Developer Forum

My usb printer is attached to one pc. I turned on File and Printer Sharing
("FPS") in order to share the printer with a second pc. Is there a way to
share the printer without using FPS? If I get a print server, will I still
have to use FPS? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

1. Not unless you get a print server.
2. FPS shouldn't be necessary with a print server.

Hal
--
Hal Hostetler, CPBE -- XXXX@XXXXX.COM
Senior Engineer/MIS -- MS MVP-Print/Imaging -- WA7BGX
http://www.yqcomputer.com/ -- "When News breaks, we fix it!"
KVOA Television, Tucson, AZ. NBC Channel 4
Still Cadillacin' - www.badnewsbluesband.com



Sharing
still

You can install the TCP/IP Print Server service on XP and create a local
printer on the other machines that target the LPD service on the first
machine. Use Standard TCP/IP Port in LPR mode with byte count enabled on
the "connecting" machines

You will still need to open up TCP port 515 in the machine running the
TCP/IP print server (LPD) service

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://www.yqcomputer.com/ ;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

Thank you, Hal and thank you, Alan. My desire is to enhance the security of
my home network by disabling FPS. If I can leave it disabled, and install a
hardware print server, that will be ideal because I want to continue to have
the printer available to both pcs.

Alan, my apologies, but I don't understand your answer. Is the Print Server
service a software alternative to a hardware print server? Also, I'm so
security expert, but I'm a little reluctant to try your idea because I'd have
to open a TCP port that could otherwise remain closed, right?

Yes, that about sums it up, you'd create a print server that doesn't require
FPS. The open TCP port should not be a problem.

Hal
--
Hal Hostetler, CPBE -- XXXX@XXXXX.COM
Senior Engineer/MIS -- MS MVP-Print/Imaging -- WA7BGX
http://www.yqcomputer.com/ -- "When News breaks, we fix it!"
KVOA Television, Tucson, AZ. NBC Channel 4
Still Cadillacin' - www.badnewsbluesband.com



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way to

Now, I'm confused. I do need a hardware print server to accomplish my aim,
right?

originally thought so, but Alan reminded me of a way to do it without
additional hardware and without the need for FPS. In this case, you add the
LPD (TCP/IP Print Server) service to the machine hosting the printer. You
then create a Standard TCP/IP port set for LPR mode (instead of RAW mode)
with byte count enabled on all the other machines that will be using this
printer. This way, the printer is available on the network without the
need for FPS. The "open up TCP port 515 " part assumes you're running the
Windows Firewall on the server machine. If you're using broadband at home,
there's a good likelihood you have a DSL/Cable router (for example a Linksys
BEFSR41 or WRT54G) between your network and the Cable/DSL modem; these
routers have built-in firewalls, hence you probably don't need the Windows
Firewall running. In this configuration, no port opening will be required.

Hal
--
Hal Hostetler, CPBE -- XXXX@XXXXX.COM
Senior Engineer/MIS -- MS MVP-Print/Imaging -- WA7BGX
http://www.kvoa.com -- "When News breaks, we fix it!"
KVOA Television, Tucson, AZ. NBC Channel 4
Still Cadillacin' - www.badnewsbluesband.com

"ymous" < XXXX@XXXXX.COM > wrote in message
news: XXXX@XXXXX.COM ...
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any thanks. I will try this.

y

"Hal Hostetler [MVP P/I]" wrote: