ALL /SHARE)
   DEVICE=X:\OS2\BOOT\ASPIROUT.SYS
   in your config.sys
   
4. Now it's time to reboot.
   
5. Then run sane-findscanner.exe and see what it reports.
   Example:
   I have two scanners, both connected to differnt SCSI-adapters. And in my case sane-findscanner.exe reports:

        found SCSI processor "EPSON SCANNER GT-9500 1.12" at b0t6l0
        found SCSI scanner "SCANNER  2.03" at b1t6l0

   If your SCSI scanner is not found check if your scsi-driver finds the scanner (cabling may be wrong, termination is critical or something else does not work).

   Example: In my case I had an adaptec-scsi-card installed and connected my mustek-scanner to this adapter. I knew that configuration once worked but after installing eCS or some device-driver-fixpack sane-find-scanner did not find the scanner. So I added the /V switch after the relevant BASEDEV=AIC7870.ADD in my config.sys and rebooted. I could see that AIC7870.ADD did not detect my scanner and was not loaded in consequence. I replaced the AIC7870.ADD file in \OS2\BOOT with an older version an BINGO now the scanner was found and sane-find-scanner.exe worked again

6. Now copy the *.conf file for your specific scanner(s) from
   \usr\etc\sane.d
   to your
   SANE_CONFIG_DIR.
   You eventually have to edit your backend.conf file in your SANE_CONFIG_DIR.
   
   • If your backend-code supports auto-detection your probably won't have to edit your backend.conf file. The important line (for example):
     scsi EPSON
     will enable that your scanner will be found by the frontends.
     (But in my case I you could also put

     b0t6l0

     into the epson.conf file instead of

     scsi EPSON

     and the scanner is also would be detected)
   • If your backend-code does not support auto-detection you have to place the devicename (the six characters after 'at') that was reported by sane-find-scanner.exe into your backend.conf file.
     Example: In case of my mustek-scanner I have to place a line containing

     b1t6l0

     into the file mustek.conf
     That's normally all what your backend.conf file needs. Lines starting with # are comments. For the extra options that could be placed into your backend.conf file you have to study the man-page for your scanner.

   • If you have a parallel-port scanner sane-find-scanner won't report the device-name where your scanner is connected to. You have to read the man-pages for the value you have to place to backend.conf

     (That's the theory, but I personally don't know of any parallelport-scanner that has been reported to work with SANE for OS/2, but in theory it could work.)

7. The next thing you have to check is whether
   scanimage -L
   finds your scanner.
   If everything is OK you will get something like:
   

       D:\>scanimage.exe -L
       [epson] Requesting extended status
       [epson] No error
       [epson] Checking for ADF: (00)
       [epson] Checking for TPU: (00)
       [epson] Device name = GT-9500
       device `epson:b0t6l0' is a Epson GT-9500 flatbed scanner
       device `test:0' is a Noname frontend-tester virtual device
       device `test:1' is a Noname frontend-tester virtual device
       device `mustek:b1t6l0' is a Mustek 600S/600 II CD flatbed scanner

   and you will find those device lines reporting your scanner-model. If not, something is wrong. Probably your backend.conf file doesn't contain the right devicename or is not found by scanimage.exe
   
8. If you get something like
   SYS1804: File JPEG can not be found
   jpeg.dll is missing in your LIBPATH.
   
9. Be shure that the correct version of jpeg.dll is found! Newer Java versions install their own version of jpeg.dll somewhere in front in the LIBPATH. This results in scanimage.exe leaving an entry in POPUPLOG.OS2 instead of scanning images.
   
10. With the help of the examples in the table below you now should get a file image.pnm with
    scanimage ...needed parameters... 1>image.pnm from your scanner.
    
11. If it doesn't work you could enable DEBUG-Messages. For details look into the files in /usr/man/man5/
    Example:

       set SANE_DEBUG_SANEI_SCSI=3
        set SANE_DEBUG_EPSON=3
        scanimage --device=epson 1>image.pnm 2>errors.txt

12. If it still doesn't work, there is a OS/2 SANE Mailing-List, where you can ask for help. You also can drop me a note.
    
13. Run
    scanimage --help >scanimage-command-line-parameters.txt
    to get a list of supported commandline-parameters for your scanner.
    

Sample configuration files and examples from scanners known to work with SANE for OS/2

bxtdl0

scanimage -d snapscan:bxtdl0 >image.pnm

scsi epson

scanimage 1>image.pnm 2>errors.txt

scsi epson

scanimage 1>image.pnm 2>errors.txt

scsi HP

scanimage -d hp bxtdl0 --mode lineart -l 0 -t 0 -x 190 -y 260 --resolution 300 > image.pnm

bxtdl0

scanimage -d hp -l 0 -t 0 -x 215.8 -y 279.4 --mode Lineart --brightness 19 --contrast 0 --resolution 300 > image.pnm

scanner MD9890 0x378 cis1200
option bw 127

scanimage --device=mustek_pp 1>image.pnm 2>errors.txt

bxtdl0

scanimage -d microtek -l0 -t0 -x 102 -y 102 --resolution 100 --format tiff >Image.tif

bxtdl0

bxtdl0

scanimage -d microtek2:bxtdl0 -l2 -t2 -x60 -y60 --resolution 150 --format tiff 1>image.tif

bxtdl0

scanimage -d microtek2:bxtdl0 1>image.pnm 2>errors.txt

bxtdl0

scanimage --device=mustek 1>image.pnm 2>errors.txt

scsi Nikon
bxtdl0

scanimage -d coolscan:scsi:bxtdl0 1>image.pnm

auto

scanimage -d coolscan2:scsi:bxtdl0 --ae --autofocus --format=tiff 1>image.tif

auto

scanimage -d coolscan2:scsi:bxtdl0 --ae --autofocus --format=tiff 1>image.tif

bxtdl0

scanimage --device=pie 1>image.pnm

bxtdl0

scsi UMAX*
bxtdl0

scanimage.exe -d umax --resolution 300 1>image.pnm

scsi UMAX*

Last modified 7 December 2006, Franz Bakan