Network printing options. . .I could use your suggestions

[Scrapster]

Over the next 2 weeks we will be upgrading our lab. Actually the lab will be divided in two seperate rooms. Both a considerable distance from each other. The server will be held in the main (bigger) room along with our new HP LaserJet 4050N printer. A unique feature about the HP4050N is that it has a built-in print server attached. So, we'd like to use it in the main lab so it will not be dependent of any other computers.

Now here is our dilemma. We want to put a printer in the other lab (smaller room). There will be about 5-6 computers there and I'm wondering if we need to get another print server for that room. I thought about hooking the printer up to one of those computers and sharing it, but I'm not sure if these computers will stay on all the time, and the dependency issue comes up. So, I'm assuming not all of the computers will be ON all the time. BTW, the main lab runs their computers 24/7.

So, do you think our best bet is to get a print server for the smaller lab? OR, can you think of any other options/suggestions that may work? I'm open to being creative here.

Thanks everyone.

 

[Shadow07]

Are both labs going to be connected?

If they are, just install a print queue on an NT/2000 server, then have all of the clients print to it. Or, you can create more than one print queue and change the Priority of the queue(s) so that if someone is printing a large document, the smaller documents will print first.

 

[Scrapster]

Yes, both labs will be connected to the same domain.

Though I'm not sure what you mean by making a Print Queue. I'm not sure how exactly that would work. Both printers will be seperate from eachother. One in each lab. Can you explain a little further?

 

[Shadow07]

Install the printer drivers on a Windows NT/2000 machine, share the printer. You have just created a print queue. Then, have all of the clients printer port point to this shared printer.

 

[Scrapster]

Yes, I was thinking about that. But then whichever workstation we use to share the printer, it will have to be turned on whenever someone wants to print. And I'm not sure if the computers will stay on if they are idle. So, assuming a print queue would not work. What other options would I have?

 

[Schlocemus]

Setup a dedicated print server using Unix

 

[Garion]

Usually a "N" at the end of a HP printer name means it's networkable. This SHOULD be the case with yours (It shipped that way, at least). You have an Ethernet connection in the printer.

Get the printer on the network - Read the manuals or the website on how to get it an IP address. Once you can ping the printer from your desktops, you're set.

On the printer, install HP JetAdmin that came with the printer. I believe there's also a "service" that you can add that comes with NT. If not, you should be able to find it somewhere. JetAdmin will be able to find the printer and help you set it up on your server.

Once it's on your server you need to share it. Right-click on the printer and choose Sharing. Give it a name.

You should then be able go into the printer control panel of your workstations, add a new printer on a print server, browse to your server and it should install the drivers and watch it go!

- G

 

[Scrapster]

The HP4050N is not the problem though. That printer will be in the same room as the server.

The problem is with the other room, where we will have a different printer that DOES NOT have a print server. And that is my question. Should we get a print server for the smaller lab? We won't have a server in the smaller lab (although they will be networked to the main server), so we don't have a dedicated computer we can rely on in the smaller lab, for sharing printers.

Both rooms are going to be a significant distance apart, so we can't have them try to print something in the smaller room and have them walk to the main room. I want the output to be in the same room that the job was originated.

 

[reicherb]

The easiest thing to do if you already have a printer is just to buy a jet direct and put it on he network like the other printer.

 

[Scrapster]

Is the jetdirect like a physical print server?

 

[reicherb]

A jet direct is HPs version of a print server.

Either of these models would work for you.

170x - 10BaseT print server
300x - 10/100 print server

I'm sure both could be gotten cheaper elsewhere.

 

[Tallgeese]

<< I thought about hooking the printer up to one of those computers and sharing it, but I'm not sure if these computers will stay on all the time, and the dependency issue comes up. >>

Cardinal rule of computer labs: IF PRINTING IS NONFUNCTIONAL, THE ENTIRE LAB CAN AND WILL BE CONSIDERED NONFUNCTIONAL FOR THE ENTIRE TIME SAID PRINTING IS DOWN.

Lab machines go down more often (and usually worse) than the Titanic.

Spring for an external JetDirect box. Put it on the network. Let the server handle the print queues (spools?) and share the printers via the JetDirect connections. Install the appropriate OS drivers when you setup the shared printers. When users double-click on a printer share, the drivers will load automagically. Put your feet up and pig out on Cheetos and Yoohoo.

Here's another way to think about it: You can either pay a couple hundred bucks to have a dedicated network connection for a $2k (or so) laser printer, or you can tie up a $2k (or so) computer by running a hideously resource-intensive (and crash-prone) service in the background, (which, when [not if] it foobars the machine, pisses off everyone involved).

 

[Scrapster]

Ok, so I think the consensus is we should get a physical print server box for the smaller lab. I'm not sure if THAT printer is an HP. Like I said above, the bigger lab will have the HP 4050N which comes already attached to a jetdirect server.

 

[Shadow07]

Using the JetDirect external print server will work with any parallel printer. Not a serial printer. If the printer is a laser printer or a parallel inpact printer, then the JetDirect print server will work just fine.