Network Printing

On today's networks it's common to have users running Windows, Apple, Novell, and many versions of Unix. Each operating system has its own printing facility and there is little or nothing in common between them--there is no single system for print spooling. Yet all users want to be able to print, and most of the time they have to share the same printers. The network administrator has to solve this problem as efficiently as possible.

O'Reilly's Network Printing shows network administrators a way out of this problem. It details how to set up a network printing system that's based on Linux, but can handle printing from Windows, Novell, Apple, and any version of Unix. To this end, it offers thorough discussions of the Unix printing facility (both LPR and LPRng); Samba's printer sharing; Netatalk, a free implementation of the AppleTalk protocol; and ncpfs, a Linux implementation of the Netware protocols. The book also shows how to get printers to boot correctly on a network, using solutions like bootp and DHCP; how to manage printers remotely using SNMP; and how to set up a network-wide printer configuration repository with LDAP.

Preface

I. The Basics: Unix Queuing

1. Introduction, Architecture, and History
Today's Networking Swamp
The Book in a Nutshell
File Service: the Other Half of the LAN Server
A Brief History of Printing and Publishing

2. Printer Languages
PostScript
PCL
GDI

3. Exploring the Spooler
The Berkeley Spooler: lpr and lpd
System V Release 4 Printing: lp
BSD to System V Translator for System Administrators
Microsoft TCP/IP Printing

4. Extending the Berkeley Spooler with Print Filters
Remote Printers
Print Filters
Magic Filters

5. The Next Generation Berkeley Spooler: LPRng
Compiling and Installing LPRng
Configuring LPRng
More Fun with Filters
Accounting

II. Front-End Interfaces to Unix Queues

6. Connecting Windows to Unix Servers: Let's Samba
Introduction to the Server Message Block Protocol (SMB)
Compiling and Installing Samba
Configuring Samba for Print Service
Troubleshooting

7. Connecting Macintosh Networks to Unix Servers
The AppleTalk Protocol Suite
Compiling and Installing netatalk
Configuring netatalk
Configuring Macintosh Clients
Troubleshooting netatalk

8. Connecting NetWare Networks to Linux Servers
IPX and the NetWare Protocol Suite
Compiling and Installing ncpfs
Configuring Your NetWare Server
Looking at the NetWare Network from Linux
Queue Drainage with the pserver Daemon

III. Administration

9. Using SNMP to Manage Networked Printers
A Simple Introduction to SNMP
Public MIBs
SNMP Tools

10. Using Boot Servers for Basic Printer Configuration
Front Panel Configuration
Telnet
BOOTP
BOOTP's Partner in Crime: TFTP
DHCP
Configuring Printers for Dynamic Booting

11. Centralized Configuration with LDAP
What Is a Directory?
A Short Introduction to LDAP
OpenLDAP
Practical LDAP Printer Management

12. Accounting, Security, and Performance
Accounting
Security
Performance Monitoring and Tuning

Epilogue

IV. Appendixes

A. printcap Reference

B. SNMP MIB Objects for Managing Printers

Index