Chapter 4: Managing Network Printing

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Chapter 4

Managing Network Printing

Certification Objectives *

Print Queues and Print Servers *

From the Classroom *

NDPS Printing New Feature *

New Technology directions *

Benefits of NDPS *

NDPS Structure *

Setting Up NDPS During Server Installation *

Exercise 4-4 Installing NDPS Files on a NetWare 5 Server *

Completing NDPS Setup from the Workstation *

Exercise 4-5 Creating NDPS Objects *

Certification Objectives

Network Printing Overview

Introduction to Novell Distributed Print Services

Setting Up NetWare Distributed Print Services (NDPS)

Managing NDPS

Managing print services is one of the most critical network functions. Printing is one of the few outputs on a network, and even with the movement towards paperless offices, printing is an essential service for network users.

(1)Network Printing Overview

Sharing printers on a network is much more efficient than individual users having their own non-networked printers, reducing the costs for business overall since one printer can serve many users, as illustrated in Figure 4-1. This is one reason that businesses invest in network hardware and software. The NetWare operating system has an extensive history in efficiently serving printers to network users.

Figure 1: A NetWare printer can be accessed by multiple users

Print Queues and Print Servers

Older versions of the NetWare printing system were based on Print Queues and Print Servers. Along with Queues and Servers, a Printer object was included in NDS as a resource object. The printing services NetWare provided were complex. They required the creation of each individual Print Queue, Printer object, and Print Server. These printing service objects had to be linked together to provide a path for a print job to follow from the workstation to the printed output.

Printing involved three objects in NDS:

Print Queue object
Print Server object
Printer object

The Print Queue is a storage area that receives print jobs from multiple users, and lines them up or queues them for printing. This is how the print queue enables multiple users on a single printer. Because the print jobs are stored, the workstation is not held up waiting for printing before its print jobs can be processed. The actual data for the print jobs is stored on a NetWare server volume.

Exam Watch: A NetWare print queue object represents a subdirectory under the volume_name:QUEUES\ directory, which gets created when the first Queue object is created. The individual queue directories are assigned hexadecimal numbers as directory names so they may appear as seemingly random numerals and letters.

The Print Queue sends the print jobs to a Print Server. The Print Server accepts the job and sends it to the correct printer. Whereas the Print Queue is a storage area, the Print Server is a service that manages the print action. The PSERVER.NLM NetWare loadable module runs the NetWare server.

The Printer object represents a network printer. It is configured in NDS, along with the Print Server and Print Queue objects, to define the connections between the various components.

Printers can either be connected to a NetWare server directly or connected to a workstation. PSERVER.NLM works with either option, however the printer is denoted as either locally connected or remote. When a printer is connected to the server directly, the server must also run the NPRINTER.NLM. When a printer is connected to a workstation, the workstation must run NPRINTER.EXE. For Windows 95 PCs, there is a 32-bit NPRINTER executable, NPTWIN95.EXE. The NPRINTER.EXE and NPTWIN95.EXE programs are stored in the SYS:PUBLIC and SYS:PUBLIC\WIN95 directories on a NetWare 5 server. Note that printers can also be connected directly to the network using special network printing cards or boxes that utilize their own software, which integrates with NetWare’s printing architecture.

From the Classroom

NDPS Printing New Feature

The NetWare Print Queue has been a workhorse of many NetWare networks since it was introduced. Some popular third-party print servers even encourage using NetWare Print Queues instead of creating them with the utility that comes with the hardware. So why the switch to NDPS? The short answer is that NDPS is an improvement in administering networked printing. One notable new feature is the Public Access Printer, which is managed through NetWare Administrator, but a user need not be authenticated to NDS to be able to print. This is a convenience for roaming users who carry a laptop computer from location to location, and who may not be able to log in easily because their User object resides in a container other than their current locale, or otherwise cannot log in to NDS without additional effort by the local administrator.

— By Dan Cheung, CNI, MCNE, MCT

Exercise 4-1 Setting up Remote Workstation Printing on the Server

First, you must create the printing objects. To create objects, open the NetWare administrator by choosing Start | Run, type SYS:PUBLIC\WIN32\NWADMN32.EXE, and press ENTER.
Navigate to the appropriate context and press the INSERT key.
Select Printer (non-NDPS) and click OK
Type in an appropriate name that does not already exist in that context and click Create.
You will be returned to NetWare Administrator still in the same context. Press INSERT.
Select Print Queue and click OK.
Type in an appropriate name (not already in that context).
Click on the Print Queue volume button and select a server volume; then click OK. If a server is not in that context, you will need to navigate the tree to find a volume. The volume will be the physical place where print jobs are stored.
Click Create.
You will be returned to the NetWare Administrator in the same context. Press the INSERT key.
Select Print Server (non-NDPS) and click OK.
Type in an appropriate name (not already in that context) and check off the Define Additional Properties checkbox; then click Create.
The Print Server properties box will appear. Click the Assignments property page.
Click the Add button.
Select the Printer you created and click OK.
Click OK to close the Print Server properties.
In the NetWare Administrator, select the Printer object and double-click it to display its properties. Alternately, select the Object menu and the Properties option.
Click the Assignments property page button.
Click the Add button, select the Print Queue you created, and click OK.
Click the Configuration property page button.
Under Printer Type, select Other/Unknown. This option states that the printer will be a remote printer. If the printer is connected to a network printing box or card, this would also be selected. If the printer is connected directly to the NetWare Server, select either Serial or Parallel.
Click OK.
At the server console prompt, type LOAD PSERVER and the Distinguished Name of the print server object. This object might be .PSRVR.ENG.PHX.MA, which makes the entire command LOAD PSERVER .PSRVR.ENG.PHX.MA.
NOTE: If you look at the Print Server object properties and click the Print Layout property page, the result of Exercise 4-1 would be the same as Figure 4-2.

