I just went through the installation of an HP 3015 Laserjet printer as a favor for a friend.
Unfortunately, I was asked to install it as a local printer on a Win98 PC.
The installation went through without too many problems, however, sharing the device over the LAN is not so simple.
Workstations running Windows2000 are fine. I can add the new 3015 to their printer lists without a hitch, and can send output to it.
XP based workstations are not so accomodating, and there are several users running XP.
My question is: Since there is an Ethernet card in this printer, what else is required in order to set it up as a network device? i.e. not hanging it off of ANY PC?
First, assign an IP address to the printer. This needs to be in the same address range as the rest of the workstations on the LAN. Make sure the subnet mask is the same as for the rest of the network.
Then open up the printers applet in control panel. Click on File, then Server Properties. Click Ports, then click “Add port”. Select “Standard TCP/IP Port” (winXP) or “Local port” (win2k - then tell it you want a TCP/IP port - I’m doing the win2k thing from memory, I hope it’s accurate enough).
Follow the wizard, and type in the printer’s IP address. This will create a new TCP/IP print port on the workstation.
Now, add the printer using the normal process. When prompted, tell it you’re installing it locally (disable plug and play detection). Select the port you’ve just created.
Now you’re printing directly to the printer’s network port without using any printer sharing on the workstations.
The second part of your explanation is clear. I’ve had to do this when trying to print from a VMware image to a network printer, but the first part: assigning an IP to the printer is not so clear.
I assume there is a menu selection on the printers interface where one would configure this, I hope it supports DHCP…I’m not near the printer and don’t have the documentation handy.
Um, according to hp.com, the 3015 (all in one, right?) doesn’t have an eithernet port, just USB, parallel, and the fax line. Did you mention the wrong model, did you confuse the fax port for an eithernet port, or do you have a JetDirect print server for it?
Ookpik2, most network-enabled printers that I’ve encountered in the last ten years have a web interface on them. You can just use a web browser to configure them, once, of course, you know its IP address.
Usually you can determine the printer’s IP address by having it print a config page. The procedure to do this will vary from printer to printer.
Per LordVor’s post, it sounds like maybe you have an external print server? Some of these have “config” tools that scan the local subnet and discover any print servers, then allow you to configure them. If you have a HP JetDirect print server, it should have a web interface.
If you think the print server is a DHCP client, and you have a DHCP server, you can examine the DHCP server’s leases to determine the most recently-issued lease. This will, more than likely, be the printer (assuming no other new devices are on your network).