Network printer gets sleepy

[Chris Guillory]

The printer in my office is networked and installed to the other computers in the house. I tried to print from my laptop recently, and got an error.

What appears to be the problem is that the office computer may have been unused for a while as I didn't see the printer or computer on the network.

When I went upstairs and woke up the office computer, it reappeared in the network and I was able to print.

If this does sound like the problem, is there a way around this without setting my office computer to never go into sleep?

 

[Ray McCarthy]

Yes.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

It's good there's apparently a solution, but I'm not techy. Hopefully someone will come along and give you the solution, Chris.

 

[Vertigo]

Is the printer on the network independently or is it actually connected to the office computer and shared? If the latter then it's not going to work if the office computer sleeps. If the former then you need to set up the drivers on the other computers direct to the printer rather than through the office computer.

that's just my guess at the likely problem.

 

[alchemist]

Yes.

 

[Chris Guillory]

Is the printer on the network independently or is it actually connected to the office computer and shared? If the latter then it's not going to work if the office computer sleeps. If the former then you need to set up the drivers on the other computers direct to the printer rather than through the office computer.

that's just my guess at the likely problem.

Thanks Vertigo - It's the latter. I'd like to avoid my office computer from preventing sleep mode but still print if at all possible. Just kind of defeats the purpose of having a network printer if I have to go to the office and jiggle the mouse around....may as well just print from the office at that point since I'm up there!

 

[Ray McCarthy]

If the printer has no network port to connect via Cat5e cable to your Hub/Switch/Router and only has USB, then you need a USB Print server. They do exist.
If the Printer has a Parallel port and no network port, even if you connect it via USB now, then a parallel port Print server is best.
Some Modem/Routers, esp. if running OpenWRT can drive a USB printer and make it available on the network. Or you can even use an old low power laptop with broken screen (temporarily using external monitor) as USB or Parallel printer server (ideally loaded with Linux, but XP is possible).

If you have a network and 3, 4 or more computers, you should have a NAS or File Server Computer anyway that can drive a USB, Parallel or Serial computer.

Ironically a new colour laser printer with built in Network port might now be cheaper than a niche market Professional Printer Server box for USB or Parallel.

Always disable all powersave modes/ sleep on ANY computer used to share files or Printers on a Network. That is the temporary workaround. Separate screens have off switches, laptops can be configured usually to turn off screen and nothing else if lid is closed.

Then you can investigate if the Printer can be used direct on the Network or some other option.

I have really boring low power graphics cards in my servers, so that the one that's on 24 x 7 doesn't use much electricity. But its about 10 years since I shared a printer that way. My 6 year old Brother Multifunction Fax/Scanner/Printer can use USB, but under lid beside where the ink goes in is the Network port, so it has Cat5e cable to the main Network Switch.
My laser printer has Parallel and USB, but was bought without a network adaptor. I have a small Printer Server box with 2 x parallel and 1 x serial that takes little power.
My Router has no modem as I have a separate Cable modem. It can drive a USB printer and share it on the Network.
But as my laser is down to 5% life, I have a Colour Laser on order (which only is x2 cost of two cartridges for existing mono laser!) which has a network port so my parallel port Printer Server box will soon be redundant.

 

[Chris Guillory]

If the printer has no network port to connect via Cat5e cable to your Hub/Switch/Router and only has USB, then you need a USB Print server. They do exist.
If the Printer has a Parallel port and no network port, even if you connect it via USB now, then a parallel port Print server is best.
Some Modem/Routers, esp. if running OpenWRT can drive a USB printer and make it available on the network. Or you can even use an old low power laptop with broken screen (temporarily using external monitor) as USB or Parallel printer server (ideally loaded with Linux, but XP is possible).

If you have a network and 3, 4 or more computers, you should have a NAS or File Server Computer anyway that can drive a USB, Parallel or Serial computer.

Ironically a new colour laser printer with built in Network port might now be cheaper than a niche market Professional Printer Server box for USB or Parallel.

Oh and Ray, you just reminded me of something...it's one of the first printers that allowed wireless connection to a router. Today's printers you can connect to the network by just entering the wireless credentials. This way it works dependently of any main computer. However, the setup in this older model is a bit different and I gave up initially. Maybe I have to revisit this..Thanks!!

