Novell Directory Services uses objects in the directory database to represent the functional components of the printing system. As with Windows NT, Windows 2000, and Windows 2003, some terms must be defined:
When the administrator creates a Print Queue object in the database, a directory that will hold the spooled files is created automatically. The administrator then specifies the print server that will control the queue, and the printer (physical device) that will render the print job into a finished document. When configuring a NetWare client, you select a print queue. The user does not have to be bothered with other aspects of the system such as the printer or the print server. Print queues hold jobs waiting to print. A queue can accept documents even if the printer is offline or out of service. The jobs wait in the queue until the printer is restored to service or another printer is assigned to the task. In a manner similar to Windows NT, NetWare print queues can send print jobs to multiple output print devices, and multiple print queues can be established to send output to the same printer. These three entitiesthe printer, the print server, and the print queuedo not have to reside on the same host computer. However, to reduce network traffic, it's a good idea in a high-volume printing environment to locate them on the same server. Or else, when a user submits a print job, network bandwidth is used, sending the data to the print queue. Then, more bandwidth is used to send the document from the print queue to the print server, and if the printer is a networked device, additional bandwidth is used to send the document from the print server to the printer. To create the objects needed for printing in NetWare, you use either the NetWare Administrator or the PCONSOLE utility. The PCONSOLE utility is the recommended route because it has an option that provides a quick setup for all three objects. To use the PCONSOLE utility to set up printing on a server, follow these steps:
You also can use the Quick Setup feature of PCONSOLE. Choose Available Options, Quick Setup on the PCONSOLE menu. The Print Services Quick Setup screen appears and allows you to fill in the fields on this screen.
Print Queue Object PropertiesThe Print Queue object is a logical representation of a print queue. It uses a directory (created as a subdirectory under the /QUEUES directory) on a NetWare volume you select when you create the object to store files waiting to print. The following are significant properties of the Print Queue object:
Note that the Printers Servicing Print Queue property is used to link the Print Queue object to one or more Printer objects. Printer Object PropertiesThe Printer object represents an actual physical printer that will accept print jobs from a print queue. The printer can be connected directly to the network, to a workstation, or to a server. The properties of the Printer object include a name property, which is established when the Printer object is created. In addition, you can assign values to other descriptive properties:
The following are more important properties that affect how the queue functions:
The Print Server property and the Print Queues property are used to link the three objects that make up the path from the user to the finished print job. Print Server Object PropertiesThe Print Server object represents the print server program (PSERVER.NLM), which runs on a server to control the printing process. The only properties that are defined when the Print Server object is created are the Name property (common name) and the Advertising Name, which is used to advertise the service using the Service Advertising Protocol (SAP). The Print Server object, like the Printer object, also enables you to define descriptive properties such as Department and Location. In addition, the Network Address field displays the address on the network of the print server when it is up and running. The Version property shows the version of PSERVER.NLM that is being used by the print server. Other important properties include the following:
The properties for a print server are loaded into memory when the module PSERVER.NLM is loaded. If you make changes to the object after it is loaded, they do not take effect until the print server is unloaded and loaded again. PSERVER.NLM and NPRINTER.NLMOn a host that is acting as a print server, the PSERVER.NLM module must be loaded. When it is loaded, the module activates any printers defined by Printer objects that are listed in its Printers property. NetWare allows for both local and remote printers. Local printers are attached to the host print server. Remote printers can be serviced by this Print server but reside on other computers. The NPRINTER.NLM module controls the printer and is automatically loaded for each locally attached printer. Because of this, these printers are called Autoload printers . To load the PSERVER module, use the LOAD PSERVER command: LOAD PSERVER < print server object name > The PSERVER.NLM can support up to 256 printers, up to 5 of which can be connected locally to the server on which PSERVER.NLM is loaded. The NPRINTER.NLM module must be manually loaded on remote servers (and the program NPRINTER.EXE for remote workstations). When multiple printers are hosted on a single remote server or workstation, NPRINTER must be loaded for each one. The syntax used depends on the computer on which the module will be loaded. For DOS machines, use this: NPRINTER < name of print server object > < name of printer object > For NetWare servers, use this: LOAD NPRINTER < name of print server object > < name of printer object > The NetWare 6.x iPrint UtilityNetWare 6.x introduced many new features that were as impressive as well as useful. Both iFolder and iPrint are among those new features. Because Novell is continuing to evolve its product line and break out some features as separate product offerings, you should be sure to visit its Web site to find out the latest information about any part of NetWare. iPrint, which was delivered with NetWare 6.x, uses both Novell Distributed Print Services and IPP to allow you to print to IPP-enabled printers (whether physically connected to a network or connected to an IPP-enabled server that offers printers to the network). Although iPrint was introduced in NetWare 6.x, you can also run the software on NetWare 5.x networks if you install Support Pack 2 (or a newer support pack). Because most networks are upgraded to a newer version of the operating system for computers on the network, this backward compatibility enables you to use iPrint on your 5.x network while you contemplate whether to begin an upgrade to NetWare 6.x. Client computers that make use of iPrint need to use Windows NT 4.0/2000/XP, or Windows 95/98/Meusing Internet Explorer 5.x or above, or Netscape Navigator 4.7 or greater. You can expect to see IPP offered on just about every operating system in the near future. This is because the Internet is becoming the de facto means of exchanging data with computers outside your network. Instead of sending a report, a catalog, or other documents to another company, you can simply establish a connection to a server that supports IPP and print directly to a printer managed by that server. Keep in mind, however, that the receiving end of this data transfer will need to grant access to the printer before you can use it. |