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updated: 6/17/98

 

 

 

Installation & Use

Using the Print Server

This section reviews the different configuration possibilities, and provides a walk-through of setting up different types of print queues.

[Advanced]

Print Server Overview

The ASIP Print server lets you create one or more print queues at the server, to print via either PAP (Printer Access Protocol, an AppleTalk protocol) or LPR (Line Printer Remote, a TCP/IP protocol). Clients at the workstation send the print job to the print server, where it queues up to be sent to a printer, on a first-come, first-printed basis.

Using a print server does not necessarily make the printing process faster. But it does allow the client's workstation to send off their print jobs more readily (they don't have to wait for the printer to be available), and it allows administrators to manage and track printer usage for the workgroup.

Configuration Possibilities when using the Print Server

  • Each print queue can have one or more printer attached to it; the print jobs in the queue will be sent to the first printer available.

  • Each print queue can be enabled for AppleTalk or TCP/IP or both.

  • Printers can be attached via either AppleTalk or TCP/IP (assuming the printer supports the protocol, of course). (See TIL Article 24409 for a list of Apple LaserWriters that support LPR, and the Related Topics for instructions on how to configure the LPR client software on a Mac).

  • A single print queue can contain printers attached via both AppleTalk and TCP/IP.

  • The table below shows the possible combinations.

    PAP is Printer Access Protocol; this is the Appletalk protocol that is used in printing.

Protocol for Queuing

(how clients send to the Print queue)

Protocol for Printing

(how the print server sends to the printers)

 When to use
PAP (AppleTalk) PAP (AppleTalk) When you have AppleTalk clients and AppleTalk printers, on an AppleTalk network.
LPR (TCP/IP) LPR(TCP/IP) When you have non-AppleTalk, TCP/IP clients (as unix workstations), and printers that support LPR.
PAP (AppleTalk) LPR (TCP/IP) For AppleTalk clients printing to either an IP-only printer, or a printer to which there is no AppleTalk connectivity.
LPR (TCP/IP) PAP (AppleTalk) Allows IP-only clients, such as unix workstations, to print to your AppleTalk LaserWriters.
PAP (AppleTalk) or LPR (TCP/IP) PAP (AppleTalk) Allows both AT and IP clients to print to AppleTalk LaserWriters.
PAP (AppleTalk) or LPR (TCP/IP) LPR (TCP/IP) Allows both AT and IP clients to print to your IP printers.

System Requirements

For Print Server

Requirements for running the ASIP Print Server are the same as for other ASIP services, except the amount of RAM required. The Print Server requires only 4MB of RAM, and the Print Admin program requires 1.2MB; there is no benefit to increasing the RAM allocation for either the print server or the admin program.

    Special Note for using the Print Server separate from Web & File Services. The new security feature of the Print Server (which enables you to restrict users from printing to queues), requires use of the Users & Groups Data File. This file gets modified when the Print Server is installed, making that computer no longer compatible with Personal File Sharing.

     

Client:

  • Mac clients require LaserWriter 7.x or 8.x for AppleTalk printing, and the Desktop Printer Utility (DPU), version 1.0 or later, for LPR.

    The DPU shipped as part of Mac OS 8.0 (installed in the Apple Extras: Apple LaserWriter Software folder) and with LaserWriter 8.5.2 (installed in the Apple LaserWriter Software folder at the root level of the startup volume). Third-party LPR software for the Mac may also be used.

  • Windows clients require printer drivers that support either AppleTalk or LPR.

  • Many different unix-based operating systems support LPR.

Supported Printers:

Any Apple LaserWriter that supports AppleTalk or TCP/IP or both, or third party Postscript printers compatible with Apple LW version 8.4 or higher.

See TIL article 24409 for a list of Apple printers that support LPR.

Print Server Activity Window

The ASIP Print server operates as a background activity. It is managed through the ASIP Print Server Administration Program. The Print Server can be running even if the Print Admin program is not.

  • Launch ASIP Print Server Admin program. This can be done through ASIP Manager, or by double-clicking the application itself. The Print Server Activity window opens by default, or can be selected from the Sever menu.
  • Start Print Server (option under Server menu). Note that previously-configured queues do not appear until the print server is started.
  • The Print Server activity window (below) will display
    • queues already created,
    • number of jobs in each queue,
    • number of printers attached to each queue, and
    • the current queue status.

  • Displaying the printers in the queue (by turning down the triangles) will show the printer's status.

Print Server Settings

  • Start Print Server at Startup should be selected to restore services promptly after power outages or maintenance.
  • Jobs Storage Location: by default, this is System Folder:Preferences:AppleShare IP Preferences: Appleshare IP Print Prefs". But the location can be changed to another folder or another volume. Keep in mind the size of print jobs that users will be printing, and select a volume that has sufficient capacity to handle the busiest of times.

Protocols

  • Enable TCP/IP(LPR) Enables (or disables) LPR, server-wide. With this option disabled, you won't be able to print using TCP/IP, even if a specific queue has it enabled.
  • Identify default IP queue. If an LPR client does not specify a print queue, the print job will go to the queue specified here.