 

[Ray McCarthy]

Wireless connections are to be avoided except if signal is very good and very few connections as it's shared like a single tap. Cat5e cables are each like a separate "pipe" to the core of the network.
Also older ones may not do WPA2 etc. Don't downgrade WiFi security to the old easily broken in seconds type.

 

[Vertigo]

Yup, Ray's answer pretty much sums up your options

 

[Ray McCarthy]

If you have a network and 3, 4 or more computers, you should have a NAS or File Server Computer anyway that can drive a USB, Parallel or Serial computer.

Printer, not Computer!

I really must clear out my attic of thirty years+ of Computer stuff. I did have 2x clear outs. (The Atari, Mac with one floppy and no HDD with OS in ROM and many old CGA, Hercules and EGA went to recycling, as well as many Mobos and cards, no-one wanted them).
Still loads of ISA and PCI cards. DRAM from DIL 16 pin 1970s types to PIII era DIMM etc.
I think I ditched the entire set of 16Mbps Token Ring gear (PC cards, Hermaphrodite cables, cable adaptors, the central "ring" boxes) for about 30 computers.
Still a PCW8512/PCW8256 and genuine IBM AT (but with VGA graphics and 3x or 4x giant Extended/Expanded DRAM cards, probably enough to run a 286 version of Xenix or BSD, but it's got WFWG3.11). Dunno how many 486, PII, PIII, P4, Celeron etc. Some nice 17" CRT screens that can do 1600x1200 or 1920x1080(with empty at top and bottom), very heavy!

 

[farntfar]

I've had a similar problem. It depends on the printer but this might be it.
When you've something on the queue look at the printer properties and go to the PORT tab.
Go to configure port and if there's a box marked "Verify SNMP"and its on (X) or something like it (**) then click on it to turn it off.

(** "SNMP state activated" possibly. It's in French on mine so I don't know exactly what it'll be in English. Something to do with SNMP anyway )


You can get there through the control panel also.
Basically it's something that's used when a printer is connected 24/7 to a server, but mucks up on home networks.

 

[Ray McCarthy]

Simple Network Monitoring Protocol
I'd be surprised if that's needed at all.
Nothing to do servers vs home networks. It's to do with monitor of status remotely. Some giant office copier/printers might implement it. Though I was installing those for 8 years and never once set up SNMP. I've only ever used it INSIDE an ISP control centre for diagnostics of Cable Modems, in maybe 20 years of setting up and troubleshooting Networks. I know in theory it c an be used to monitor a Printer's status, but never seen it used!

Yes, it's under Ports, if there is a TCP/IP port. By default it's disabled (nothing in box). Never seen that enabled.

Not his problem at all.

 

[willwallace]

Printer, not Computer!

I really must clear out my attic of thirty years+ of Computer stuff. I did have 2x clear outs. (The Atari, Mac with one floppy and no HDD with OS in ROM and many old CGA, Hercules and EGA went to recycling, as well as many Mobos and cards, no-one wanted them).
Still loads of ISA and PCI cards. DRAM from DIL 16 pin 1970s types to PIII era DIMM etc.
I think I ditched the entire set of 16Mbps Token Ring gear (PC cards, Hermaphrodite cables, cable adaptors, the central "ring" boxes) for about 30 computers.
Still a PCW8512/PCW8256 and genuine IBM AT (but with VGA graphics and 3x or 4x giant Extended/Expanded DRAM cards, probably enough to run a 286 version of Xenix or BSD, but it's got WFWG3.11). Dunno how many 486, PII, PIII, P4, Celeron etc. Some nice 17" CRT screens that can do 1600x1200 or 1920x1080(with empty at top and bottom), very heavy!

Was the Atari an ST? That was my first computer, it was very ahead of it's time.
I have my printer plugged straight to a router, so it's always available to my pc(hardwired), laptop, and tablets/smartphones that access the wifi(WPA2).

 

[farntfar]

As I say Ray, it very much depends on the printer.
I have a Dell printer on my home network that I 'inherited' from work , and the print driver installs with the SNMP check on by default.
I had no end of trouble getting prints out without doing something like restarting the originating PC each time, until I found this setting.
So I thought it might be worth mentioning.

