User manual

User’s Manual InterCon-PrintServer

5.1 Functional Overview

The print server can be installed as a Novell remote printer and as a Novell print server. After the

print server is switched on in Novell network, it sends broadcast data packets using a

Nearest Query

General Query

signal into the network. This signal looks for the nearest network file server. The

SAP (Service Advertising Protocol) broadcast packets are sent using the Novell protocol types

IEEE_802.2, IEEE_802.3, ETHERNET_II and SNAP.

The print server automatically recognises changes in the network environment because a

reconfiguration is undertaken every two minutes. This time interval can be changed.

Remote Printer Mode:

If the print server is installed as a remote printer (RPRINTER

NetWare3.x, NPRINTER Novell NetWare 4.x), all print jobs will be

sent to the print server via a Novell print server (PSERVER.NLM or

PSERVER.EXE). Up to 16 RPRINTERs can be supported under

NetWare3.x, where as up to 256 NPRINTERs can be supported under

NetWare 4.x.

Print Server Mode:

The print server is able to process print jobs from several file servers

(NDS and Bindery). Moreover, the print server can be assigned

multiple print queues on each file server. In all, up to 16 print queues

can be supported on 16 file servers (NDS and Bindery).

If the print server is configured on a file server, in other words

registered as a print server using the Novell program PCONSOLE and

then assigned to a print queue, the queue will be scanned for print jobs

periodically. If there are jobs for the print server, they will be

processed and printed accordingly. The time period for scanning the

print queue can be set.

The print server has an internal SAP list which initialises from the start

once per SAP sequence and stays active according to the Novell

conventions. This table is limited to 16 file servers and 8 NDS servers

if both services are switched on.

Until the first successful connection is made the bindery services try to

use all file servers listed in the SAP list (max. 16) as a boot server. The

servers are checked in the order of the least number of Hops needed to

make a connection (distance to the router).

The print server has a RIP (Route Information protocol) cache to avoid

unnecessary RIP requests. These RIP requests occur if a server located

in the network is contacted by the print server.

If a print server has a bindery queue and a NDS queue on a NDS

server, then the first service detected will be chosen. In the normal case

it will be NDS, because the NDS refresh occurs before the Bindery

refresh (if both are switched on).