Creating a Print Queue

  • You can create a print queue by selecting "New Queue" from the server menu, or clicking on the New Queue button in the Print Server Activity toolbar.

  • The Queue window will appear, where you define the protocol used for queueing, attach printers to the queue, and enable security (optional).

Queue Settings: General

    • Queue Name: Enter a name for the queue, keeping in mind that queue names are case sensitive. Where possible, avoid blank spaces in the queue names, as some LPR clients do not support blank spaces. See "Known Issues" on the Troubleshooting page for a fuller description.
    • Enable Queuing (this allows clients to send print jobs to the print server); select appropriate protocols to use for queuing. This is normally enabled, but you might want to uncheck if you need to move printers, do some maintenance, shut down the print server, etc.
    • Enable Printing (this allows the print server to send print jobs to the printer.) This also is normally enabled, but you might want to uncheck it if you need to do some maintenance on the printers for a period of time, like move them to a new location, fix a paper jam, replace toner, etc.
    • "Hide" the printer, which will prevent users from printing directly to the printer, thus bypassing the queue that has been established.

      • This feature only works with printers attached using AppleTalk protocols. The Print Server can have the printer temporarily change the "type" of device it is; thus when clients do NBP-Lookups for devices of type "LaserWriter" (i.e. select the LW driver in their Chooser), the printer itself will no longer respond (printer name will not appear in the Chooser).
    • Advertise color printing When the print client asks, the Print Server will use this setting to respond. This setting should be selected when creating a queue for color devices. This option only affects AppleTalk printing.
    • Allow binary data Binary data format sends data in an 8-bit format, as opposed to ASCII data which sends 7-bit data. If a print client asks if binary data format is supported, the server will use this setting to respond. If you have old printers attached that do not support binary data format, you should disable this feature for the queue. This setting only affects AppleTalk printing.
    • Print cover page. This feature is helpful to assist users in distinguishing where their print job ends and another begins, and to help them deliver the printed job to the person who printed them.

Attached Printers

  • Select the printers that you want to be part of this queue, keeping the following in mind:
    • When more than one printer is assigned to a queue, the PPD of the first printer attached will be used for all printers in that queue.

      For example, if the first printer you attach only prints on one side of the page and the next printer you attach can print on both sides of the page (a duplex printer), the duplex printer will not print on both sides of the page because the queue uses the PPD file of the first printer (the single-side printer). Similarly, if you first attach a color printer to a queue and then attach a black and white printer, jobs that are sent to the black and white printer may not print correctly.

      LPR does not support PPDs. Therefore, if you attach the first printer to the queue via TCP/IP, the Print Server will not know what PPD file to assign to that queue (and an error indicating this will appear in the log). If a Macintosh user knows what PPD is appropriate for the printer, he can select the proper PPD when creating the desktop printer for that queue.

      To avoid such problems, follow these guidelines:

      • Create separate queues for printers that have different capabilities
      • Assign printers on your AppleTalk network to one queue, and create a separate queue for printers on your TCP/IP network.
      • If you want to create a mixed network queue (i.e., attach AppleTalk and TCP/IP printers to the same queue) be sure to assign the printers that are on your AppleTalk network before assigning TCP/IP printers.
  • To attach a printer via AppleTalk, you select the zone name first, then select the printer .
  • To attach a printer via TCP/IP, you must enter either the IP address or host name of the printer.

    Enable Security

    If desired, you can enable security to specify which users/groups will be able to print to the server. When the postscript file is created at the Mac client's workstation, the user name, taken from the File Sharing control panel, is embedded in the Postscript. The Print server will check this name against those users & groups who have been enabled to print to the queue. If the name does not match, the queue log will indicate a security violation, and an error will be displayed at the client.

    See ASIP Print Server Security for more details on how security works, and for clients that are known to be incompatible with the security feature.

    Monitoring & Managing Print Server Activity

    Queue Monitor

    The Queue Monitor will show print jobs still queued up, and indicates:

      Job name/Job Creator/Printer/Pages Queued/Copies/Pages Printed Date/Time received.

    You can also choose to show:

      All Jobs, Printing Jobs, Waiting Jobs, On Hold Jobs

    By selecting a print job, you can select one of the following options from the Server Menu:

    • Print Next: move the print job to the top of the queue
    • Manually Assign Printer: Specify which printer of those attached to the queue the print job will be sent to.
    • Remove Printer Assignment: Cancel the manually-assigned printer
    • Delete Job: Remove Print job.

     

    Server Log

    When viewing the log, you can show entries for the Print Server, for all queues, or for one particular queue.

    The log for the Print Server includes Dates and Times for events such as:

    • Print Server starting/stopping
    • Print Server Settings changed
    • Queues created/deleted
    • Printers attached/detached
    • PPD files selected for attached printers
    • Errors, such as security violations or problems locating correct PPD files.

    The log entries for queues list:

    Date/Time/Queue Name/Job Name/Job Creator/Pages/Copies/Time Received/Time Printed/Printer Status

     

    Related Topics

     

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