TNG Printing

Mike Brodbelt m.brodbelt at acu.ac.uk
Tue Aug 22 14:34:49 GMT 2000


> "Dan B. Mann" wrote:
> 
> All,
> 
>   I am looking for a solution to my printing dilemma.  I am working on
> a network that has about 55 printers, mostly HP lasers with a lesser
> number of TEK color's.  All printers are connected to their own
> JetDirect box, and they are spooled through one ProLiant 1600 NT
> Server box.  We are going to build a new print server to service our
> network of about 250 Win2K Pro boxes in a month or two, and I was
> wondering if SAMBA is up to the task of doing something like this.  We
> cannot lose functionality from our current setup.  All workstations
> now get print drivers off of the server, and it has to stay that way.

You'd need to set up a solid unix print configuration, and share that
via Samba. I'd use LPRng as the print spool software - the ifhp filter
is superb, and has specific support for HP models, and Tektronix
Phasers. On the Samba side, Samba could deal with this, but there's a
catch. Samba 2.0.7 does *not* support drivers on the server, they have
to be installed locally. However, the HEAD branch does have this
support, and Samba 2.2, which is due out "in a month or two" will have
this support. Whether this is good for you depends on whose "month or
two" is shorter!!!

I run a Samba print server here, and wouldn't go back. LPRng gives me
the most trouble free operation I've ever had out of printing, better
than Novell or NT by far. It's trivial to PostScript enable all your
printers with ghostscript, and the Samba integration is great. Printer
accounting also works superbly.
 
> One of the biggest reason's we would want to switch is that every time
> we add a new printer to the server, it needs to be rebooted or it may
> suffer a doctor watson.  This is a real pain in the A** if you know
> what I mean.

Oh yes......
 
> Oh, and I also forgot to mention that we have an SNA server to handle
> printing from our AS400, but I believe this box just forwards the
> print requests to the print server :)

Shouldn't cause a problem.

HTH

Mike.




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