Figure 2: Print layout for non-NDPS print server

Exercise 4-2 Setting up Remote Workstation Printing at the Workstation

At the Windows 95/98 workstation that will be running the printer, log into the network.
If not already mapping a drive to SYS, right-click the Network Neighborhood icon, and select Map Network Drive. Select drive F: Type the server name and SYS volume in the UNC format (Universal Naming Convention), which is \\SERVERNAME\SYS, and click OK.
Choose Start | Run, type F:\PUBLIC\WIN95\NPTWIN95.EXE, and press ENTER or click OK.
The NPRINTER Manager will start. The first screen will prompt you to select the NDS PRINTER object. Navigate through the tree to locate the Printer object and click OK.
Make sure that the Activate When Nprinter Manager Loads check box is on so that the same printer will become active each time NPTWIN95 is executed.
Click OK and workstation printing will become active.

Several NDS options can manage and configure printing to work correctly for the environment that it is serving. These options are available through the properties of the Printer, Print Queue, and Print Server objects. The Print Server property options are described in Table 4-1.

Print Server Property	Page	Function
Advertising Name	Identification	Name that is viewed from workstation browsing.
Other Name	Identification	Another name used for the Print Server.
Network Address	Identification	IPX Network and Node address of the Print Server.
Description	Identification	Description of the Print Server.
Location	Identification	Location information.
Department	Identification	Department using this Print Server.
Organization	Identification	Business Unit using this Print server.
Version	Identification	Version of the PSERVER.NLM being used.
Status	Identification	Whether the Print Server is currently running or not.
Change Password button	Identification	Used to set a password that is required when PSERVER.NLM is loaded at the server console.
Assignments	Assignments	The printers that are managed by this Print Server.
Users	Users	The users, or their containers, that are granted permissions to use the Print Server.
Operator	Operators	The operators of the Print Server.
Auditing Log	Auditing Log	This page offers powerful auditing features for printing, such as usage of the printer, printing successes, and which printer the job was directed to.
Security Equal To	Security Equal To	Objects having the same security as the Print Server .
Print Layout	Print Layout	Displays a graphical map of the connected printing objects.

Table 1: Print Server Properties

Print Queue object properties are summarized in Table 4-2.

Print Queue Property	Property Page	Function
Name	Identification	Fully Distinguished NDS Name for print queue.
Volume	Identification	Volume where print jobs are stored until they can be printed.
Other Name	Identification	Another name for the Print Queue object.
Description	Identification	A description for the Print Queue.
Location	Identification	Location information for the Print Queue.
Department	Identification	Department that uses this Print Queue.
Organization	Identification	Business Unit that uses this Print Queue.
Operator Flags	Identification	Check boxes to enable/disable printing to the queue. Allow users to submit print jobs. Allow service by current print servers. Allow new print servers to attach.
Assignments	Assignments	Displays the connected Print Server and Printer objects.
Operator	Operator	Operators for the Print Queue.
Users	Users	Authorized users of the Print Queue.
Security Equal	Security Equal	Lists NDS objects with equivalent security.
Job List	Job List	Displays current print jobs and their details. Allows print jobs to be held, resumed, or deleted through appropriate buttons.

Table 2: Print Queue Object Properties

Printer object properties are described in Table 4-3.

