Print Server Setup Troubleshooting
Read this quick TCP/IP Print server setup network troubleshooting guide and you'll be better equiped to deal with any print server setup problems you find.
A good first step is to find out what the print servers settings are. Don't guess or rely on that document that was last udpated 3 years ago, do what you have to do to print a current configuration page. This will usually involve pressing the TEST, CONFIG or RESET button - You may have to switch your print server off and on while holding this button in. Check your print servers manual if you're not sure how to print a configuration page.
Get your Print Servers IP Address
Your printers configuration page should display the print servers IP Address and subnet mask. You can now attempt to PING the print servers IP address to confirm connectivity. Open a command or 'MSDOS' prompt. and type the following command :
PING IP_ADDRESSwhere IP_ADDRESS is the IP address from your print servers configuration page.
You should see something like :
G:>ping 10.1.3.11
Pinging 10.1.3.11 with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 10.1.3.11: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 10.1.3.11: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 10.1.3.11: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 10.1.3.11: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Ping statistics for 10.1.3.11:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 1ms, Maximum = 1ms, Average = 1ms
The replys tell you that there is a network device at the address and that PING traffic and therefore other traffic can travel to and from the print server.
If you don't get a reply or are seeing a few ping replies and some packet loss then you have a network problem. Check the Print Servers IP Address and make sure that it is within the same IP subnet as your workstation is OR that you're local gateway is up and that other devices on the print servers ip subnet are able to be pinged.
A common problem and one that any larger print server network could suffer from is misconfigured IP Addresses - Altering a Print Servers IP Address to an address that cannot be seen from the computer you are working on. The author of this guide has done this on more than one occasion - It's 1am monday morning and you still have 3 hospital wings of cable and print to finish OR more often by miss typing an IP Address or Subnet Mask or by using an incorrect config file if configuring via FTP.
If you know the print server's IP address is OUTSIDE your own local network AND that there is no way you can skip the next few paragraphs. If you're not sure how to find how traffic can travel from your computer you are using to configure the print server read on.
Use the TRACERT Command
To trace the route from your computer to your print server you can use a handy networking and testing command. Most versions of windows ship with a handy command line IP diagnostic tool : TRACERT. This is also known as Trace Route and is a really easy way to trace routing from A to B on a TCP/IP network and a perfect way of getting more information on why your print server has disappeared off the face of the earth.
Open an MSDOS Prompt and type TRACERT. You should see something like :
C:>tracert
Usage: tracert [-d] [-h maximum_hops] [-j host-list] [-w timeout] target_name
Options:
-d Do not resolve addresses to hostnames.
-h maximum_hops Maximum number of hops to search for target.
-j host-list Loose source route along host-list.
-w timeout Wait timeout milliseconds for each reply.
Now type TRACERT followed by the IP address of your print server. You will now see all of the hops from your computer to the print server. You will also see where the network is failing to route traffic. On small networks this is usually at the local gateway.
Problems Changing Your Print Servers IP Address?
You change your print servers IP address in one of two ways - You can either RESET the printer to factory defaults - removing the incorrect IP address and all the other settings you've applied to the print server and starting again OR you could temporarily alter your workstations IP address and subnet mask to be on the same LOCAL NETWORK as the print server. If your computer and your print server are on the same physical network - maybe even plugged into the same switch or hub then this should allow you to talk to the print server again and alter the IP address back to something sensible.
A Word of warning though - Don't go changing your computers IP address if you don't know what you're doing - Never change something you couldn't change back. If you're using Windows XP or 2000 you should be able to change your IP address around without any problems. Older windows users especially the more unstable windows 95 and 98 should be left alone.
Reseting A Print Server to Factory Default settings
Reseting a print server to factory defaults can be as easy as locating a small hole or button on the side of the print server and poking a paper clip in - check with your print server manufacturers setup / installation guide for more information.
If you can't PING your Print Server but you can ping everything else you know of then you're in trouble. The Print Server Software is unlikely to work and you almost certainly won't be able to access the print server via FTP, TELNET or other ways you can connect to print servers. You can read on but not much more of this guide will help you until you can't ping and/or tracert from your computer to your print server.
If you can now PING your print server then you should now be able to reconnect to the print server either using the print servers administration utility. Try and find the print server using its IP address to save time scanning a range. Hp JetAdmin and most other print server management tools allow you to specify a specific IP address.