Network Print Server Device

Print servers enable multiple computer users to access a single printer. A print server has three functions. The first is to provide client access to print resources. The second is to administrate print jobs, storing them in a queue until the print device is ready for them, and then feeding or spooling the print information to the printer. The third is to provide feedback to the users. This includes providing notification that a print job is finished, or error messages that something has gone wrong. As a technician, you must choose the type of print server that best suits the customer's needs. There are three kinds: Network print server devices Dedicated PC print servers Computer-shared printers Network Print Server Devices Network print server devices allow many users on a network to access a single printer. A network print server device can manage network printing through either wired or wireless connections. Figure 1 shows a wired print server. You should consider the advantages and disadvantages of a dedicated PC print server before you install one: An advantage of using a network print server is that the server accepts incoming print jobs from computers, and then frees the computers for other tasks. The print server is always available to the users, unlike a printer shared from a user's computer. A disadvantage of a network print server is that it may not be able to use all of the functions of an all-in-one device. Dedicated PC Print Servers A dedicated PC print server is a computer dedicated to handling client print jobs in the most efficient manner. Since it handles requests from multiple clients, a print server is usually one of the most powerful computers on the network. Dedicated PC print servers can manage more than one printer at a time. A print server needs to have resources available to meet the requests of print clients: Powerful processor – Because the PC print server uses its processor to manage and route printing information, it needs to be fast enough to handle all incoming requests. Adequate hard disk space – A PC print server captures print jobs from clients, places them in a print queue, and sends them to the printer in a timely way. This requires the computer to have enough storage space to hold these jobs until completed. Adequate memory – The server processor and RAM handle sending print jobs to a printer. If server memory is not large enough to handle an entire print job, the hard drive must send the job, which is much slower. Computer-shared Printers A user's computer that has a printer attached can share that printer with other users on the network. Windows XP makes the process fast and easy. In a home network, it means users can print documents from wherever they are in the house by using a wireless laptop. In a small office network, sharing a printer means one printer can serve many users. Sharing a printer from a computer also has disadvantages. The computer sharing the printer uses its own resources to manage the print jobs coming to the printer. If a user on the desktop is working at the same time that a user on the network is printing, the desktop user may notice a performance slowdown. In addition, the printer is not available if the user reboots or powers down the computer with a shared printer.