Printer Networking Scenario

hello, i am applying for a new job currently. one of my tasks was to have a solution to this scenario they provided me today by friday morning:

As discussed, WFCU operates a Microsoft Windows 2003 Sever environment primarily relying on Dell
workstations and IBM servers. Currently, each user at our Head Office (2800 Tecumseh Road) and our
Administration Office (3290 Jefferson Blvd.) has access to their own local desktop printer. The
inventory includes twenty five (25) HP LaserJet 1200, fifteen (15) HP LaserJet 1100 and ten (10) Lexmark E232
laser printers. With a planned move to our new head office, I am looking to implement some form of network
printing for the majority of our users. Most of the effected users will all be located on the second floor of our new
building. Each department (seven in total) needs designated printer(s) for use only by their specific staff. The
design of the second floor provides a common workspace for each department. Each department has their own
unique printing demands, for example Accounting has very heavy printing volumes where as
Administration prints a couple pages per user per day. We must implement a solution that provides certain
employees within each department priority over others when printing. There is no need for colour hardcopies.
Having the ability to identify the owner of each hardcopy would be beneficial. In addition, users may want to
schedule printing at a time that is most convenient to them. Furthermore, some users may want to password protect
their print requests so the hardcopy is not printed until they are standing near the network printer(s). We do
not
have any budgeted funds available to purchase new equipment and/or software. Furthermore, the existing
desktop printers are all in good working condition and some are not yet fully depreciated. Therefore, we are looking
to rely on existing hardware and/or software as much as possible.

i have looked up stats for the printers

by standard options...no printers have any networking ports, yet i have e-mailed and asked to see if any options were purchased at the time to see networking capability was included.

the lexmark is the fastest printer, with the biggest buffer size

followed by the HP 1200

the 1100 is the slowest

i have e-mailed and asked the followign

-total employees
-printing demands from each dept
-if there were any spaare workstaion/desktop systems availible if needed
-if there was any availible hardware (such as print servers/hubs/swtiches with built in printing ports etc.)

so does anyone have any clue as to where i should start with this little problem i need to have answered by friday at 11am???

ill be researching and starting a logical design, if you have any suggestions, please feel free to let me know..

thank you all very much

whenever they reply to me about the questions that i have submitted, i will let you know

thank you all again

 

any suggestions at all....im really looking at any possibilites here....

 

Soulds like you have already known how to do it.

Just need to be careful to prepare paper work for every details and make sure if it works.

Am I right ?

 

to be honest...i have an idea...that will work....but not fully to what they are asking....

my problems are arising with two details

identify the hardcoopy to the owner


and password protecting some print files

i really have no idea for these too

my idea is just to dedicate some workstations to hosting some printers on them. this way each department will have a number of printers to print to...and only the ones in their department....

as for accounting as its high demand in printing....i was thinking about keeping personal printers for them...instead of sharing.


any other ideas you guys can think of???

 

identify the hardcoopy to the owner
and password protecting some print files

If it is a network printer, you can manage it by windows 2003.
If it is a "common" printer that attached a workstation, you may consider fetching the log file to analyse.

Could you explain what "print files" is ?

as for accounting as its high demand in printing....i was thinking about keeping personal printers for them...instead of sharing.

I believe it is a good idea to keep accounting things separately.

 

im sorry...i meant to say print jobs...not files


"In addition, users may want to
schedule printing at a time that is most convenient to them. Furthermore, some users may want to password protect
their print requests so the hardcopy is not printed until they are standing near the network printer(s) "

these are the two things i have yet to figure out


"If it is a "common" printer that attached a workstation, you may consider fetching the log file to analyse." and what do you mean by fetching the log file to analyse? could you emphasize more please?

 

Here are some tools you can try

http://www.downloadjunction.com/product/software/20341/index.html

 

thank you i see what you mean now....

would you know anyway to password protect print jobs???


samba/cups dedicated server maybe??

 

Sorry, I am not familiar with this.

However, as you said

"In addition, users may want to
schedule printing at a time that is most convenient to them. Furthermore, some users may want to password protect
their print requests so the hardcopy is not printed until they are standing near the network printer(s) "

I GUESS this kind of function should be on printer. I just IMAGE that there should be a small screen and some a key pad. Users can select their printer job and enter the password and then get the hard copy.

If this function resides in Server no matter Windows or Linux/Samba. Users can only estimate how long s/he could reach the printer. In case, just in case ,during s/he walks to the printer, something happens to s/he, say, the manager wants to talk something with. Thus, all "protection" things will be useless.

English is not my first language, hope you understand what I am talking.

 

Possible PaperCutNG could provide a solution ...

 

thank you for your help jason...and yes i understand what you are talking about..

the more and more that i look into this matter...i feel that some stuff they are just reaching for the stars for...and not possible with out special hardware and software?