Network print adapter

[DocClock aka MadClocker]

Wasn't sure to put this in hardware, or networking, but here goes..I recently ran accross a print server thing, it is called Printlynk-PR made by digital products inc. It plugs into the printer port of the printer, and the other end has a cat5 ethernet plug and a small power plug.
I have never networked a prn b4 but I imagine it can't be that hard. What I need to know is the power requirements, and if this thingy needs a driver to work, any info on this would be most apreciated, as I could find none.

 

[su root]

Well, I'm running my HP Deskjet 842c via the network right now. Natively, it uses a USB connection. I have a HP Jetdirect 175x that serves as the print server. (Switch to CAT5 in one side, USB out the other to the printer, and Power)

I installed the printer connection in on my print server (not the Jetdirect, but another computer). Here's how the server was set up:
Add Printer/Network printer/LOCAL/Create New Port/TCP IP/type in the IP or name of the printer/select the type of device attached (HP Jetdirect)/then give it the drivers for the printer attached to it.

Anyone can do this to connect to the printer. In order to stop random people on my network from printing (Residence Network), I
set permissions and shared the printer from the server box. Through the browser to the Jetdirect, and set the "computers allowed to print" to only the server.

Then workstations can connect to the server to print to it's printer.

Path of a print is: Workstation > Server > Jetdirect > Printer
(Or, you could set it up Workstation > Jetdirect > Printer, if you wish, I just find this one more secure and convienient.

If someone comes over and wants to print, the server will give out the drivers, so you don't have to go fetching cds / drivers online

 

[nebben]

It is essentially a device that will allow you to print to the printer connected just by printing to an IP address, or some sort of shared network printer agent that is capable of spooling the jobs to that IP or IPX address.

I run over 70 networked printers all with HP JetDirect print servers (the little box that you have is a print server). All have distinct IPs, and are serviced through NDPS agents.

Yo.

-ben