Print server

Can a Windows XP System be configured as a print server and network storage unit?

Chuck

 

Steve,

Sorry but that's not how a print server functions. Your recommendation is with regard to sharing printers on a LAN. My new Windows XP x64 system doesn't have any drivers for my printers ... at least not yet. When I try your suggestion, the system still wants to install the remote printer driver on my PC. That's usual.

No, a print server, like a web server, will respond to a request regardless of the system making the request.

Chuck

 

Chuck, if you are refering to accessing your printer from anywhere on the internet, or a lan, simply assign a port to the printer. Forward it on your router (if you have one) and connect to the printer from the external IP Address of your machine. If you would like more help please feel free to ask. Sorry if this isn't what you were trying to get at.

RisenDeMoN

 

RisenDeMoN,

Sounds like just what I want but don't know how to implement. In the router, I can give the PC with printer a static IP address, and assign both incoming and destination ports ... but how do I assign a port to the printer? And how do I specify that port in the print request from the remote PC on the net?

Sorry for my ignorance.

Chuck

 

go into Printers and Faxes, click file, server properties, add port, standard TCP/IP then follow the wizard.

Hope this helps.

Also, make sure your firewall/NAT is disabled or the program and computer you'll be printing from has access to your computer. Don't forget to forward the specified ports with your router.

Good luck.

RisenDeMoN

 

RisenDeMoN,

Am in Wizard. In Add Port dialog, how do I specify the printer IP Address? The IP of the PC is 192.168.2.101. The printer name is hp6450. It is on port USB001.

Sorry that I am so dense! Do you have a good reference?

Chuck

 

You do not assign an IP to the printer, it is the same as the machines address, 192.168.2.101 is a router IP, You'll need your external IP address, go here to get it.

http://myipaddress.com

This is how it goes

Ex. http://68.194.109.1:USB001

 

RisenDeMoN,

Am back to the Print Server Properties Wizard > Add Port... > Standard TCP/IP Port > New Port ... Wizard > Add Port dialog box asks for "Printer Name or IP Address ". Tried to enter 67.183.20.45:USB001 but the colon is not allowed. Entered simply 67.183.20.45 with name = USB001 with type PRINT SERVER. Error ... no such printer on network.

Where am I off now?
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Steve,

You're right. Guess what I'll ultimately need is a virtual printer address on the host PC that will accept the print stream or text from the remote and then print it.

One step at a time.

Chuck

 

Sorry Chuck, I thought you were looking for something else. You can set up a print server to be accesed on the net/lan the same way as shoutcast basically, you just need to have the printer connected to the PC you want to connect to.

Sorry for not offering you with what you needed.

 

RisenDeMoN,

No, no! I really appreciated your help. There are 2 steps ... 1 to access a port on a print server and 2 to have the right print driver. I had naively thought that by accessing the other PC as a print server, it would use its print driver to actually print the document. Looks like that is not true. As mentioned before, I was trying to resolve the problem associated with my new x64 PC and no x64 print drivers for my printers as yet. Now I realize that what I need is a virtual print driver on a specified port that would take the pint stream and print it on the local printer. The problem of defining a port would still be the same. I remember taking input streams in C++ but that is too many years ago. So I have to punt. That not withstanding, I appreciate yor patience and tutoring.

Chuck

 

sorry, i read this wrong. Your printer must either be plugged into your host PC the one with your originating internet access, or plugged directly into the router. You would type http://67.183.20.45:USB001 in the ADDRESS bar of the machine you are connecting from.

As for your post above this, I have no idea what you were just talking about.

Tired..
Good luck

RisenDeMoN

 

I think sharing the printer will probably accomplish what you want. When you share the printer, you have the option of providing Printer Drivers for various OSs, including 95/98/ME and NT4/2000/XP. When a new machine connects to the shared printer for the first time they will automatically download the drivers from the system sharing the printer.

Then configure those machines with a TCP/IP Printing port if you like.

DRD

 

DRD,

Thanks for the input. Normally what you say is true. In fact, I am sharing printers among 3 PC's on my LAN at home. In the present case, however, it doesn't work because the new PC is 64 bit running Windows XP x64 for which there are no print drivers for my printers, as yet. How long it might be till the vendors provide x64 compatible drivers is another question.

Chuck

 

In that case you are completely out of luck. Whatever configuration you use, you need drivers for the machine that is generating the print job. That is where the processing is done. A print server is really just another way to share the printer.

DRD

 

Right you are DRD. My resolution right now is to access the PC with the printer with Remote Desktop. Since all files are shred, to print one I simply use Remote Desktop and print it from there.

Chuck