OS/2, eCS & ArcaOS - Technical > Hardware

Using a LaserJet 2100m on a Print Server

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Mark Szkolnicki:
Hi All yet again!

Clearing up the backlog on my to do list quite nicely at the moment, thanks to the help here. I'm on to yet another item where some advice would be helpful to possibly point me in the right direction.

I've had for years a LaserJet 2100m which I want to set up on a D-Link DPR-1260 Print Server. I already have an HP Color LaserJet 3500 attached and printing nicely, using CUPS but am having trouble setting up and printing to the LaserJet 2100.

Just because I was familiar with it I've set up my printers in the past using the LPD protocol. One day I plan to play around with IPP, but that's for another day, unless the solution may lie there.

The printer was originally used connected directly to one of my towers, and has an external parallel port built in. I've got a Parallel Port to USB adapter attaching the printer to the Print Server. With the printer turned on and addressing the IP address for the Print Server (192.168.1.55 on my network) I reach the print server and get the output which I attached below (Dlink Screen.JPG).

As the USB Port (#4) reports an unknown printer, I'm not sure if thats related to the age of the printer, or whether the printer is just not communicating. I was thinking of trying to ping the printer on my network, but its been quite a while since I did that - if someone can jog my memory as to what I need to enter to undertake that it would be appreciated (I assume Print Server IP address, but also need to know what syntax to use to add the Port address).

The problem may also be in putting in a correct queue name as that was originally a problem with the 3500 - once I got that correct under CUPS everything else worked perfectly.

In summary, has anyone got a LJ2100 running at the moment, or historically, especially on a print server, and what does you set-up information look like, LPD, IPP, CUPS, or otherwise.

Thanks Guys and Gals and a fine day to everyone.

Mark

Doug Clark:
Mark,

Your D-Link not recognizing the printer might be the usb to parallel adapter.

I don't know if your network is all wireless, or partly wired.  If it is wired, or you have an ethernet port close to where you want to put the printer, you could try an HP Jet Direct 300x print server.  I use that to connect an HP 4000 and HP 1320  laserjet to my network.  They are currently selling for $12 on ebay without an adapter and $45 with a power adapter.  (It accepts a 9 - 35 volt DC adapter)

The nice thing about the Jet Direct 300x is that it interfaces with HP Jet Admin - which installs a network port for talking to the print server.  Jet Admin can even show what is being displayed on the printer panel.  OS/2 comes with a printer driver for the HP 2100 driver, or you can use any PCL or PS driver (if the printer recognizes postscript) and then use the Jet Admin/Jet Direct port to talk to the printer.  Jet Admin can talk to HP printers through Jet Direct that it does not recognize - as shown in one of the attachments.

The HP Jet Admin appears to not work so well with the newer HP printers - like my HP452dn.  It can show what the printer panel is showing, but gets messed up in other ways.  I am using SLR to talk to that printer.   But Jet Admin works like a dream with the older printers that have parallel ports.

You don't have to use CUPS unless there is something special about the D-LINK printer server that requires CUPS, or you need to print from an app that will only print to CUPS - like some of the QT based apps.

On the other hand CUPS will print to a printer connected to a Jet Direct print server.  I have my HP 4000 setup to print either from legacy Jet Admin or from CUPS.

Dariusz Piatkowski:
Hey Mark!


--- Quote from: Mark Szkolnicki on November 22, 2021, 10:50:22 pm ---...I've had for years a LaserJet 2100m which I want to set up on a D-Link DPR-1260 Print Server. I already have an HP Color LaserJet 3500 attached and printing nicely, using CUPS but am having trouble setting up and printing to the LaserJet 2100.

Just because I was familiar with it I've set up my printers in the past using the LPD protocol. One day I plan to play around with IPP, but that's for another day, unless the solution may lie there.

The printer was originally used connected directly to one of my towers, and has an external parallel port built in. I've got a Parallel Port to USB adapter attaching the printer to the Print Server. With the printer turned on and addressing the IP address for the Print Server (192.168.1.55 on my network) I reach the print server and get the output which I attached below (Dlink Screen.JPG).

As the USB Port (#4) reports an unknown printer, I'm not sure if thats related to the age of the printer, or whether the printer is just not communicating. I was thinking of trying to ping the printer on my network, but its been quite a while since I did that - if someone can jog my memory as to what I need to enter to undertake that it would be appreciated (I assume Print Server IP address, but also need to know what syntax to use to add the Port address)...
--- End quote ---

So what I'm thinking is that your D-Link Print Server should be exposing the attached printers through some kind of interface that differentiates the printers from each other. By the looks of it, that difference is the port# that the printer is going to respond on.

My Brother has a NIC with a print server built in, which means that my OS/2 setup is using a SLPR port driver to point to the printer's IP address (which would be your D-Link Printer Server IP address I believe) and a specific interface, which in the attached photo is the 'LPD printer' field, and for you that is probably going to be the printer's port number.

