CHAPTER 7

                    SETTING UP A NETWORK PRINT SERVER

 

Lesson 1:  Introduction to Windows NT Printing ………………                270

Lesson 2:  Setting up a Network Print Server and Client …......                274

Lesson 3:  Configuring a Printer ………………………………..                290

 

 

Lesson 1:  Introduction to Windows NT Printing

 

Windows NT offers several advanced printing features.  For example, as an administrator, you can

remotely administer Windows NT print servers.  Another advanced feature is the fact that you do

not have to install a printer driver on a Windows NT client computer to enable it to use a Windows

NT print server.

 

 

Windows NT Printing Terms

 

In Windows NT, a print device refers to the actual hardware device that produces printed documents.

 

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

defines where the document will go before it reaches the print device (to a local port, to a file, or to

a remote print share), when it will go, and various other aspects of the printing process.

 

Network-interface print devices are print devices with their own network cards, they need not be

physically connected to a print server because they are directly connected to the network.

 

A print server is the computer that runs the printer software, and that receives and processes

documents from clients.

 

In Windows NT terminology, a queue is a group of documents waiting to be printed.  In the NetWare

and OS/2 environments, queues are the primary software interface between the program and print

device: users submit documents to a queue.  However, with Windows NT, the printer is that

 interface: therefore, the document is sent to a printer, not to a queue.

 

The print spooler is a collection of dynamic-link libraries (DLLs) that receive process, schedule, and

distribute documents.  Spooling is the process of writing the contents of a print job to a file on the disk. 

This file is called a spool file.

 

 

 

 

 

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There are several types of printers:

 

  • Line Printers
  • Plotters
  • Dye sublimation
  • Laser  (great for an office, cost efficient)
  • Dot matrix (impact)  (lawyers and surveyors)
  • Ink Jet printers  (not appropriate for offices, to costly to operate, cartridges)

 

 

 

Ports of the Printer:       ****KNOW THIS FOR THE EXAM *****

On any Microsoft Windows Based Operating System

 

 

  GDI

 

 

redirector

 

EMF

Enhanced

Metafile

(WYSIWYG)

Print Driver

 

 

Spooler

 

 

Queue

 

 

Print Port

Available?

 

 

 RAW

 

 

Print

Device

 

EMF Enhanced

Spooler is the folder on the hard Drive, can quite commonly go down if the spooler down.

 

Print Device is the last step.  You can make an old 286 into a Dedicated Print Server!

 

 

Lesson 2:  Setting up a Network Print Server and Client

 

Then setting up a network print server, you need to do the following:

 

  •  Check to see if the print device is on the Windows NT 4.0 HCL, then the driver will be included

with Windows NT, if not you need to get the driver.

 

 

 

 

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  •  Log on as the user who has FC.  The following list has the built-in groups with Full Control:

 

 

======================================================================

A member of

This group                              Can administer a printer

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Administrators                       On any computer on the domain running NT Work.                                                      

                                               Or Server.

 

Print Operators                      On any domain controller.

 

Server Operators                   On any domain controller

 

Power Users                           On any local computer in the domain in which the

                                                Group exists.

 

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  •    Add a printer – this install the printer driver for the print device on the print server.
  •    Share a printer – this allows users to connect to the printer over the network, and print to the

print device.

 

 

Adding and Sharing a New Printer:

 

Settings/Printers/Add Printer, as simple as that.

 

 

Lesson Summary:

 

  •   Windows NT includes printer drivers for all print devices on the Windows NT 4.0 HCL list.
  •   Setting up a network print server requires that you are a member of the built-in Admin. Print Operators,

 Server Operators, or Power Users group.

  •   When you add a print, specify all of the Windows NT and WIN 95 client you may need alternate

drivers on the sharing tab.

  •   If the appropriate printer drivers have been installed on the print server.
  •   The clients can download and automatically connect to the shared printer.
  •   There are four different print permissions – Full Control, Manage Documents, Print and No Access. 

By default the built-in Everyone group is assigned the Print Permission.

 

 

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Lesson 3:  Configuring a Printer:

 

If a print device is heavily used, you can create a printing pool to automatically distribute the print jobs

to an available print device.  A printing pool is one printer connected to multiple print devices through

multiple ports of the print server.  A printing pool is useful in a network with a high volume of printing

because it decreases the time that documents wait in the print queue.

 

You need all printers to be the same, therefore all the drivers are the same, and they can communicate

easily.

 

Setting priorities between printers requires that you do the following:

 

  •   Add two or more printers for the same print device.  Be on the same print server.  Use the

same port to connect to the print device. The port can be a physical port on the server or

a UNC name, \\Server7\HPLaserJet.

  •   Set a different priority for each printer, 1-99.

 

 

 

Lesson Summary:

 

  •   A printing pool is one printer connected to multiple print devices through multiple ports of

the print server.

  •   You can create a printing pool to automatically distribute print jobs to an available print device. 
  •   The distribution is transparent to users.
  •   Setting priorities between printers makes it possible for you to set priorities between groups’

documents.

  •   Setting priorities between printers requires two or more printers for the same print device. 
  •   The printers must be on the same print server.
  •   Documents can be scheduled to print between certain hours, reducing print device load

during peak traffic hours.