REQ: Good Print Server

[DaveR]

I do have a SMC 7004BR and an HP IIIP printer attached. The Network and printer are OK, but the print server part of the Router hangs, requiring a reboot of the Router, if the printer is not on when you try to print. Also, if I run out of paper it will require a Router Reboot to clear.

I was wondering if a standalone Print server would work better and faster?

I also have a Canon i850, USB2 printer and wonder if I could gain from a server that will attach more than 1 printer? I do not want to spend too much on this but thought that there may be an inexpensive solution considering how prices have fallen on network stuff.

What I do not want is to get a seperate Print server and find that the HP IIIP still hangs with the above issues.

Also, with a print server, can I print on my home printer from work?

TIA

 

[azev]

I used both netgear at work and speadstream 2624 as my wap and print server. I also have the same exact printer (I850) but I used the parrarel port rather than the usb port. Everything works great.

 

[DaveR]

Thanks will look into this. Yes, I was going to change to Parallel as well,. Actually, my i850 is streaking and has bad color. We hardly use it and Canon said the "tanks" are closed off when off and will not dry out! I guess I will try a few Cleaning cycles and see what happens!

 

[JackMDS]

Are you aware that the Entry level Routers do not support two way communications with the printers?

Thus functions like No Paper, Out of Ink etc. can cause trouble. If possible set your printer or the printer drivers to one way communication only.

 

[DaveR]

I will check but was aware of this and had thought that 1 way was set. Will look when I get home. Saw some NewsGroup reviews of some of the $90 print servers and most of them have complaints where people need to reboot every fer weeks! Heck, I have that now but ONLY if my wife trys to print with the printer off.

Originally posted by: JackMDS
Are you aware that the Entry level Routers do not support two way communications with the printers?

Thus functions like No Paper, Out of Ink etc. can cause trouble. If possible set your printer or the printer drivers to one way communication only.

 

[gunrunnerjohn]

I have the Netgear PS111W wireless print router, and it supports bi-directional printers as well as either wired or wireless operation. The wireless operation requires a add-on PCMCIA card that was a free rebate deal when I bought the print server for $43.

 

[JackMDS]

Originally posted by: gunrunnerjohn
I have the Netgear PS111W wireless print router.

The capacity to use a printer LPT port to share printer through Entry Level Router (Which is what DaveR is doing) is not the same as making a printer Ethernet Compatible (which is what you are doing).

Making the Printer Ethernet compatible is a better way but cost more, as opposed to few Routers that come with the LPT already in.

 

[DaveR]

Since I already have a large LAN at home with Router, etc, can the PS111W work without the hangs I get?

Still at $49 in places and free card is good 'til 9/30/03.

 

[skyking]

I have had a bunch of used hp2591A jetdirects, which are available for 25$ or so on ebay, etc. They work perfectly fine, and will support your III.
I do not use the admin interface tool, and choose to telnet into them for programming. You end up typing blind, since there is no "echo", but the config commands are available with a "?" and it is easy to do.

 

[DaveR]

Thank you...will look into this.

Originally posted by: skyking
I have had a bunch of used hp2591A jetdirects, which are available for 25$ or so on ebay, etc. They work perfectly fine, and will support your III.
I do not use the admin interface tool, and choose to telnet into them for programming. You end up typing blind, since there is no "echo", but the config commands are available with a "?" and it is easy to do.

 

[gunrunnerjohn]

Originally posted by: DaveR
Since I already have a large LAN at home with Router, etc, can the PS111W work without the hangs I get? Still at $49 in places and free card is good 'til 9/30/03.

I can only tell you that it works fine for me, and it's never had a hang. I have yet to do anything but print through it.

 

[DaveR]

Sounds good. I do see a comment on the Amazon site that said the ps111w was VERY slow! Not sure how it could be slower than the Router/print server combo though. Still the PS111W seems to have a small buffer.

Funny, if you go to Amazon, they do not have the PS111W. BUT if you go to Netgear and click on where to buy links it does show Amazon and it is $49...with free card offer.

Originally posted by: gunrunnerjohn

Originally posted by: DaveR
Since I already have a large LAN at home with Router, etc, can the PS111W work without the hangs I get? Still at $49 in places and free card is good 'til 9/30/03.

I can only tell you that it works fine for me, and it's never had a hang. I have yet to do anything but print through it.

 

[gunrunnerjohn]

My PS111W isn't as fast as having the printer directly connected, but I've never found anything that is. OTOH, it's much faster than the print server port on my SMC router, which I abandoned because of the slow printing.

 

[DaveR]

Great...was your SMC the same 7004BR that I am using?

Originally posted by: gunrunnerjohn
My PS111W isn't as fast as having the printer directly connected, but I've never found anything that is. OTOH, it's much faster than the print server port on my SMC router, which I abandoned because of the slow printing.

