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515 LPD TCP

Reference for TCP port 515, commonly associated with LPD.

What it's for

Port 515 is the default port for LPD (Line Printer Daemon), one of the earliest network printing protocols, originating on Unix systems. It allows a client to submit a print job to a remote printer or print server, and remains present today mostly for legacy compatibility — many modern printers and operating systems support LPD alongside newer protocols purely so older clients and software can still print.

Protocol basics

LPD runs over TCP, since reliably transferring a full print job (which can include arbitrary binary data like a PostScript or PCL file) benefits from ordered, guaranteed delivery. The protocol's command set is intentionally simple: submit a job, query queue status, and remove a job — a design reflecting its origins in an era of much simpler, single-purpose network printers. Most modern environments have moved to IPP (Internet Printing Protocol, port 631) as the more capable and actively developed standard, with LPD retained mainly for backward compatibility.