Sharing Local Printers on Windows NT

On Windows 95, a Solstice Network Client can act as a print server by using the LPD Print Server utility.

The Solstice Network Client software on Windows NT does not provide an LPD Print Server utility. Instead, you share local printers using the printer sharing option available in the Add Printer Wizard on Windows NT.

This section provides basic procedures for sharing local printers. For full details, refer to the Microsoft documentation for Windows NT Workstation or Windows NT Server.

The procedures provided in this section assume that you have already mounted the printer locally. You be logged in as Administrator or as an NT Power User with Full Control access rights to configure a shared printer.

Use the printer's Properties dialog box to configure the settings for the shared printer. See "To Configure a Local NT Printer as a Shared Network Printer".

If the printer will be servicing print jobs coming from UNIX print clients, you will have to add the TCP/IP Print Server service to the system's Services environment. For instructions, see "To Add the TCP/IP Print Server Service".

Your printer may be shared with users from different platforms. You will need to prepare a list of the operating systems, version numbers, and CPU platforms of the print clients that will access the NT print server. Windows NT Workstation 4.0 supports computers running Windows 95 as well as Alpha, MIPS, and PowerPC systems running Windows NT. You may need to have the Windows NT CD-ROM available and those of the other platforms.

To Add the TCP/IP Print Server Service

To service print jobs from UNIX print clients, the Windows NT print server must be running the LPDSVC service. Start the TCP/IP Print Server in the Services environment.

1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.

2. Click Services.

   The Services dialog box opens.

3. Select TCP/IP Print Server from the list of Services and then click Startup.

4. Click Automatic and click OK.

   This starts the LPDSVC service on the Windows NT computer.

5. Click Close and reboot the system when prompted.

To Configure a Local NT Printer as a Shared Network Printer

1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Printers.

   The Printers window opens.

2. Right-click the icon of the printer you want to share and then click Properties on the pop-up menu.

   The printer's Properties dialog box opens. You can set all configuration options in this dialog box.

3. Click the Scheduling tab.

   When sharing a local printer, you may find that applications run sluggishly while documents are spooled and printed. You can overcome this by specifying when the printer is available.

   1. Select the From option and type the start and end times.

   2. Keep the option Spool Print Document selected.

   3. Select the option Start Printing After Last Page Is Spooled.

      This ensures that the whole document has been spooled before printing starts.

4. Click the Sharing tab.

   You must specify a share name for the printer, and specify which printer drivers must be loaded on the Windows NT system to service the print requests from various clients.

   1. Click Shared.

      Windows NT automatically populates the share name with an eight-character queue name. You can replace the share name with a more meaningful name.

   2. From the Alternative Drivers list, select all the Windows platforms that may send print jobs to the printer.

      For example, if some users use an Alpha machine running Windows NT 4.0, select Windows NT 4.0 Alpha. Click each platform that you want to include. You may need to install drivers from your Windows NT CD-ROM, or from those of other systems.

5. Click the Security tab.

   You must specify who can access the printer. While not required, you may also wish to specify which print events to monitor and log.

   1. Click Permissions.

      The Printer Permissions dialog box opens.

   2. Click Add.

      The Add Users And Groups dialog box opens.

   3. In the Names list, select Network, and then click Add.

   4. In the Type of Access list, select Print.

      This setting enables the network users to pause, resume, restart and delete print jobs.

   5. Click OK to close the Add Users And Groups dialog box.

      You return to the Printer Permissions dialog box.

   6. Click OK to close the Printer Permissions dialog box.

Logging Print Events on Windows NT

You can monitor print events and problems. Before you begin, verify that Auditing is turned on. Then set up print logging.

To Enable Auditing

1. Click the Start button, point to Programs, point to Administrative Tools, and then click User Manager.

2. Select Audit from the Policies Menu.

3. Click Audit These Events and select File and Object Access.

To Set Up Logging for Print Events

1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Printers.

   The Printers window opens.

2. Right-click the icon of the printer you want to share and then click Properties on the pop-up menu.

   The printer's Properties dialog box opens.

3. Click Auditing.

   The Printer Auditing dialog box opens.

4. Click Add, select Network from the Names list, and then click OK.

5. For each of the listed Events to Audit, select if you want to log the events if they are carried out successfully, or if they failed, or both.

6. Click OK.

   The Printer Auditing dialog box closes.

7. Click OK again.

   The Properties dialog box closes.

At this point, if you have configured drivers that are not loaded into your computer, you will be prompted to insert one or more CD-ROMs.

To View Logged Print Events

1. Click the Start button, point to Programs, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Event Viewer.

   The Event Viewer window opens.

2. Filter out non-print-related events.

   1. From the View menu, click Filter Events.

   2. Choose LPDSVC to view events pertaining to the TCP/IP Print Server service.

   3. Choose Print to view events pertaining to print jobs.

   4. Click OK.