 

[Ray McCarthy]

Yes some species of Atari ST. Not sure where it came from, no floppies. I earlier in late 1990s had the similar Amiga (why I can't remember, I certainly didn't buy it!) which did have disks. I did sell that or give it to someone 1998 maybe.

I don't think the Atari ST and Amiga where ahead of their time. It's just the PC was a dinosaur, basically IBM's take on 1978 8bit CP/M and S100 using a cheaper bus and a pseudo not really 16 bit computer. Even the 8086 had no flat addressing. The first Intel real 16 bit CPU was 80286 and only the various UNIX at the time took advantage. It was just a faster 8088/8086 to DOS. Windows was useless till version 3.1.
The IBM HW in 1981 was pathetic compared to Victor 9000 / ACT Sirius 1
The Apricot was sort of nice, but screen let it down.
Lisa was too little CPU and RAM for Apple's bloated "copy of Xerox" Windows, but the MkII Lisa (Original Mac) worked well enough that MS released Excel and Word on it first (MS "copy of Xerox" Windows basically didn't work properly then!).

The Acorn Archimedes WAS ahead of its time. It was first ARM based computer (1987) and I think UNIX from 1989? I have the Archimedes style RiscOS on a Raspberry Pi.

 

[Ray McCarthy]

and the print driver installs with the SNMP check on by default.

Stupid Dell Printers that want to "phone home" and order more consumables from Dell. We always persuaded customers to buy HP, later Brother or Epson for smaller printers or the big Office Copier/Printers from NRG group.

 

[willwallace]

The ST was very ahead of every one else in regards to it's GUI, I believe.

 

[Ray McCarthy]

No, it was Digital Research Gem. Also available on other Platforms, including PC. Totally bought in. (June 1985)
The Amiga was shortly later and was a slightly more innovative OS & GUI

It was ahead of the BBC Micro and MSDOS on a PC. But not at all innovative or ahead of other GUI based non-PC offerings.

I played with the GUI on a Xerox Star in early 1980s. That and earlier Xerox Alto is what Lilith (ETH Zurich 32bit CPU with bitmapped graphics late 1970s) MS Windows, Apple Lisa/Mac (1983), DR Gem, Acorn RiscOS (1987) etc were all copying.

The development of Lilith was influenced by the Xerox Alto from the Xerox PARC (1973) where Niklaus Wirth spent a sabbatical from 1976 to 1977. Unable to bring back one of the Alto systems to Europe, Wirth decided to build a new system from scratch between 1978 and 1980.[3] In 1985 he had a second sabbatical leave to PARC, which led to the design of the Oberon System. Ceres, the follow-up to Lilith, was also released in 1985.
The mouse of the Lilith was custom-designed, and later used with the Smaky computers. It would go on to inspire the first mice produced by Logitech.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilith_(computer)
Logitech was set up actually to distribute the Modula-2 Compiler from ETH. Lilith OS and Applications written in Modula-2, also developed by Wirth.
Wirth earlier published Pascal with Jensen. But much of the work had originated with Qubal at Queens University Belfast with collaboration with CAR Hoare (who taught my wife to program). Hoare developed the famous "Quick Sort" and also Occam language used for Transputer.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transputer
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inmos
The Transputer WAS the future of high performance computing till Margaret Thatcher sold off Inmos and the new owner Thorn was clueless about IC Technology and Computers (Ferguson Radio & TV) and was in its sunset years. They sold Inmos to Thomson (French) who also bought and asset stripped Telefunken and RCA. The ST part of Thomson was spun off to STMicroelectronics who for a while had some success supplying chips for Set top boxes. No sensible development ever occurred after Thorn bought Inmos.#

I was at a Transputer Demo in 1986. Then just one Transputer was faster than a 386 (released 1985). The demo used 4 x 19" shelves. Each one had multiple cards and each card multiple transputers. There was no way to couple x86, 68000, ARM like that. Each Transputer had four links to connect to other Transputers.
One demo was a Mandlebrot on a 2 x 2 cube of screens. Each line by separate Transputer. Another was butterflies generated in real time and flying around the cube of four screens. 1986!

It's as well that Acorn accidently made the ARM CPU low power (it was for a Desktop Workstation, Archimedes.) or Mobile phones would be Intel x86 and would have lasted about 4 hours in 2002 when they lasted a week!

See also Xerox Star https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xerox_Star