Print Servers

TonyT · Post by **TonyT** » Sun Oct 12, 2003 10:20 pm

I am beginning some research on print servers and have some questions:

1. How do they work basically? ( I realize it's a separate device that can get plugged into a hub or router or switch, and the printer connects to it.

2. What are the advantages over just having a shared printer hooked up to one of the computers on a small networkk?

3. How does the software function when a print server is hooked to a router? Must the drivers still be installed on each networked system?

deksecurity · Post by **deksecurity** » Sun Oct 12, 2003 11:22 pm

the server don't have to be on in order to used it .
and you don't have to shared or setup network..Model FR114P

Post by **YeOldeStonecat** » Mon Oct 13, 2003 6:10 am

1) Basically consider it a network card for your printer. It obtains an IP address on your network, and the OS prints to the IP address instead of to LPT1.

2) One advantage is the device can stay turned on all the time, and anyone can print to it any time, instead of having the computer which was sharing it turned on. Another advantage....ever notice if your computer shares a printer...and you're working on that computer, and someone else on the network sends a print job...your computer bogs down as it prints? Well now it won't, because each computer prints directly to the print server box instead.

3) Router, hub, switch....doesn't matter as far as the local network is concerned. There are many ways of setting these up. I prefer HP Jet Direct print servers....well worth the extra money if you're going to be using the printer a lot. The cheaper ones, or those built into some home routers, they tend to "hiccup" now and then. Regardless...most of them are just standard TCP print servers....you can configure them through several different methods, with the same end result...it simply receives an IP address. And with Windows 2000 and Windows XP...you don't need to install any additional software except for the print drivers themselves, unless it (the printer) is already supported in the OS. Because Win2K and WinXP support TCP printing already! But assume yes....the drivers must be installed, or at least configured, on each system.

Configuration of most of them work in several different methods....web browser admin, special software like HP's Jet Admin, or even the old fashioned telnet. Some of them are somewhat proprietary in nature, take for example the Linksys print servers...I'm not crazy about them, have not proven too reliable.

Some of my tips....give the print server a fixed IP address, not dynamic from DHCP. It just proves more reliable that way. If it's dynamic, I've seen them let printers fall offline if they keep changing their IP address. Another tip...if you have a larger network with a real server (meaning dedicated...real server OS) on the network, have the server capture the print server...and share out the printer through it's windows network share. Have all clients print to the server, \\servername\printername, so that the server spools up the print jobs. Larger networks with many people printing to the printer at the same time...better to have the server do its job. Even the high end HP Jet Direct print servers can hiccup if you send them tons of print jobs from several peeps at the same time directly.

Chris · Post by **Chris** » Mon Oct 13, 2003 8:17 am

I run a 500 cel W/256 ram running NT4 server for the print server. If your printing graphics they can really bog down the machine the printer is on while a print job is going on. If its spooling to a print server, then the load is off your machine and on the server. Now if several peeps initiate print jobs at the same time, then the server can spool this and print in order of receipt withour bringing the network to a crawl. Not only that it impresses people when you tell them you have a dedicated print server/folding machine

TonyT · Post by **TonyT** » Mon Oct 13, 2003 8:53 am

Thanks.

Another Q:

I am researching this because I administer a friend's LAN in a home office, with 5 systems networked via a Linksys 8 port router.

Only 3 of the systems use the networked printer. (the other 2 systems are a bedroom box and a laptop)

I set up this network with TCP UNbound to MSClient and File&Print Sharing and use NetBeui for these tasks.

Frome what I've read so far, it seems that the print server must use TCP protocol and cannot use NetBeui. Problem is, these systems are win95, win98 and win98SE and adaik, there is no way to separate Print Sharing from File Sharing. (one cannot set up the network to use TCP for Printing and NetBeui for file sharing) Or can it be done?

Chris · Post by **Chris** » Mon Oct 13, 2003 9:00 am

Just don't install drivers on the boxes you don't want to use it, and if you use a server OS, then set up workgroups, make a printing workgroup and only give permissions to the users you want to have print privleges

Post by **YeOldeStonecat** » Mon Oct 13, 2003 9:06 am

Well, the Linksys print server device can run on NetBEUI alone. I'm more familiar with, and try to use, HP's Jet Direct boxes...but I have, hmm...3 of them Linksys print server boxes out there.

You have a ton of ports open on the router where you're concerned about binding TCP to networking services?

TonyT · Post by **TonyT** » Mon Oct 13, 2003 4:17 pm

You have a ton of ports open on the router where you're concerned about binding TCP to networking services?

No, the router is doing it's job well and is very secured. However:

1. Occasionally someone may install an app that violates existing security implementations, e.g. a messenger app or spyware.
2. NetBeui is faster than TCP for sharing files.
3. There is no network server with a server OS, therefore binding TCP to File&Print Sharing is insecure and there is no way to control exact TCP ports used without the security policies in a server OS.
4. A malicious attachment 'could' get past security IF a user opens the attachment inadvertantly. AFAIK there are no worms that can propagate the network via NetBeui, only TCP, unless an infected file is transferred across the network. (some worms attempt to access services on the network via TCP)
5. These are already sluggish boxes, even after tweaking, because they are older systems w/ older hardware etc. TCP tends to make a box like that more sluggish because it has a higher system overhead than NetBeui.