 

[gunrunnerjohn]

Mine is the SMC7004AWBR which I think is the same router with wireless tacked on.

 

[DaveR]

Well, this may be a good time to try the ps111w as Amazon has an offer of $30 if you get their VISA and they charge $49 for the ps111w. Also, is the ps111w the same as the ps111wna? I see it listed both ways.

Originally posted by: gunrunnerjohn
Mine is the SMC7004AWBR which I think is the same router with wireless tacked on.

 

[gunrunnerjohn]

I can't answer if the models are identical, I never saw the other one.

 

[DaveR]

No problem...I think they are the same. Amazon DID confirm I could get the Visa card and get $30 off the price of the ps111w...may be a good time to try it for $19.95!

Originally posted by: gunrunnerjohn
I can't answer if the models are identical, I never saw the other one.

 

[DaveR]

Hello ALL:

Well...I brought home from work an HP Jetdirect 300X over the weekend. Configured it with Telnet and it worked so FAST! We tried to kill it! We printed with HP IIIP off...printed a few jobs and when we turned the printer on all was OK. No hangs! Printers green light lit as soon as I clicked print.

So, the question... the JetDirect is still expensive even on EBAY. Will the Netgear PS111W be as fast and trouble free as this JetDirect? I saw one post that said the NetGear reported a printer issue if they turned the system on without the printer powered on.

TIA
Dave

 

[ClearToLand]

Originally posted by: DaveR:
I do have a SMC 7004BR and an HP IIIP printer attached. The Network and printer are OK, but the print server part of the Router hangs, requiring a reboot of the Router, if the printer is not on when you try to print. Also, if I run out of paper it will require a Router Reboot to clear.

I was wondering if a standalone Print server would work better and faster?

I also have a Canon i850, USB2 printer and wonder if I could gain from a server that will attach more than 1 printer? I do not want to spend too much on this but thought that there may be an inexpensive solution considering how prices have fallen on network stuff.

What I do not want is to get a seperate Print server and find that the HP IIIP still hangs with the above issues.

Well...I brought home from work an HP Jetdirect 300X over the weekend. Configured it with Telnet and it worked so FAST! We tried to kill it! We printed with HP IIIP off...printed a few jobs and when we turned the printer on all was OK. No hangs! Printers green light lit as soon as I clicked print.

So, the question... the JetDirect is still expensive even on EBAY...TIA

So, Dave, what was the final outcome?

I've been running a SMC-7004BR (R1.92c as delivered) for a few years with no problems and never got around to trying out the Print Server until yesterday. I like to do "manual" two-sided copies, so I print half of the pages "automatically", and the backsides "manually". Randomly, the 7004 would "hang", the queue would show either "Error" or "Printer Busy or Error", and the data received light on the printer would be on steady instead of blinking. Sometimes I could get away without re-booting the 7004 by pausing all the jobs in the queue, "killing" the current job via IE from the 7004 status page, power cycling the printer, and then resuming the jobs in the queue. PITA!

My question is, is this a limitation of the "old" printer's handshake with the 7004, or a limitation of the 7004 that an HP External JetDirect Print Server would solve?

 

[skyking]

Here is the thing with those "print server in a router" setups, as I understand it.
The machine has only one IP, both for the gateway, router config page, and print server. You must use the included software to get it to work, and that part is kinda buggy.
If you get a dedicated (real) print server, It has it's own IP, period. you can print to IP, and there is no need for additional drivers or software, just the normal printer driver and the IP printing protocol included in windows printing.
There is no comparison as far as reliability and performance, a good print server just rocks on.

 

[ClearToLand]

Originally posted by: skyking:
...The machine has only one IP, both for the gateway, router config page, and print server. You must use the included software to get it to work, and that part is kinda buggy...

The part about one IP is true, but, my NT4 box only has one IP when I was using it as the Print Server.

I did a lot of reading on Google and found that I didn't have to use the SMC PRTmate software - on Win2K there's a "Standard TCP/IP Print Port" that works fine. I didn't even have to drag out the install CD - it was already available.

NT4 was a bit more trouble. I installed TCP/IP Print Service and attempted to use the LPR port - nada. Back to Google and I found out about a "HP TCP/IP Standard Printing Port" - d/l'd it from the HP site and it worked perfectly. In fact, it looks IDENTICAL to the current built-in Win2K port (Gates musta bought it!). It's just when the printer is "waiting for paper" that there seems to be a problem and that's why I was wondering how Dave made out.

 

[skyking]

edit: OT

 

[ClearToLand]

Originally posted by: skyking:
fly at tower controlled fields, eh?

Based a coupla hundred feet outside the NY TCA...

And you?

Still flying that old "Bamboo Bomber"? Geez, Penny must be all grown up by now...

 

[skyking]

Edit: OT