CHAPTER 12

SETTING UP AND CONFIGURING NETWORK PRINTERS

Lesson 1: Introducing Windows 2000 Printing

With Windows 2000 printing, you can share printing resources across the entire network and

administer printing from a central location.

Terminology is different for Microsoft: ** Important**

Printer. A printer is the software interface between the operating system and the print device.

The printer defines where a document will go to reach the print device (that is, to a local port, a

port for network connection, or a file), when it will go, and how various other aspects of the

printing process will be handled).

Print Device. A print device is the hardware device that produces printed documents.

Windows 2000 supports the following print devices:

1. Local print devices, which are connected to a physical port on the print server.

2. Network-interface print devices, which are connected to a print server through the

network instead of a physical port. Network-interface print devices require their

own network interface cards and have their own network address, or they are

attached to an external network adapter.

Printer Port. A printer port is the software interface through which a computer communicates

with a print device by means of a locally attached interface. Could be LPT1, Com or USB ports.

Print Server. A print server is the computer on which the printers that are associated with local

and network-interface print devices reside. The print server receives and processes documents

from client computers. You set up and share network printers on print servers.

Printer driver. A printer driver is one or more files containing information that Windows 2000

requires to convert print commands into a specific printer language, such as PostScript. You

need the driver (software interface) when you load any piece of hardware onto your computer.

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Requirements for Network Printing

You need at least one computer to operate as the print server. If the print server will manage

many heavily used printer, Microsoft recommends a dedicated print server. The computer can

run either of the following:

1) Windows 2000 Server, which can handle a large number of connections and supports Macintosh

and UNIX computers and NetWare clients.

2) Windows 2000 Professional, which is limited to 10 concurrent connections from other computers

for file and print services. It doesn’t support Macintosh computers or NetWare clients, but it does

support UNIX computers.

3) Sufficient RAM to process documents.

4) Sufficient disk space on the print server to ensure that Windows 2000 can store documents

that are sent to the print server until the print server sends the documents to the print device.

For example if the documents are large, and 10 users send at the same time, the print server must have

enough disk space to hold all of the documents until the print server sends them to the print device. If

there isn’t enough space to hold all of the documents, users will get error messages and be unable to print.

Lesson Summary:

A printer is the software interface between the operating system and the print device.
The print device is the hardware device that produces the printed documents.
Windows 2000 supports local print devices, which are connected to a physical port on the print server,

network-interface print devices, which are connected to a print server through the network instead

of through a physical port.

A print server is a computer running either Windows 2000 Professional or Windows 2000 Server

on which the printers reside.

A printer driver is one or more files containing information that Windows 2000 requires to convert

print commands into a specific printer language, such as PostScript.

A printer driver is specific to each print device model.
Microsoft recommends that you use a dedicated print server.
A print server running Windows 2000 Professional is limited to 10 concurrent connections from

other computers for file and print services, and it doesn’t support Macintosh computers or

NetWare clients but does support UNIX computer.

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Lesson 2: Setting Up Network Printers

You can set up a printer for a local print device that is connected directory to the print server, or

you can set up a printer for a network-interface print device that is connected to the print server

over the network. How to add a print device:

Log on as Administrator.
Start/Settings/Printers
Add Printer wizard in the Printers folder appears.
Double-click Add Printer to launch the Add Printer Wizard.
Next, Local or Network
Follow the instructions, then finish.

The Add Printer Wizard Options for a Local Print Device

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Option Description

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Local Printer The designation that you are adding a printer to the computer

At which you are sitting, which is the print server. It auto-

matically detects plug and Play.

Use The Following The port on the print server to which you attached the print

Port device. You can create a new port too.

Manufacturers Select the manufacturer of your print device.

Printers Select the printer model for your print device.

Printer Name A name that will identify the printer to the users. Use a name

That is intuitive and descriptive of the print device.

Default Printer The default printer for all Windows-base applications. Say Yes.

Share as This name appears when users brows for a printer or supply a

Path to a printer.

Location Information about the print device’s location.

Comment Users can search Active Directory directory services for the

Information that you enter here or in the Location box.

Do you Want to Print Usually say Yes, to ensure properly printing.

A Test Page?

