Print Servers

Does anyone have any experience with print servers on a home network?
I am thinking of either a standalone or one built into a router. Any
recommendations? Any problems with printer compatibility? Do any offer
more than simple printing, such as ink monitor, etc?

hawk

In article <(E-Mail Removed)>, hawk <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>Does anyone have any experience with print servers on a home network?
>I am thinking of either a standalone or one built into a router. Any
>recommendations? Any problems with printer compatibility? Do any offer
>more than simple printing, such as ink monitor, etc?
>
>hawk
>


Sharing a printer from any of your Windows PCs works fine.

If you have a printer with a built-in network card that will work,
too. I like to set it up as an "LPR protocol" printer (which comes
under several names) and has the advantage of not requiring and
comuter dedicated as a print job spooler. Each of the workstations
servers as it's own queue.



--
Al Dykes
-----------
adykes at p a n i x . c o m

In article <(E-Mail Removed)>, hawk
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>Does anyone have any experience with print servers on a home network?
>I am thinking of either a standalone or one built into a router. Any
>recommendations? Any problems with printer compatibility? Do any offer
>more than simple printing, such as ink monitor, etc?
>
>hawk

The print server on my SMC Barricade router works fine with my laser
printer. Get a print server with the right type of connection
(parallel or USB) for your printer.

Printers that are documented as "Windows only" use the computer for
part of their print processing. They might not work with a print
server.

Some advanced features (print monitor, paper-out detection, 2-sided
printing) might not work with a print server.
--
Best Wishes,
Steve Winograd, MS-MVP (Windows Networking)

Please post any reply as a follow-up message in the news group
for everyone to see. I'm sorry, but I don't answer questions
addressed directly to me in E-mail or news groups.

Microsoft Most Valuable Professional - Windows Networking
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com

Steve Winograd's Networking FAQ
http://www.bcmaven.com/networking/faq.htm

hawk wrote:

> Does anyone have any experience with print servers on a home network? I
> am thinking of either a standalone or one built into a router. Any
> recommendations? Any problems with printer compatibility? Do any offer
> more than simple printing, such as ink monitor, etc?
>
> hawk
>

I've used both HP and Intel print servers. I prefer the Intel
(perhaps it's just my perception, but of the ones I've used they
seemed less Windows-centric and I have a mixed environment), but
the HP are also good.

I've only used them with HP laser printers, and haven't noticed any
compatibility problems.

I generally steer clear of multifunction boxes (e.g. combined with
a router) so I can flexibly swap out pieces as new technology comes
available or my needs change. Separating things out also means
that if, e.g., the print server crashes, it's less likely to take
the router with it, and vice versa (and both print servers and routers
_do_ crash, albeit rarely).

There can be speed advantages to having the print server built into the
printer (i.e. a "network printer") -- the connection between an
external print server and the printer proper (be it parallel, serial,
or USB) can be a bottleneck.

HTH

--
The e-mail address in our reply-to line is reversed in an attempt to
minimize spam. Our true address is of the form che...@prodigy.net.

"hawk" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> Does anyone have any experience with print servers on a
> home network? I am thinking of either a standalone or one
> built into a router. Any recommendations? Any problems
> with printer compatibility? Do any offer more than simple
> printing, such as ink monitor, etc?

I recently put four small "pocket" printservers on a small office network
with 3 laser printers and a color inkjet (HP-LJ4, HP-LJ2200, HP-LJ1100, and
HP-2000C). I didn't want to set them up as shared from host computers
because that would mean the printers would have to stay close to the
computers and there would also be unsightly thick printer cables getting in
the way. I like the pocket size because they attach directly to the
printer, so I don't need to find another surface nearby on which to set the
printserver. The printers can consequently be placed freely around the
room.

The printservers were all about $50 each at Fry's and CompUSA -- a Hawking
HPS1P, DLink DP-101P+, and DLink DP-301U. The DLinks have been solid, but
the Hawking less so. The LJ2200 Centronics connector is recessed inside a
cavity in the case, and the DP-101P was too large to fit inside, so I tried
the Hawking. With little ventilation inside the printer cover, I burned out
two Hawkings within four weeks. I switched to a USB version (the DP-301U)
connected to the printer's USB port instead (it converts ethernet to USB).
I still have one Hawking working okay on one of the other printers, where it
has better ventilation.

All of the printservers need no special drivers for XP, but do require
drivers (supplied on CD) for 98/ME. They all can be configured from a web
browser, so I didn't load the administration programs on any computer. The
laserjets have all performed flawlessly. The inkjet also prints fine, but
its inklevel monitor doesn't seem to work over the network. I've noticed
this at other client sites, so I believe it's a network issue with the
printer software, not a problem with the printserver.

I have another client with a SMC Barricade router with built-in printserver.
He's less satisfied because it compromises the placement of the router. He
would like the router high on a shelf, but it has to stay near the printer,
which can only go in certain places in his home office.

I was thinking about the D-Link DP-301P+ connected to my simple Epson
Stylus Photo 820. D-Link and Epson both said to check for
compatibility with the other. Then I read somewhere that if a printer
required drivers to be loaded from the manufacturer's CD, it might not
work on a print server. (Doesn't make much sense to me since every
printer I have used uses manufacturer's drivers.)

Anyway, I have an SMC Barricade router with a print server that I
could borrow for a test. Maybe that would be the smart thing to do
before I buy anything.

hawk

I'm Dan wrote:

> "hawk" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>>Does anyone have any experience with print servers on a
>>home network? I am thinking of either a standalone or one
>>built into a router. Any recommendations? Any problems
>>with printer compatibility? Do any offer more than simple
>>printing, such as ink monitor, etc?
>
>
> I recently put four small "pocket" printservers on a small office network
> with 3 laser printers and a color inkjet (HP-LJ4, HP-LJ2200, HP-LJ1100, and
> HP-2000C). I didn't want to set them up as shared from host computers
> because that would mean the printers would have to stay close to the
> computers and there would also be unsightly thick printer cables getting in
> the way. I like the pocket size because they attach directly to the
> printer, so I don't need to find another surface nearby on which to set the
> printserver. The printers can consequently be placed freely around the
> room.
>
> The printservers were all about $50 each at Fry's and CompUSA -- a Hawking
> HPS1P, DLink DP-101P+, and DLink DP-301U. The DLinks have been solid, but
> the Hawking less so. The LJ2200 Centronics connector is recessed inside a
> cavity in the case, and the DP-101P was too large to fit inside, so I tried
> the Hawking. With little ventilation inside the printer cover, I burned out
> two Hawkings within four weeks. I switched to a USB version (the DP-301U)
> connected to the printer's USB port instead (it converts ethernet to USB).
> I still have one Hawking working okay on one of the other printers, where it
> has better ventilation.
>
> All of the printservers need no special drivers for XP, but do require
> drivers (supplied on CD) for 98/ME. They all can be configured from a web
> browser, so I didn't load the administration programs on any computer. The
> laserjets have all performed flawlessly. The inkjet also prints fine, but
> its inklevel monitor doesn't seem to work over the network. I've noticed
> this at other client sites, so I believe it's a network issue with the
> printer software, not a problem with the printserver.
>
> I have another client with a SMC Barricade router with built-in printserver.
> He's less satisfied because it compromises the placement of the router. He
> would like the router high on a shelf, but it has to stay near the printer,
> which can only go in certain places in his home office.
>
>
>