Topic: Can see printer, but not print

[ianhobson]

Hi all,

I am trying to set up a USB printer on SME server 7.3.  (A lexmark Z615. The Z600 drivers for windows are already installed on my PC).

The install on SME went smoothly. Plugged in the printer, and created a new printer via the control panel, selected first USB device and the printer appears as a network printer on the sme's sharename.

I get on a Win2K machine in the workgroup and install the printer - no errors. I find the local drivers for the printer (I just unplugged it), and it all looks green to go.

The printer appears in the list of printers, status ready, documents 0. Just as you would expect.

But when I print, a popup window says it can't communicate with the printer - please cycle the power, reconnect the USB cable or reboot the computer.

After doing all three (4 - I rebooted both computers) I am still getting the same result.

samba security is "user" and I have confirmed that both my SME normal and smb accounts do have the same password as my Windows account.

Has anyone any ideas, because I'm stumped with this one.

Thanks

Ian

p.s I know the printer works, I was using it locally this morning. What I don't know how to do is print to it from SME, which would show if the trouble was between SME and windows, or between SME and the printer.

[ozhank53]

I am only new to SME Server.

I had a similar problem when using Windows XP Pro and SME Server with workgroup. All I had to do was login to the server by:
1. create account for myself on server, and password
2. start->run->\\ip_of_your_server which brings up login screen, then enter account and password - printing started immediately.

[ianhobson]

Hi all.

Thanks ozhank - it didn't help me. And Bump - and a little bit of further information.

If I boot the machine into Linux and install the printer, it tells me the printer is off. Even after cyc;ling the power.

If I boot into Win2K I can see the printer, see the status is green "ready"

Nothing prints either way. Indeed I have not printed anything from the SME server either. 

If I load a virtual Win2K machine within VMWare in Linux, it can't even see the windows share, on the SME server, so I can't install it.

Can someone confirm that a Lexmark Z615 USB printer can or cannot be used with SME server, or tell me how to diagnose the problem further?

Thanks

Ian

[janet]

ianhobson

http://www.lexmark.com/lexmark/sequentialem/home/0,6959,204816596_666691822_0_en,00.html

[ianhobson]

Hi Mary,

Thanks for the URL - it is a list of Win2K drivers, that does not actually include mine. However, I have drivers for the Z600 series for both Red Hat Linux and Win2K.

What I expected was the the SME printer would print "raw" and the win2K driver would do the conversion on the sending machine, and send raw data over the network to the printer.  Logically this should work, even if it is not the fastest.

Am I wrong?

Regards
Ian

[CharlieBrady]

But when I print, a popup window says it can't communicate with the printer - please cycle the power, reconnect the USB cable or reboot the computer.

This is clearly a Windows, Windows driver problem or Windows driver configuration issue. It's telling you to do things that make no sense for a network connected printer.

[CharlieBrady]

What I expected was the the SME printer would print "raw" and the win2K driver would do the conversion on the sending machine, and send raw data over the network to the printer.  Logically this should work, even if it is not the fastest.

Am I wrong?

No, that's what I expect as well.

[Jáder]

This is clearly a Windows, Windows driver problem or Windows driver configuration issue. It's telling you to do things that make no sense for a network connected printer.

I´d like to suggest you a very old trick I learned with Xerox + Novell network... if evertything else fails... go to basics.
Map a port (LPT3) to your server port \\SME_SERVER\PRINTER_NAME and try to configure your client (Win machine) to print on this port (LPT3) and not the server name and printer.

Good luck.

Jáder

[janet]

ianhobson

As Charlie says, this appears to be a "windows related" issue.

Concentrate on getting the printer working when directly connected to a workstation, which may mean changing settings or cable or driver software update.
After that you can then change the printer location to be the server share, which should then work.