print server concepts

[Tim Wilson <wilson@chemsun.chem.umn.edu>]

Hi everyone,

Here's a question that I've been wondering about off and on. I figure it's
something that other people would probably be interested in too. So here
goes...

Let's say we have a simple LAN, 'server', 'workstation', 'printer', and
'printserver.' The printer has a JetDirect card (i.e., its own internal
print server). I'm trying to figure out the basics of how the network
printing works. I understand that, strictly speaking, the JetDirect card
eliminates the need for a special print server (especially given the
simplicity of this example). But I've also heard that more complex
networks benefit from having a separate machine doing the print serving to
the JetDirects.

Anyway, here are some questions.

1. Does 'workstation' have to run lpd, or just 'printserver'?

2. Does having one print server for multiple printers mean simply that
there are multiple print queues on that machine or is it more complicated
than that?

3. How would a print server print to multiple printers if the printers
don't have JetDirect cards (or the equivalent)? Would you have multiple,
physical parallel connections to the printers? If so, wouldn't that mean
that all of the printers would have to be physically close to one another?

4. To configure printing to 'printer', would I set up printing to
'printserver' and have that redirect printing to 'printer'?

For whatever reason, I haven't got the hang of this network printing stuff
yet. What I've got running works, but I feel like I don't understand it,
and I'd like to add another printer and make everything work well
together. Any other hints?

-Tim

--
Timothy Wilson       | "The faster you  |  Check out:
Henry Sibley H.S.    |  go, the shorter | http://slashdot.org/
W. St. Paul, MN, USA |  you are."       | http://linux.com/
wilson@chem.umn.edu  |       -Einstein  | http://www.mn-linux.org/