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July 19th, 2006 23:00
Domain v Workgroup issue w/printer router
I have recently purchased an XPS system, 944 printer and 3300 series printer router. I have been able to set up the new desktop to the router/printer.
However, I'd like to also use the printer with a wireless ready Latitude laptop. That laptop is configured by my companies IT and is set up w/a computer name and a domain name - as opposed to a workgroup name.
According to painfully slow, long discussions w/Dell outsource technical support, the problem may lie in a compatibility issue between the domain name and a work group name. The belief is that the laptop workgroup name needs to match the desktop workgroup name.
Does anyone know if this is accurate?
Does anyone have any suggestions? I can't believe I'm the first w/this problem, but it stumped Dell technical support (2 different people).
I don't believe it will be practical to change my laptop information (domain), as it is tied into a work system.
The Moot
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esquire
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July 20th, 2006 00:00
dj_cool
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July 20th, 2006 11:00
The problem might be that the two computers are working on different network configurations.
One if running on a workgroup and the other on a domain.
The workgroups names can be different on computer and they might work however, all the computers either need to be on a Domain or all of them in a Workgroup.
I don't think it is possible to have a computer on a workgroup share resources effectively with another which is on a Domain.
themoot
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July 20th, 2006 12:00
rbianco
10 Posts
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July 21st, 2006 04:00
In general what you are trying is difficult. If you give up and want a solution try this.
Buy a Hardware Print Server - your time is worthe more than the $37 bucks (at new egg dot com) you will spend !
If you don't want to connect the printer to a server, or you don't have a server because you're running a peer-to-peer network (or "workgroup," in Microsoft parlance), you can purchase a cheap hardware print server that will make a parallel port or USB-based printer available to wired and wireless network users. These devices essentially make traditional local printers look like network-attached printers, with a few caveats.
Because local printers aren't designed to attach directly to a network, hardware print servers must perform a bit of chicanery to make them work that way. Therefore, setting up such a printer can be difficult. I've tested a few hardware print servers, and they basically work the same way.
First, you need to decide which hardware print server to buy. Some models offer just one printer connection, but others offer two or more. Some hardware print servers are designed to be specifically wireless, but if you're running a typical home network, with a switch or access point (AP) between your PCs and the broadband connection, any hardware print server will work just fine with either wired and wireless PCs.
Next, you connect the hardware print server device to your home network (through an Ethernet connection to your switch or hub), connect the printer to it through a parallel or USB connection, and power up the device. This process is fairly straightforward.
Then, you need to install drivers on each of the client machines. This task will be unique to the device. For the Netgear PS110 print
server that I use at home, I installed a custom port on each client PC so that the PCs think they're printing to a locally attached printer. This step is important in my case because my LaserJet 5P—an ancient model that refuses to die and apparently comes with magical toner that never runs out—wasn't available in a network-attached version, and only the local print driver version works. Fortunately, Netgear supplies a simple walkthrough wizard that works just fine, and I completed the software setup in less than 5 minutes per PC. The Netgear is perfect for just about any user because it can step you through the process.