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Adding and Sharing a Printer for A Network-Interface Print Device

The main difference between adding a printer for a local print device and adding for a network-interface print

device is that for a typical network-interface print device, you provide an additional port and network

protocol information.

The default network protocol for Windows 2000 is TCP/IP, which many network-interface print

devices uses.

NOTE: If your print device uses a network protocol other than TCP/IP, you must install the network

protocol before you can add a printer for this device. After you install the protocol, you can add

additional ports that use the protocol. The tasks and setup information that are required to configure a

printer port depend on the network protocol.

Setting up Client Computers

Windows 2000 automatically downloads the printer drivers for clients computers running

Windows 2000, Windows NT version 4 and earlier, Windows 98 or Windows 95.

Client computer running other Microsoft operating systems require installation of printer drivers.
Client computers running non-Microsoft operating systems require installation of both printer drivers

and the print service on the print server.

Clients Computer running Windows 2000, WinNT, WIN98 and WIN95

Users of the above need to make a connection only to the shared printer. The client computer

automatically downloads the appropriate printer driver, as long as a copy of it resides on the print

server.

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If your client computer running Windows 2000 and you want to make a connection to the shared

printer, on the client computer, start the Add Printer Wizard. Go into Printer Properties, and

ensure you have the proper driver selected.

Client Computers running other Microsoft Operating Systems

You must install a printer driver on the client computer. You can get the appropriate printer driver

for a Windows-based client computer from the installation disks for that client computer or from the

printer manufacturer.

Macintosh Services for Macintosh are included only with Windows 2000

Server, not Windows 2000 Professional.

UNIX TCP/IP Printing, which is also called Line Printer

Daemon (LPD) Service, is included with Windows 2000

Server but is not installed by default.

NetWare File and Print Services for Netware (FPNW), an optional

Add-on service for Windows 2000 Server, isn’t included

with Windows 2000 Server or Windows 2000 Professional.

Lesson Summary:

1) Sharing a local printer makes it possible for multiple users on the network to print to it.

2) The client computer automatically downloads the drivers needed to the print server.

3) If it is a different operating system, you can get the necessary print drivers from the

manufacturers.

Lesson 3: Connecting to Network Printers

After you have set up the print server with all required printer drivers for the shared printers,

users on client computers running Windows 2000 or Windows NT, 98 or 95 can easily make

a connection and start printing.

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When you add and share a printer, by default, all users can make a connection to that printer

and print documents. Client computers running Windows 2000 can also use a Web browser to

make a connection to the printer.

Using the Add Printer Wizard

The Add Printer Wizard is one method that client computers running Windows 2000, NT,

Win98 and Win95 can use to connect to a printer. This is the same wizard you use to add

and share a printer. The options that are available in the Add Printer Wizard that allow you

to locate and connect to a printer vary depending on the operating system that the client

computer is running.

Client Computers Running Windows 2000

By using the Add Printer Wizard on client computers running Windows 2000, you can make a

connection to a printer by using the following methods:

Use the UNC name.

You can use the UNC name (\\print_server\printer_name) to make connections by selecting

Type of Printer Name Or Click Next To Browse For A Printer on the Locate Your Printer

page of the Add Printer Wizard.

Browse the network.

You can also browse the network for the printer by selecting Type The Printer Name Or Click

Next To Browse For a Printer on the Locate Your Printer page of the Add Printer Wizard,

leaving the Name box blank, and clicking Next.

Use the URL name.

You can also connect to a printer on the Internet or your intranet by selecting Connect To A

Printer On the Internet Or On Your Intranet on the Locate Your Printer page of the Add Printer Wizard.

http://instructor 301/printers/BrotherH/.printer

URL name Web server standard by default Shared name standard

Always listed by default

Always listed

SUMMARY, if you are using Windows 98 or 95 Win NT Workstation 4 you can add a

printer by using the UNC name or browsing the Network.

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Search Active Directory directory services

If your computer is running Windows 20000 Professional, and is a member of a domain, you can

find the printer by using Active Directory directory services search capabilities. You can search

either the entire directory or just a portion.

Client Computers running Windows NT4, Windows 98, or Windows 95

The Add Printer Wizard allow you only to enter a UNC name or to browse Network Neighborhood

to locate the printer.

RUN COMMAND

You can also make a connection to a printer by using the RUN command on the Start menu, type

the UNC name of the printer in the OPEN box, and click OK.

