HP Laserjet 1200 problems

AdmiralAK

AdmiralAK

Simply Daemonic
Hello to all! (long time no see ;) )
I have a problem with an HP Laserjet that used to work up to a couple of months ago.

It is a USB model with a jetdirect 175x print server on it. It is connected via hub to one Windows machine, and that hub connects to the network. The IP is manually set. Now up to two months ago I was able to print from this printer not only from the Windows machine that is connected to it via hub, but also from other Macs and Windows machines that I had set-up in my area. Two months ago it stopped working. I can still print, ping it, and go to the settings page from the machine that it connected to it via hub, but from all other machines I cannot.

When I try pinging it from other machines I go "host down" errors and of course printing fails.

I thought that someone might have messed with the settings but I do not believe so. IP settings are as they should be (as I left them many months ago) and the rest of the settings seem as they should be.

Any ideas?


Admiral
 
So let me get this straight. You have the printer hook to a network cat 5 hub and only one machine can still ping it and print to it? I just trying to get the network setup right in my head. The machine that can print to is the machine that is in the same hub as the printer? Then is is safe to say the other machines are on different hub but in the same network?
 
I wish I could draw an image :p

Printer --> connected to print-server via usb --> connected to cat5 hub
Windows PC --> connected to the same cat5 hub as the printer
hub --> uplink connected to the university network

This can print, it can ping, it can go to the admin page and can access the telnet admin on the print server to edit the settings

Now within that same university network (but within the same geographical area as the printer)

Ethernet jack 1 --> another Hub --> Connected uplink
Macintosh w/ OS X --> connected to hub
Windows PC w/ XP --> connected to hub

and in another room

Ethernet jack 2 --> another Hub --> Connected uplink
Macintosh w/ OS X --> connected to hub
Windows PC w/ XP --> connected to hub

These two latter configurations cannot ping, cannot print, cannot access the admin page, cannot access the telnet admin - they just don't see the printer at all. These machines CAN access the internet and CAN access the intranet.


The settings are identical as they used to be last september when we bought the printer and set it up and it all worked fine. All three configurations worked fine, they pinged, telneted, and printed.

The ONLY thing that I can think of is that out university network was upgraded (in small increments) and at the end of may they probably got to upgrade the closets in my area. At the end of May is when this problem started.
I've played with the printe server configs without luck. the other machines do not see it. From what our network people have told us the network is now segmented (before it was flat - yuck), however I do not think that this should effect the printer's visibility. After all I CAN see servers outside my segment, why should I not be able to see the printer?

Any ideas?
 
The first thing is going to be you are going to have to play detective. Take the printer to the affected room (that can not print now) and plug it in to see if the machines can ping/print to it. If they can, then you will know the university network had block the port that was used for printer sharing. This then is evidence that points to network configuration (think XP SP2 applied on the university server that serves your dorm/lab).
 
AFAIK SP2 won't be deployed yet on the network (I contacted someone yesterday about it because I will be patching my machines when the rest of the university decides that it is a wise move :p)

-- I will switch hubs to see what the deal is (that was going to be my move today)

Admiral
 
fixed it
Just for kicks I plugged the printer in other ports in the hub and one of them worked (it's weird, but hey - they hub is old and beaten up - perhaps the port died)
 
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