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Print server

 
Sci-Tech Dictionary: print server
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(′print ′sər·vər)

(computer science) A computer controlling a series of printers.

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Computer Desktop Encyclopedia: print server
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(1) A computer in a network that controls one or more printers. It is either part of the network operating system or an add-on utility that stores the print-image output from users' machines and feeds it to the printer one job at a time. The computer and its printers are known as a "print server" or a file server with "print services."

(2) A hardware device that enables a printer to be located anywhere in the network. Available as a plug-in card for printers that have an expansion slot or as an external unit that plugs into the printer's parallel port, print servers have an Ethernet port for network connection. The print server uses the printer's memory to queue the print jobs.

A print server can be used with or without a file server dedicated to print services (see definition above). If there is not enough memory in the printer to hold the entire print job, the print server causes the print services machine or the individual client machines to spool the print output in the background. See print spooler.

Print Servers
These are all print server configurations. In the top example, the print server is the combination of the file server, which includes print services, and its attached printer. The middle and bottom examples use print servers to allow the printers to reside anywhere on the network.

Print Servers
This picture shows both internal and external print servers plugged into the back of an HP LaserJet. The unit on the left with the unused network port is HP's own JetDirect print server, which plugs into an internal slot. The external unit is i-data's EasyCom print server, which plugs into the parallel port of any printer.

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Wikipedia: Print server
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A print server, or printer server, is a computer or device that is connected to one or more printers and to client computers over a network, and can accept print jobs from the computers and send the jobs to the appropriate printers.

The term can refer to:

  1. A host computer with one or more shared printers.
  2. A computer that implements a printing protocol such as the Line Printer Daemon protocol or Microsoft Network Printing protocol.
  3. A dedicated device that connects one or more printers to a local area network (LAN). It typically has a single LAN connector, such as an RJ-45 socket, and one or more physical ports (e.g. serial, parallel or USB (Universal Serial Bus)) to provide connections to printers. In essence this dedicated device provides printing protocol conversion from what was sent by client computers to what will be accepted by the printer. Dedicated print server devices may support a variety of printing protocols including LPD/LPR over TCP/IP, NetWare, NetBIOS/NetBEUI over NBF, TCP Port 9100 or RAW printer protocol over TCP/IP, DLC or IPX/SPX. Dedicated server appliances tend to be fairly simple in both configuration and features. However these are available integrated with other devices such as a wireless router, a firewall, or both.[1]

The term print server usually refers to (1) or (2) above, while print server device or print server appliance usually refers to (3).

References

  1. ^ "Features of a Wireless Network Print server". NetworkBits.net. http://networkbits.net/wireless-printing/features-to-look-for-in-a-wireless-network-print-server/. Retrieved 2007-12-14. 

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 

 

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