Sharing Resources On A Windows Network

My home network is mostly XP boxes. I'm having trouble sharing the
printer connected to an XP box with other XP boxes. Is my best option to
use Samba and create an NT domain? I don't really want to do that just
to share a printer, do I have any other options?

Dan

Dan N wrote:
> My home network is mostly XP boxes. I'm having trouble sharing the
> printer connected to an XP box with other XP boxes. Is my best option to
> use Samba and create an NT domain? I don't really want to do that just
> to share a printer, do I have any other options?
>
> Dan

Can't imagine what issues you might be having sharing a printer from XP
to XP, but involving a linux samba server surely wouldn't help the issues.

Check to make sure both pc's are on the same workgroup, i find MS likes
to randomly change the workgroup names from time to time back to "MSHOME".

On Tue, 17 Jan 2006 12:23:25 +0000, alex wrote:


> Can't imagine what issues you might be having sharing a printer from XP to
> XP, but involving a linux samba server surely wouldn't help the issues.

I got the idea from somewhere that XP worked better in a domain rather
than in a workgroup. Sometimes the share works, sometimes it doesn't.

Dan

On Tue, 17 Jan 2006 15:33:03 +0800, Dan N shouted Hoy......

>
>
>
> My home network is mostly XP boxes. I'm having trouble sharing the
> printer connected to an XP box with other XP boxes. Is my best option to
> use Samba and create an NT domain? I don't really want to do that just
> to share a printer, do I have any other options?
>
> Dan

Yes, get ride of the XP boxes.

--
Dancin' in the ruins tonight
mail: echo onub-(E-Mail Removed) | perl -pe 'y/a-z/n-za-m/'
Tayo'y Mga Pinoy

Dan N wrote:
> On Tue, 17 Jan 2006 12:23:25 +0000, alex wrote:
>
>
>
>>Can't imagine what issues you might be having sharing a printer from XP to
>>XP, but involving a linux samba server surely wouldn't help the issues.
>
>
> I got the idea from somewhere that XP worked better in a domain rather
> than in a workgroup. Sometimes the share works, sometimes it doesn't.
>

I have one configuration where 37 Windoze XP boxes get their printer shares and a couple of disk
shares from a Linux server, all done as a workgroup. Works just fine. It is a private computer lab
with no-login access for non-privileged Windows accounts. Only one of the disk shares requires any
kind of login to access it.

Larry

On Tue, 17 Jan 2006 21:47:39 +0800, Dan N wrote:

> On Tue, 17 Jan 2006 12:23:25 +0000, alex wrote:
>
>
>> Can't imagine what issues you might be having sharing a printer from XP
>> to XP, but involving a linux samba server surely wouldn't help the
>> issues.
>
> I got the idea from somewhere that XP worked better in a domain rather
> than in a workgroup. Sometimes the share works, sometimes it doesn't.
>
> Dan

XP Pro has "Print Services for Unix" as an optional component, which
includes a lpd server/service and client. XP Home includes at least the
client part, but I am not sure about the server. But since you're talking
about domains I will assume XP Pro...

Anyway, if you install Print Services for Unix, there will be a new
service, TCP/IP Print server.
When running it allows connections to tcp port 515, and allows lpd
connections to all printers configured on that box. You would then
install Print Services for Unix on the other XP boxes, and configure the
printer on those to use the lpr port on the machine with the printer
connected. No file/print sharing needed. this works equally well for
Windows and *nix client.

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/pro...vicesunix.mspx

Pros :
- No need to configure file and print sharing.
- Works reliably using a standard protocol ( lpd ).
- Cross platform...If your client(s) supports lpd, this should work.

Cons :
- No auto driver installation like when connecting to a "shared" printer.
- Some cheap deskjet type printers do not play well with it.
- Can't use permissions to control access to printers for specific users.

