HP 4200tn Network Name?

[mdahc]

Does any of you know if there's a way to give a network printer (with a dynamic IP address) a name so that a Windows machine can identify it over a network (i.e. avoid creating a TCP/IP port in the Add Printer Wizard)? I used to work for a university department that used Mac's, and we just used Appletalk names to identify network printers to avoid being charged for static IP addresses. I work at the same university now but at a different department, and they would also like to avoid being charged by the IT department. Thus, I'm wondering if there's a similar method for Windows (as you can probably tell, I'm a networking novice). Thanks.

 

[mdahc]

Well, the only solution I could come up with was connecting the printer to a machine by creating a TCP/IP port and then sharing the printer with other workstations within the same workgroup. At least this way if the IP address changes, I only have to change the port on the host machine and not the other workstations.

 

[akira34]

Why would an IT department charge for static IP addresses? Even if they did, I can't see any reason for it to be such a minor charge that it would matter on the budget. I work for a large company and, as far as I know, fixed/static IP addresses are not charged to departments. Especially for printers, since those SHOULD have static IP addresses on them.

Even without a static IP address, you should be able to set a network name for the printer and set the computers to look for that to print. I've done that on my own, home, network before and it's worked. Of course, fixed IP's are much nicer since you don't have to worry about networking glitches coming up, or someone using the same name for another printer. Of course, if they use the same IP address for another printer, that will cause issues.

Where do you work that's so lame-brained as to charge for fixed IP's for printers and network devices???

 

[mdahc]

I'd rather not say. I'm not sure what the justification is. That's just what a tech from IT told me, and I didn't want to have to go through the hassle of putting in a work order. Anyway, I think what you (akira) described above is essentially what I did.