Network Printing

We have several print queues hung off a little print server in our Drafting department. We have no trouble connecting to any of these from a desktop computer. When we make the same connection with the same username from any of our IBM thinkpads, we connect, but get an access denied message and are unable to print. Other laptops we have can also make the connection and print fine. Any ideas ?


Thank You,
Tommy

 

- Domain or workgroup? If domain, classic NT or 2K AD?

- What are you using for a print server? PC, dedicated specialty device, ....?

- If PC, what OS and are the printers hooked to the PC or do they have network cards of their own?

- Do the thinkpads allow normal connection to shared folders with access to the contents?

Moving the thread from 2K to the networking section.

 

Newt,
The print server is a Td-30 running (don't laugh) NT 3.51. All printers using this have their own network cards.

The workstations are all W2K machines using 2K Domain. The Thinkpads can connect to other printers (on another server) with no problem. As an Admin on the TD-30, I can connect to the
c$ share from the IBM. It still won't let me print. This seems a bizzare little problem. It allows you to add the printer, it shows up in your list of printers. You can read the properties of the printer. When you open the queue box, there is an 'access denied' message. You cannot get a test print to the queue.

Any help greatly appreciated.

 

Interesting issue.

First thing I'd try is removing one of the stinkpads (oops ) from the domain to a workgroup, booting, and adding it back to the domain.

There may be an SID issue that has the print server confused. NT3.x probably can just barely be able to play in a 2K AD environment anyway. NT4 has enough problems with it.

Also - are you using WINS & NBT or is yours a pure DNS setup? If you have WINS, probably a good idea to tombstone the record for the laptop while you have it removed to the workgroup. And force a replication after you kill the records.

If neither idea helps, there should be a couple other things to try but those are a good place to start.

 

Newt,

I had tried removing the original thinkpad and re-adding it to the domain. I don't really feel like security is the issue here, since we are only having this problem with IBM thinkpads and (I have since discovered) IBM desktop models 6565. Other IBM desktops can connect okay, as can everything else. We do use WINS. The OS on the NT box has been upgraded to 4.0.

 

Is the thinkpad logging into the domain?

Durring the login process, when asked for a username/password in the more options you can chose whether to log onto the local machine or the domain. Since it's portable someone may have logged into the local and not switched back over to the domain.

Just a thought.


Tap-Out

 

Tap-out
Appreciate your reply, but that isn't the problem. I think it is just some weird IBM thing. Our Thinkpads have been so strange with a variety of issues, I almost expect it.


Thanks,
Tommy

 

We have some IBM stinkpads and are also not real fond of some of their strange behaviors.

Another quick check - you are obviously connecting to the print server but may be sending malformed jobs. Driver issue maybe or some sort of bad reaction with a perfectly normal driver and those particular laptops.

Try sending the print job to a formatted file (so set up as the laptop wants for the printer it intends to use). Then push the file to a PC that isn't having print issues and try to have it send the job to a printer.

If it works, I gotta think some more. If it fails, then I'd say the job isn't being set up like the printer wants it and you do have a driver issue.

 

Newt,
Tried printing the formatted file from another printer and it worked fine. This little mystery has already consumed way too much of your time and mine. I have been going to move the print queues on this server to one of our W2K servers eventually. This is just the incentive I need to go ahead and do just that.

The owner of the Thinkpad works closely a guy who has a Dell desktop that can print with no problems.

Very much appreciate your time and effort.

Thanks,
Tommy

 

Interesting problem though. I really thougth the printer-formatted file was gonna bomb. Hmmmmm.

If you ever do figure out just what caused the problem, please post it. But I do agree that with non-critical issues there comes a point where they just aren't worth additional effort.

 

I'm not sure how much this helps, but we just recently got 2 IBM thinkpads (T40) and both had problems with printer drivers. On any of the other computers in the office, installation of printer drivers for an IPX/SPX connection is flawless. I ended up finding a work around, which won't help for your situation, but I THINK the problem was caused with the wireless connection and/or the bridged network connection. However, disabling these things would cause different results, but ultimately didn't solve the problem.

Keith