In my case I'm using the BINARY_P1 service of Brother's built-in print server.

Worst case, given that your D-Link Printer Server is at 192.168.1.55, you could point the SLPR port driver to 192.168.1.55:9103 and perhaps look to see what service names (if any) are exposed and can be used in the 'LPD printer' field.

Mark Szkolnicki:
Hi Doug!

Thanks for the reply


--- Quote ---
Your D-Link not recognizing the printer might be the usb to parallel adapter.


--- End quote ---

I actually was thinking that - I've has some successes with USB adapters and a lot of situations where items are not recognized under ArcaOS. I've been following Lars's current conversation on another topic thread about root and chained USB hubs with interest as well, to see if that might have some bearing on the problem, based on our implementation of USB support. A lot of food for thought at the moment.

As CUPS has a driver for an HP 2100m I've tried that, but haven't gone back to the drivers that originally came with OS/2. I suspect if the printer port is reporting the printer as "unknown" it also may not work, as it may be a communications problem as you pointed out. But never hurts to try.   


--- Quote ---
I don't know if your network is all wireless, or partly wired.  If it is wired, or you have an ethernet port close to where you want to put the printer, you could try an HP Jet Direct 300x print server.  I use that to connect an HP 4000 and HP 1320  laserjet to my network.  They are currently selling for $12 on ebay without an adapter and $45 with a power adapter.  (It accepts a 9 - 35 volt DC adapter)

The nice thing about the Jet Direct 300x is that it interfaces with HP Jet Admin - which installs a network port for talking to the print server.  Jet Admin can even show what is being displayed on the printer panel.  OS/2 comes with a printer driver for the HP 2100 driver, or you can use any PCL or PS driver (if the printer recognizes postscript) and then use the Jet Admin/Jet Direct port to talk to the printer.  Jet Admin can talk to HP printers through Jet Direct that it does not recognize - as shown in one of the attachments.


--- End quote ---

The D-Link has worked well for many years, and is a USB device - I actually switched to this one about ten years ago as when I got the 3500, it could only be USB connected - a previous D-Link Print Server I had actually was parallel port and the 2100 worked perfectly on it. I actually did not mention that I have a third printer on the current print server, which was not on when I snapped the picture - its an Epson 1280 Photo Stylus printer which also works perfectly but currently is down due to not using it for awhile, causing the printer head to clog.

My network is a combination of wired and wireless - towers and printers are connected via cat5 cables and routers and the set-up also includes one router which has a wireless function, so that our portables have a gateway to use the attached devices as well.

As to the Jet Direct Print server I might look into that - being up in Canada (don't know where your located, Doug - you may be up here too) I've found that most used equipment is being offered by sellers based in the states. And as a result buying on eBay can be rather interesting lately - something might be listed for $12.00 US, but then for some strange reason they may want to add $40-50 US in shipping charges to Canada, which is outrageous (you'd think we're on another planet).

But a couple of interesting suggestions I will examine, Sir! Thanks for the input and Best!

M





Mark Szkolnicki:
Heh Dariusz!

Nice to hear from you today!


--- Quote ---So what I'm thinking is that your D-Link Print Server should be exposing the attached printers through some kind of interface that differentiates the printers from each other. By the looks of it, that difference is the port# that the printer is going to respond on.

My Brother has a NIC with a print server built in, which means that my OS/2 setup is using a SLPR port driver to point to the printer's IP address (which would be your D-Link Printer Server IP address I believe) and a specific interface, which in the attached photo is the 'LPD printer' field, and for you that is probably going to be the printer's port number.

In my case I'm using the BINARY_P1 service of Brother's built-in print server.

Worst case, given that your D-Link Printer Server is at 192.168.1.55, you could point the SLPR port driver to 192.168.1.55:9103 and perhaps look to see what service names (if any) are exposed and can be used in the 'LPD printer' field.

--- End quote ---

In the case of the print server, you are correct Sir.

One static IP address for the print server which I set up on my wired network (192.168.1.55) with 4 port addresses, of which:

9100 - print address for the HP 3500
9101 - print address for an Epson 1280 Color Photo Stylus (was not on when the picture was taken - see my post to Doug)
9102 - I have a scanner connected but not in use, as I scan in other ways)
9103 - print address for the HP 2100

I'll have a look at your attachment with interest.

I suspect from the replies, that the problem is either:

1) The parallel to USB adapter not communicating with the print server, hence ArcaOS not being able to address the printer, no matter what driver I've set-up, or

2) Not using the correct Queue Name for the printer (a problem I had setting up the HP3500 originally)

I'm leaning towards 1) at the moment, and may try the JetDirect solution first, if I can get one at a reasonable price as it would only mean connecting another device to my router array.

But I will be interested in what you sent Dariusz, as it may twig something else in my laterally thinking brain and Best!

M

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