Cannot print through print server

Briareos H on 29/8/2009 at 10:14

Last thing : did you try resetting the printer itself to factory defaults (if there is a way) ?

Enchantermon on 29/8/2009 at 17:22

I didn't explore that since there's no way to configure anything about the printer hardware.

bikerdude on 30/8/2009 at 10:35

Quote Posted by Enchantermon

I didn't explore that since there's no way to configure anything about the printer hardware.

there might be, whats the make and model of the printer

Enchantermon on 30/8/2009 at 18:38

It's a Konica Minolta PagePro 1350W. I haven't been able to find anything about configuring it from the company, and all Google turns up is tips on using it with Ubuntu and CUPS.

bikerdude on 30/8/2009 at 21:48

Quote Posted by Enchantermon

It's a Konica Minolta PagePro 1350W. I haven't been able to find anything about configuring it from the company, and all Google turns up is tips on using it with Ubuntu and CUPS.

Ok, thus far I have found the following info...

(http://kmbs.konicaminolta.us/productsattachments/manuals/pagepro1300WInstallationGuideEnglish.pdf) Installationguide says this printer has a USB port, if yes then connect printer to computer via usb cable and check that windows detects printer and that you can print to printer.

And while reading the (http://kmbs.konicaminolta.us/productsattachments/manuals/pagepro1300WUserManualEnglish.pdf) user manual, it occurred to me that the parallel cable connecting the JetDirect box to the printer could be faulty...

And... have you tried the JetDirect box on another printer etc..?

Enchantermon on 31/8/2009 at 01:29

Quote Posted by Bikerdude

(http://kmbs.konicaminolta.us/productsattachments/manuals/pagepro1300WInstallationGuideEnglish.pdf) Installationguide says this printer has a USB port, if yes then connect printer to computer via usb cable and check that windows detects printer and that you can print to printer.

Did that, but not with the USB cord, with the parallel cable (the same one that was running from the print server to the printer). Printer was detected and worked perfectly (aside from the toner streaks it left on my test page :p).

Quote Posted by Bikerdude

And... have you tried the JetDirect box on another printer etc..?

I haven't, but the only other printer available is the exact same make and model. It's connected elsewhere, but I suppose I could snatch it up for a few minutes...
Or, come to think of it, I could bring my printer in and test on my laptop, since I already have my drivers installed and working.

baeuchlein on 31/8/2009 at 01:51

Quote Posted by Bikerdude

the parallel cable connecting the JetDirect box to the printer could be faulty

Not very likely:

Quote Posted by Enchantermon

I can print if I connect the printer directly to one of the computers, so I know the printer and the parallel cable work.

Unless the print server uses some of the ground lines (which are not always all connected, as a friend of me once found out) and a computer's parallel port does not, there should be no difference whether the cable is used from the printer to the server or from the printer to a computer. There might be a problem with the connections between the cable and the parallel port found on the print server.

Quote Posted by Enchantermon

my contact can't find any documentation on the server

Finally, I found a manual and other documentation (http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/ProductList.jsp?lang=en&cc=us&taskId=135&prodTypeId=18972&prodSeriesId=27317) here. Have you seen that already?

It is possible that you have to select a printer language for ptinting the test page. Four choices (among them even ASCII) are available. Check out the manual; I think the printer language is selected by pressing and holding the Test page key on the server. At least ASCII should print something readable for human eyes.

TBE on 31/8/2009 at 05:09

2 printers, 1 CUPS?

Enchantermon on 31/8/2009 at 11:11

Quote Posted by baeuchlein

I had not (I don't know why I didn't see that link before), but I looked it over and it doesn't really tell me anything I didn't already know. For further troubleshooting I'm directed to their website, but HP doesn't offer any up-to-date service for this anymore.
Actually, this does tell me one thing: the server passed its self-test. The lights I see indicate power and LAN activity; if the server failed the test I would have different lights.

Quote Posted by baeuchlein

It is possible that you have to select a printer language for ptinting the test page.

Hmm...I'm looking, but I'm not seeing that in the manual. All I see is it saying to push the button to print a test page. I'll keep looking.

Quote Posted by TBE

2 printers, 1 CUPS?

:weird:

baeuchlein on 31/8/2009 at 12:57

Concerning finding the manual, I was lucky when entering search terms in Google. I did not even check the HP homepage for anything.

Quote Posted by Enchantermon

I'm not seeing that in the manual. All I see is it saying to push the button to print a test page.

It's on page 63 ("5-63", meaning chapter 5, page 63) of "HP Jetdirect Print Server 170X Installation and Configuration". They call it "Selecting a Configuration page PDL". It is hidden very well in the Troubleshooting chapter. I guess it's seeing a completely dark visibility gem from where it is located.:cheeky:

There is a sample test page on page 62. If you magnify that incredibly, you can read a line there saying that the parallel port (in this example) is configured as an ECP port. However, I found out that it can act as a standard parallel port and as a bidirectional printer port as well.

The newer Jetdirect or Jetadmin software seems to automatically set the printer port's configuration, including but not limited to this standard/bidirectional/ECP thing. Older Jetadmin or Jetdirect software apparently allowed the user to set this. There were one or two other options as well, e.g., something with and without NACK. Perhaps that would help, but unfortunately, there seems to be no older Jetdirect/Jetadmin software available (there seemed to be a version 8 or 10 available yesterday, however, but I can't find it anymore), as you found out already. I did not spent much time searching for that with Google, however.

Apart from telnetting and using this installation program, have you tried accessing the print server by using the web interface? Read chapter 4 (page 57 ff.) of the manual for details. Unfortunately, the chapter does not tell us what exactly can be seen and changed in this web interface.

Another tricky idea: If you disconnect the printer from the server and then let the installation program look for it again, maybe it will allow you to set some options, since it doesn't find a printer.

If the trick does not work when the printer cable is pulled out of the print servers parallel port, re-attach it, pull the other plug out (the one sitting in a connector of the printer) and try again. Maybe the server can detect whether there's nothing attached to the parallel port or whether there's a cable or even a printer present. Generally, parallel ports provide enough information for the computer (or the print server, in this case) to guess what exactly is connected to the port.

Quote Posted by TBE

2 printers, 1 CUPS?

This possibly refers to two printers and one CUPS software. CUPS is the "Common Unix Printing System", a software responsible for printing tasks. It's used for Linux, and it can turn a computer running the Linux operating system into a print server, even for Windows computers. But don't ask me why TBE mentioned it - I have no idea...