On Jun 19 20:16 96, Jeremy Laine of 2:281/10@fidonet wrote:
JL> Disen Abella wrote:
>> 
>>  -=> Quoting Wendell Kenney to Jeremy Laine on 06 Jun 96  11:18:00 <=-
>> 
>> Butting in ...
>> 
>>  WK> Per HP Tech support the new 600 and 800 series printers are not LAN
>>  WK> compatable, unlike the older 500 hundred series. sorry.
>> 
>> What does "not LAN compatible" mean? Its drivers won't allow network
>> printing?
>> 
>> :)/-\I don't quite know what WQendell Kenney meant, because on Hp's site, 
>> the 
version 8 of the drivers are said to 
JL> be "with network support".. not that I have managed to print a single 
JL> document over my LAN.  However, it is 
JL> very easy to install a shared printer on a client machine. You just 
double 
JL> click the printer and the drivers 
JL> get copied from the machine where the printer is connected. 
PMFJI but the reason HP states the Deskjet series of printers (new models) 
are not network compatible is because they utilize a bi-directional 
Centronics interface (the software talks directly to the printer and vice 
versa).  Thus, in order to talk directly to the printer the software must be 
able to *see* the printer at the port.  Since most networked printers are not 
connected directly to the port where the supporting software is running 
(local workstation) there is no direct line of communication between it and 
the printer.  Typically network printers are connected either directly to the 
server, to a dedicated print server, or directly to the line (JetDirect is a 
typical example).  Remote printers connected to a local workstation (such as 
Netware's RPRINTER - NPRINTER in NW 4.1) are the least recommended since they 
put undue load on the workstation and generally cause their own types of 
problems (Windows comes to mind).
HP considers the DJ series printers to be small to medium use printers 
(typically 50 ppgs/day max), not designed for heavy workloads associated with 
networked printers.  However, due to increased pressure from the networked 
arena, HP has made some changes in their drivers so Deskjet printers can be 
used as networked printers.  Older drivers would just fail if they could not 
find the printer at the local port.  This was typically during the printer 
driver installation when the software queried the printer port for the 
printer to do calibration tests during initial setup.  The newer drivers now 
just generate an error, giving some examples as to why the printer cannot be 
seen by the software.  Some examples of the errors it suggests could be the 
cause are:
    1.  Printer not turned on.
    2.  Cable not connected properly.
    3.  Not a bi-directional Centronics cable.
    4.  Faulty printer port.
    5.  Printer is a network printer. (BINGO!)
However, now the software will allow the continuance of the install anyway 
(response required by you to continue) and will generate similar errors as 
above when attempting to perform the calibration tests (they will still print 
out if the redirection, print server, print queue and printer are defined and 
set up properly - you can tell I do mostly Netware ).
Pressure from the end-user has facilitated HP changing their software to 
accommodate using their 'smart' printers in a networking environment.  Their 
original assumption was that most networks were large, generating print jobs 
largely in excess of what the printer was designed to handle on a day-to-day 
basis and thus designed them specifically for local printing.  The input from 
end-users helped HP realize that not all networks are large (some as little 
as two machines), the ability to share a color printer for occasional or 
small color printing was a plus in a networked environment and that, 
ultimately, it should be the end-user, not HP, who should have final say in 
how an end-user's resources should be utilized.
I hope that clarifies things a bit.
George
Team OS/2
--- MsgedSQB/2 3.30.01
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