Client Computers Running other Microsoft Operating Systems

Users at client computers running Windows 3.x and Windows for Workgroups use Print Manager

instead of the Add Printer Wizard to make a connection to a printer.

Users at any Windows-based client computers can make a connection to a network printer by using

the following command:

Net^use^lptx:^\\server_name\share_name

Where the x if the number of the printer port. You can also use the netuse command to connect to

MS-DOS and OS/2 with Microsoft LAN Manager client software installed.

Using a Web Browser

You can type a URL in your Web browser, and you don’t have to use the Add Printer Wizard. A

Web designer can customize the Web page. You can connect to a Web Browser in two different ways:

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http://server_name/printers

Consists of all shared printers on the print server that you have permission to use.

http://server_name/printer_share_name

You provide the intranet path for a specific printer. You must have permission to use

the printer.

Downloading Printer Drivers

When users at client computers running Windows 2000, Windows NT, Windows 98 or Windows

95 make the first connection to a printer on the print server, the client computer automatically

downloads the printer drivers.

You must constantly be verifying that you have the current drivers. Client computers running Windows

98 or Windows 95 don’t check for updated printer drivers. You must manually install updated

printer drivers.

Lesson Summary:

Clients computers running Windows 2000, Windows NT, Windows 98, Windows95 can

use the Add Printer Wizard to connect to a printer

Clients running Windows 2000 you can make a connection to a printer by using Active

Directory directory services’ search capabilities, or you can select to Connect To The Printer

Using A Network Name on the Locate Your Printers page of the Add Printer Wizard.

If you know the UNC name, you can use it or browse the network for the printer.

On client computers running Window NT4, WIN98 or WIN95, the Add Printer Wizard

only allows you to enter a UNC name or to browse the Network Neighborhood to locate

the printer.

Users of client computers running Windows 3.x and Windows for Workgroups use Print

Manager to make a connection to a printer.

You can also use the NetUse command, and it also works for MS-DOS or OS/2 with Microsoft
LAN Manager client software installed.

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Lesson 4: Configuring Network Printers

After you have set up and shared network printers, user and company printing needs might require

you to configure printer settings so that your printing resources fit these needs better.

Three common configurations changes you can make are as follows:

1) You can share an existing nonshared printer if your printing load increases.

2) You can create a printer pool so that the printer automatically distributes print jobs to the first

available print device.

3) You can set priorities between printers that that critical documents always print before noncritical

documents.

Sharing an Existing Printer

When you share a printer

You need to assign the printer a share name, which appears in My Network Places. Use an intuitive name

to help users when they are browsing. For example, Long Documents.

You can add printer drivers for all versions of Windows NT, WIN95 and WIN98, and for Windows

2000 and Windows NT running on different hardware platforms.

Setting Up a Printer Pool

A printer pool is one printer that is connected to multiple print devices through multiple ports on a

printer server.

When you set up a printer pool, place the print devices in the same physical area to that users can

easily locate their documents.

Advantages:

In a network with high volume of printing, it decreases the time that documents wait on

the print server.

It simplifies administration because you can administer multiple print devices from a

single printer. (software).

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How to create a printer pool:

In Properties for the printer, click Ports.
Select Enable Printer Pooling.
Select the check box for each port to which a print device that you want to add to the

pool is connected, OK.

Setting Priorities between printer:

Setting priorities between printers makes it possible to set priorities between groups of documents that

all print on the same print device. Multiple printers point to the same print device, which allows users to

ent critical documents to a high-priority printer and noncritical documents to a lower-priority printer.

Lesson Summary:

1) Sharing tab in Properties or the printer as Shared.

2) Printer pooling is one printer (software) that is connected to multiple print devices through

multiple ports on a print server.

3) The print devices in a printer pool should be identical, but if they are different and use the same

driver, you can get away with different printers that way.

4) Printer pools can decrease time that documents wait on the print server.

Setting priorities between printer makes it possible to set priorities between groups of documents

that all print on the same print device.

Lesson 5: Troubleshooting Network Printers

1) Troubleshooting is something you learn through experience. Certain problems can be

solved based on

2) The troubleshooting scenarios in this lesson or because you have encountered the problem before.

However, in many cases you simply have to eliminate the possible causes one at a time

until the problem is resolved.