Local network name for non-computer device.

[Whitehill]

I just added a new ethernet printer to my local network. The printer grabbed an IP address from DHCP and works perfectly. All is well when accessing it as a printer. Let's say its short name is "wxyz".

Now I want to access it's web page by pointing Safari at it. I can do it by typing in the IP address. How can I use something more symbolic like, say, "wxyz" or some simple variant that's easy to remember and type?

 

[Satcomer]

Depends. What printer is and does the printer software that you use to configure it have a place to put a name into it? Did you go into your router and do a DHCP Reservation so it keeps the same IP address. Also some router's DHCP router pages let you name devices to IP addresses.

Lastly you can add to your internal Host file. What version of OS X are you running?

PS - You could also open System Preferences->Print & Scan pane and right click your printer and rename it there.

 

[Whitehill]

It's an OKIDATA C331DN with an internal web server for configuration, etc. It allows me to change its full name and short name. Currently they are OKI-WXYZ-E6C0F6 and WXYZ. My router is a Linksys WRT320N and I have reserved the IP address with a client name WXYZ.

I'm running 10.9.2. If you mean /etc/hosts, I could add it there - but ideally the solution should apply invisibly to all computers.

Similarly, in the Printers & Scanners pane, it's named WXYZ on the machine "iMac", where it was configured, and known as "WXYZ @ iMac" on other macs.

 

[MisterMe]

You are going all around Job's barn for nothing. Your printer supports Bonjour. All of your Macs support Rendezvous/Bonjour. If you have Windows machines on the network, then you may install Bonjour for Windows on your Windows computers.

 

[Whitehill]

You are going all around Job's barn for nothing. Your printer supports Bonjour. All of your Macs support Rendezvous/Bonjour. If you have Windows machines on the network, then you may install Bonjour for Windows on your Windows computers.

Thanks so much. If I may politely inquire ... Bonjour or Hello-How-Are-You or the broad side of Job's barn, what do I place in Safari's address box to access the printer's web server?

 

[DeltaMac]

You should be able to do that through the CUPS interface.

Click the link:
http://localhost:631/

 

[Whitehill]

That link does open up. Well, it did after I ran "cupsctl WebInterface=yes". There's lots of stuff there that I have never been involved with, at least from that POV. But it doesn't do what I'm looking for. Let me try to rephrase.

Without running a complete name server and incurring all that unnecessary complexity, how can I establish a nickname for the printer usable by every client on my local network?

By usable I mean as the main component of a URL to get at the printer's web server.

 

[DeltaMac]

Maybe you will have to assign a manual IP to the printer? You would do that through the on-printer control panel, I suppose.

You may also be able to change the network name for the printer in the panel - I have done that before with other printers.

 

[Whitehill]

I found a specific solution, not general. In Safari's preferences, find the item "Include Bonjour", tick it and - Lo! - a Bonjour menu appears in the favorites bar and a Bonjour folder appears in Bookmarks. Depending on version, there may be two tick-able items to control the appearance. And, yes, my new printer is there and reachable by a single click - when it's awake. I haven't figured out how to wake it up on demand.

Not only that, my little HP wireless printer is on the list and I have seen its web server, too - something I didn't know existed!

PS: In Safari's address box after selecting the favorite/bookmark, I see "wxyz.local." This looks like the general solution - it works with ping in a terminal.