setting up a print server

2 Dec 2009 21:26:12

David Fleetwood

I have recently bought a print server and I wondered if any member has experience of setting them up? The router 'sees' the print server ok and I have added it to the list of printers under System Prefs. > Print & Fax. under it's IP number. However when I try to print a document the printer shows as paused, pressing resume reverts back to paused after about 5 secs. Anybody any thoughts?

Re: setting up a print server

3 Dec 2009 09:16:48

Euan Williams

David, I have no experience of these, but from your description, have you actually "linked" your new print server to your printer?

Re: setting up a print server

3 Dec 2009 20:23:46

David Fleetwood

Ewan, thanks for your response. There is a USB cable running from the server to the printer- is that what you were thinking about? It doesn't seem necessary to do any more setting up than in the Print & Fax box. I assume the router sends any instructions to print to the print server & then onto the printer itself. When it is all set up(!), I should be able to print from any computer on the network. This avoids the need for the computer to which the printer is physically connected having to be switched on for printer sharing to work.

Re: setting up a print server

3 Dec 2009 21:40:17

Lionel Ogden

Does the printer itself require an ip number in addition to the print server. I have my printer set up as a network printer as it already had an ethernet port of its own. Nevertheless I had to assign an IP number to it manually; the router would not do it..

Re: setting up a print server

4 Dec 2009 20:17:23

Lionel Ogden

Another thought, some time ago I was looking at a print server to run my previous printer but I could not find one that was Mac compatible.

Re: setting up a print server

6 Dec 2009 21:23:18

David Fleetwood

Thanks for your thoughts Ewan & Lionel. My printer does not have an ethernet connection, it is just USB, so does this mean it can't have an IP number? There is no reference in the limited instructions I have to assigning an IP no. to the printer itself.
I have tried a few more variations on the settings but so far nothing has worked so I'm e-mailing the people I bought it from for some support.

Re: setting up a print server

6 Dec 2009 22:53:19

Mick Burrell

David - did you set the IP address of the server or does it use DHCP? If the former, you have made sure you've set it in the same sequence as everything else on your network?

You cannot give an IP address to a USB device.

Re: setting up a print server

9 Dec 2009 21:28:27

David Fleetwood

Mick, I connected it to the router which assigned it an IP address. I then 'reserved' that IP address for the print server on the router, this process all seemed to go ok.
Reading the support pages, Netgear don't have a very good name for support so I think I will struggle on this one!

Re: setting up a print server

10 Dec 2009 06:29:41

Mick Burrell

And can you now ping the server using Network Utility? Does it show in finder window sidebars (assuming you have "connected servers" ticked in the Finder preferences for the sidebar)

Re: setting up a print server

14 Dec 2009 20:43:59

David Fleetwood

Pinging the print server seems to work - 5 packets sent, 5 received. Although I have 'connected servers' ticked in Finder prefs, it doesn't appear under 'Shared' in the sidebar. When I go to Network under Finder > Go, only the other computer on my network appears.