--
- Matt -

Dan N wrote:
> My home network is mostly XP boxes. I'm having trouble sharing the
> printer connected to an XP box with other XP boxes. Is my best option to
> use Samba and create an NT domain? I don't really want to do that just
> to share a printer, do I have any other options?
>
> Dan
XP Pro can join a domain, but XP Home can't. Sharing a printer in a
domain environment is far more complicated than "simple file sharing"
(which also includes printers), or even user-level sharing (both are
available on an XP Pro box. Have you posted in one of the Windows
groups? There are many and answers are plentiful.

....kurt

On Tue, 17 Jan 2006 21:09:28 -0800, Kurt wrote:

> XP Pro can join a domain, but XP Home can't.

They're all XP Pro machines.

> Sharing a printer in a domain
> environment is far more complicated than "simple file sharing" (which also
> includes printers), or even user-level sharing (both are available on an
> XP Pro box.

I realise that. I've had a Samba based domain set up before, and didn't
want that level of complication. But the printer share seems to be hit
and miss in a simple workgroup setup. I got the idea from somewhere that
XP Pro shares worked better in a domain. Windows networking certainly has
it's idiosyncrasies.

> Have you posted in one of the Windows groups? There are many
> and answers are plentiful.

No I haven't. Thought that the linux gurus would be a good place to
start, even if it is somewhat off topic. I'll give one of them a try,
thanks.

Dan

Dan N wrote:
> On Tue, 17 Jan 2006 21:09:28 -0800, Kurt wrote:
>
>
>>XP Pro can join a domain, but XP Home can't.
>
>
> They're all XP Pro machines.
>
>
>>Sharing a printer in a domain
>>environment is far more complicated than "simple file sharing" (which also
>>includes printers), or even user-level sharing (both are available on an
>>XP Pro box.
>
>
> I realise that. I've had a Samba based domain set up before, and didn't
> want that level of complication. But the printer share seems to be hit
> and miss in a simple workgroup setup. I got the idea from somewhere that
> XP Pro shares worked better in a domain. Windows networking certainly has
> it's idiosyncrasies.
>
>
>>Have you posted in one of the Windows groups? There are many
>>and answers are plentiful.
>
>
> No I haven't. Thought that the linux gurus would be a good place to
> start, even if it is somewhat off topic. I'll give one of them a try,
> thanks.
>
> Dan
>
>

If security isn't an issue, try enabling the guest account. Since
security probably is an issue, create user accounts on the print server
that exactly match each user account on the other XP boxes that will
need to print. The usernames and passwords must be identical. Share the
printer and set the permissions to "Everyone - Print". Open any folder
and go to tools -> folder options and make sure "Use Simple File
Sharing" is NOT checked. On the other computers, log the users out and
back in. Network access may require a password - it does on Server 2003
- unless you make a security setting change to remove this requirement.
To install the printer the easy way on the clients, go to the "Run"
dialog, type \\servername. When the window opens, right-click the
printer and select "connect" (or whatver) from the context menu.

....kurt

Dan N wrote:
> On Tue, 17 Jan 2006 21:09:28 -0800, Kurt wrote:
>
>
>>XP Pro can join a domain, but XP Home can't.
>
>
> They're all XP Pro machines.
>
>
>>Sharing a printer in a domain
>>environment is far more complicated than "simple file sharing" (which also
>>includes printers), or even user-level sharing (both are available on an
>>XP Pro box.
>
>
> I realise that. I've had a Samba based domain set up before, and didn't
> want that level of complication. But the printer share seems to be hit
> and miss in a simple workgroup setup. I got the idea from somewhere that
> XP Pro shares worked better in a domain. Windows networking certainly has
> it's idiosyncrasies.
>
>
>>Have you posted in one of the Windows groups? There are many
>>and answers are plentiful.
>
>
> No I haven't. Thought that the linux gurus would be a good place to
> start, even if it is somewhat off topic. I'll give one of them a try,
> thanks.
>
> Dan
>
>
Sorry, meant to send that last one directly instead of posting it to the
group, I acknowledge that this is not the proper forum for my previous post.

....kurt