Can this be made to work??....

[Assimilator1]

Currently our workshop's laptop can't access the colour printer on the wired LAN (it has internet via wireless & a different network/router).
We're not allowed access to the main router/switch as that's dealt with by an externally company (& our company won't want to pay them to sort it ).

So I've (with permission of course!), installed a 2nd NIC into out wkshop's desktop (which can access that printer via the LAN) & connected the laptop to it, bridged the 2 cards & now the laptop can see the other PCs on the LAN & the b/w printer but not the main, coloured 1!
The main printer is on an IP range of 169.xxx etc, the PCs & b/w printer are on 192.xxx etc, I tried to 'add route' via cmd but that didn't work either.

Is what I'm trying even possible or do we just need to bite the bullet & get a 2nd switch to make it work?

TIA

 

[azazel1024]

Can't you just change the IP of the printer to the 192 range? That would be the simple solution.

 

[Pandasaurus]

Addresses in the 169.254.x.x range are generally automatically assigned when DHCP has failed, and no static address has been manually assigned. They shouldn't be routed beyond the network they are located in, which would explain why you can't connect to the printer (assuming the address is in that range, and I'm understanding the configuration correctly).

 

[Assimilator1]

Yea main printer is on 169.254.38.x.

So only way round it is another switch instead of linking the laptop to the desktop?

Can't you just change the IP of the printer to the 192 range? That would be the simple solution.

Can't & not allowed to access the main switch/router.
But maybe they should speak to the IT firm.

Thx for replies so far folks.

 

[Assimilator1]

ttt

 

[Pandasaurus]

That address won't be (or at least, SHOULDN'T be) routed outside it's network. I would question why it's failing to get a DHCP address and also does not have one statically assigned. Fix that, and you should be able to connect to it.

 

[lif_andi]

An address in the 169.254.x.x range means, for all intents and purposes, that there is something wrong, either with the printer configuration, or with the network configuration. Find out what the network is for other machines that are on the same LAN as the printer, and currently can print, if any, and the printer should be set to be on that network. After this, you should be able to configure a printer on computers with the IP address you set on the printer. Usually a printer is assigned a static IP address, so it won't move around, and computers are configured to print to that address. Make sure that you set a default gateway on the printer, that matches an IP address on the router. Failing this, your problem will not be solved as the printer will not know how to communicate outside its network. If you are stressed about messing with the configuration, the way to rollback the changes you make would be to remove the static IP address. It's very likely that DHCP address assignment is failing and the printer will go back to a 169.254.x.x address if you remove the static IP. Doing this should save you the call to the network techs, who would probably tell you the same thing I just said but charge for it EDIT: Sorry for the lack of paragraph spacing, they won't appear for some reason.

 

[Assimilator1]

As mentioned I can't get access (as in, log on) to that router .
Can the IP be set at the printer? (I'm clueless on network printers ).

Other PCs on that network (which have 192. etc IPs) can connect to that printer with the 169 IP, bar 1 other, which I haven't looked into yet. The laptop can also see these other PCs.

Pandasaurus
Which IP are you referring to? The 169 one?

*****************************

Can the laptop not see the 169.254 etc IP printer because it is accessing the LAN via another PC & bridged NICs?

 

[JackMDS]

169.xxx Means No IP, IP

I once heard (many years ago on another Galaxy) that there is something called The Printer
's Manual and it explains how to change the IP.

Also an inexpensive Switch (as you mentioned before) instead of double NIC and Bridging is a good idea.

 

[Assimilator1]

Yea thought I'd try the double NIC 1st as that's what we've got, I still don't have a definite answer on that, although it's looking unlikely.

Knowing my work they've probably stashed aka lost the manual (I could google a pdf manual I guess), but anyway, my question was, is it possible to set an IP at the printer in the 1st place? (not how), like I said I'm clueless about network printers, is it something that's generally possible with network printers? Up until now I had assumed it would be set by the switch/router......

Btw their's a good chance that they wouldn't want me to change the printers IP as it might cause problems for the other PCs (potentially).

 

[Yayo3p]

Even without a Printers manual its not difficult to look for the Network settings in the LCD screen menu. What printer is it? Also find out what the DHCP IP scope of that network is, and assign an IP outside of that scope.

 

[Fardringle]

The problem is that you're trying to implement a "broken fix" in order to bypass something else that is broken. The proper procedure is to fix the connection/settings on the printer so it gets a valid IP address, and then all devices on the network should be able to print to it normally.

 

[Assimilator1]

(Hi FD ).

Ah ok, well I doubt I'd be allowed to change the printers IP, but I'll ask, if not then I'll just tell them they'll need to get a small switch to hookup the laptop instead of bridging it with double NICs in the desktop.

yayo3p
Anyway to find out without logging onto to the main router or checking every PC individual?

Cheers guys