Quick Help Needed on HP5 Printer Setup via JetDirect

  • Thread starter Thread starter Matt from Seattle
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Matt from Seattle

Hey Everybody:

Need your help. I'm trying to connect an HP5SiMX printer directly to
my laptop so that I can print some files. Unfortunately, the printer
doesn't have a USB port -- only a parallel port -- so I can't go the
USB route, which is my normal way of doing things.

Since both my laptop and the printer have standard RJ45 network jacks,
however, I'm thinking there must be some simple way to connect the two
devices directly with a networking cable and get some files printed.
So I've tried just plugging in a cable directly, and messing around
with a few settings (and having my laptop "search" for a compatible
network printer) but it can't seem to find it. I then have tried
running both the laptop and the printer into a small powered hub I had
lying around. I get green link lights from both devices, but still,
they don't seem to want to talk to one another.

The HP website hasn't been able to give me the answer I need, so I'm
turning to you all for some useful suggestions. Is there a way to
directly connect a computer and printer in this fashion without
running them through an official "print server" or something similar?

If there's any more information I can provide that might be useful,
please let me know. I've printed out the printer's TCP/IP
configuration page and have all of the system information. Thanks for
your help!
 
Matt from Seattle said:
Hey Everybody:

Need your help. I'm trying to connect an HP5SiMX printer directly to
my laptop so that I can print some files. Unfortunately, the printer
doesn't have a USB port -- only a parallel port -- so I can't go the
USB route, which is my normal way of doing things.

Since both my laptop and the printer have standard RJ45 network jacks,
however, I'm thinking there must be some simple way to connect the two
devices directly with a networking cable and get some files printed.
So I've tried just plugging in a cable directly, and messing around
with a few settings (and having my laptop "search" for a compatible
network printer) but it can't seem to find it. I then have tried
running both the laptop and the printer into a small powered hub I had
lying around. I get green link lights from both devices, but still,
they don't seem to want to talk to one another. [...]
Click to expand...


You can't hook one network card directly to another with an ethernet cable,
there needs to be a hub or other device in between, because the network
cables aren't wired right - sort of like how in the old days to connect one
serial port directly to another you needed a special "null modem" cable.
So, you've got the right idea to plug both into a hub.

I have an old Color Laserjet 5M, with JetDirect card. To get it to talk to
my desktop computer, running Windows XP, I had to install the drivers and
add the printer on the computer, and then go into the printer config dialog,
Ports tab, and "add a port", specifying the IP address of the printer. I
was *not* able to just print to the printer by name. I'm sure there's some
other way to do this (perhaps involving a local domain controller) but I
never figured that out.

I think it worked if I pinged the printer's IP address from the computer,
but I don't remember - it was a while ago that I set it up.
 
Matt from Seattle said:
Since both my laptop and the printer have standard RJ45 network jacks,
however, I'm thinking there must be some simple way to connect the two
devices directly with a networking cable and get some files printed.
So I've tried just plugging in a cable directly, and messing around
with a few settings (and having my laptop "search" for a compatible
network printer) but it can't seem to find it.
Click to expand...

A "crossover" Ethernet cable is needed to make this work.
I then have tried running both the laptop and the printer into a small
powered hub I had lying around. I get green link lights from both
devices, but still, they don't seem to want to talk to one another.
Click to expand...

Until you assign an IP address to the printer, you will not be able to
print to it. I forget exactly what the printer control panel menu is
called; "MIO Menu" or something like that. Go to that menu and give the
printer an unused address within the same network as your computer.
Also set the netmask, typically 255.255.255.0.

Then you'll be able to add the printer on your computer, specifying a
"TCP/IP" port and giving the IP address.
 
(snip)
Until you assign an IP address to the printer, you will not be able to
print to it. I forget exactly what the printer control panel menu is
called; "MIO Menu" or something like that. Go to that menu and give the
printer an unused address within the same network as your computer.
Also set the netmask, typically 255.255.255.0.

Then you'll be able to add the printer on your computer, specifying a
"TCP/IP" port and giving the IP address.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the ideas. I've actually got an IP address (192.168.2.10)
assigned to the printer through the front panel, as you suggested.
I'm also running both the laptop and the printer through a hub, to
avoid the crossover issue. Still, however, my laptop doesn't seem to
recognize the printer or find it when browsing the network. I've
tried downloading and reinstalling the latest drivers, and deleting
and readding the port, but nothing seems to work.

Here's one question, however, that I sense may be relevant. Do I
truly have a "network" running considering that I'm simply using a
standalone laptop with Windows XP? In the past, when this printer was
working properly, it was in our office with an actual primary domain
controller (192.168.1.1)and a full networking setup. Now, however,
it's simply my laptop which may not be running any actual "network"
stuff needed to pull this off like DHCP and all that jazz. If
somebody simply buys a standard PC off the shelf, for instance, and
runs a network cable through a hub and into a printer via an RJ45
cable, should they be compatable? Assuming the proper TCP/IP printer
port is created using the "add printer" wizard?
 
Matt from Seattle said:
Thanks for the ideas. I've actually got an IP address (192.168.2.10)
assigned to the printer through the front panel, as you suggested.
I'm also running both the laptop and the printer through a hub, to
avoid the crossover issue. Still, however, my laptop doesn't seem to
recognize the printer or find it when browsing the network. I've
tried downloading and reinstalling the latest drivers, and deleting
and readding the port, but nothing seems to work.
Click to expand...

What is the IP address of your computer? It sounds like the printer is
in a different network. By that, I mean that if your computer is
192.168.1.x, the printer needs to have those same first three numbers,
192.168.1. and then its own unique fourth number, let's say 10.
(Assuming, of course, that the netmask is 255.255.255.0 on both, as it
usually is.)

You may need to turn the printer off and on to load the new IP address.

After that, you should be able to ping the printer and get a response:

ping 192.168.1.10

And then do Add Printer, standard TCP/IP port, and put in the IP
address.
Here's one question, however, that I sense may be relevant. Do I
truly have a "network" running considering that I'm simply using a
standalone laptop with Windows XP? In the past, when this printer was
working properly, it was in our office with an actual primary domain
controller (192.168.1.1)and a full networking setup. Now, however,
it's simply my laptop which may not be running any actual "network"
stuff needed to pull this off like DHCP and all that jazz.
Click to expand...

You're mixing up "Windows networking" with TCP/IP networking. A
notebook and printer connected via Ethernet don't need all the Windows
networking stuff.
If somebody simply buys a standard PC off the shelf, for instance, and
runs a network cable through a hub and into a printer via an RJ45
cable, should they be compatable? Assuming the proper TCP/IP printer
port is created using the "add printer" wizard?
Click to expand...

Yes.
 
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