Printer Property	Property Page	Function
Name	Identification	The NDS Fully Distinguished Name of the Printer object.
Other Name	Identification	Another name for the Printer.
Description	Identification	Printer description.
Network address	Identification	IPX network and node address for the Printer.
Location	Identification	Location information for the Printer.
Department	Identification	Department that uses this Printer.
Organization	Identification	Business unit that uses this Printer.
Print Queues	Assignments	The Print Queues that feed jobs to this Printer. Priority shows which Print Queues will have the highest priority when submitting jobs to the Printer.
Default Print Queue	Assignments	The default Print Queue captured when a user captures the Printer object rather than a Print Queue.
Printer Type	Configuration	The type of printer port that the printer is attached to. If attached to the server, use serial or parallel. If attached to a workstation or network printing device, select other/unknown.
Communication	Configuration	The specifics of the printer port/type; for example, the parallel port communication allows you to select which LPT port.
Banner Type	Configuration	Specifies whether the banner is in ASCII text format or PostScript. PostScript can be used only on compatible printers.
Service Interval	Configuration	How often, in seconds, the Printer checks for new jobs in the Print Queue.
Buffer Size in KB	Configuration	The size of the data store buffer. This is a RAM buffer of the Print Server (either server or workstation) between 3 and 20 KB.
Starting Form	Configuration	Default form for the Printer.
Network address restriction	Configuration	The network addresses that this Printer is restricted to using.
Service Mode for Forms	Configuration	How to manage the way forms are changed.
Notification	Notification	List users who are notified of printer errors.
Page Description Language	Features	Printer languages supported by the printer.
Memory in KB	Features	The amount of RAM that is installed in the printer.
Supported Type Faces	Features	The printer fonts that the printer can use.
Supported Cartridges	Features	The font cartridges that the printer can use.
Security Equal	Security Equal	List of NDS objects with equivalent security.
See Also	See Also	Other objects to reference with this Printer object.

Table 3: Printer Properties

Users can attach to Print Queues in order to print documents to the network printer. The DOS utility for this process is CAPTURE.EXE. It redirects print jobs sent to the LPT port of the workstation to a network print queue and has multiple switches to control how print jobs are handled. Table 4-4 describes some of the switches for the CAPTURE command.

CAPTURE Switch	Function
/AU or /NA	Autoendcap or No Autoendcap–/AU enabled by default. This enables an application to send a job as soon as it is finished printing. If an app does not support this, use /NA to turn it off.
/B=text or /NB	The banner is a leading page describing the print job. The /NB switch turns off the banner. The /B=text adds "text" to the bottom of the banner.
/C=number	Specifies the number of copies to print the print job.
/CR=filename	Redirects the print job to a file.
/D	Displays the details about the captured printer port.
/EC	/EC L=port Ends Capture of the printer port. /EC ALL Ends Capture of all printer ports. /ECCA Ends the Capture and Cancels the print job.
/F=number or name	Specifies the form to use.
/FF or /NFF	/FF forces a formfeed, or blank sheet of paper, after the print. /NFF turns this off. Most applications already have a built-in formfeed.
/? or /H	Displays the help screen.
/HOLD	Holds the print jobs. They can be released later through NetWare Administrator.
/J=name	Selects a print job configuration to use.
/K	Keeps a print job and sends it to the queue even if the capture does not end correctly.
/L=number or /LPTn	Selects a printer port, using the logical ports 1 through 9.
/NAM=name	Specifies the name to be printed on the banner page at the top.
/NOTI or /NNOTI	/NOTI notifies the user that the print job has completed. /NNOTI turns this feature off.
/P=name	Use this option when capturing a port to an NDS Printer object (excludes using the /Q option).
/Q=name	Use this option when capturing a port to a print queue (excludes using the /P option).
/S=name	If using a bindery-based queue, this specifies which server the queue is attached to.
/SH	Displays each captured printer port configuration.
/T=number or /NT	Specifies the number of spaces to use for tab characters in the print job. Most applications do not require this, and the /NT parameter applies.
/TI=number	Specifies the timeout in number of seconds after which time the print job is considered ended because no data was sent during that period of time.

Table 4: Capture Switches

Capturing a printer in Windows 95 is somewhat different. It is integrated into Client 32. In the Network Neighborhood properties, which is the same as the network icon in control panel, the properties of the NetWare Client include a Default Capture page and a couple of Advanced Settings to manage printing (see Figure 4-3).

Figure 3: Default Capture in NetWare Client 32 properties

The Windows 95 client enables the user to specify the standard configuration to use for printing whenever a capture is made. These settings are specified in the Default Capture page of the NetWare Client properties. As shown in Figure 4-3, the Default Capture page displays many of the same parameters that are available in the CAPTURE command. These include the following:

the number of copies
enabling a formfeed
specifying the number of spaces for tabs
banner settings
placing print jobs on hold as they are submitted
autoendcap to allow print jobs to be submitted as soon as the app is ready
whether to notify the user
whether to keep the job in the queue, even if the station disconnects improperly
specifying the number of seconds for a timeout on the print job

Taylor has created an automated installation for the NetWare Client 32 that specifies some of the default settings for printers, including a banner page and notification for users. She then automatically updates all workstations through the addition of an ACU Setup command in the login script. A few days after the clients are updated, Taylor receives a complaint from a user that he has captured a printer and reconfigured the capture settings for the banner and notification, but each time he logs in, the capture settings go back to where they were. What’s going on?

Taylor had configured the default capture settings for the client. When the files installed, they updated the user’s workstation settings. The default capture settings are inherited by each new print capture performed at the workstation. The only way to change this for the user is to have him go into the Default Capture settings page for the NetWare Client 32 properties and change to the preferred settings there.

The Windows 95 Client 32 Advanced Settings page includes several printing management settings. Many of these settings could possibly affect the performance of printing, merely by optimizing the workstation, such as enabling Large Internet Packets and Packet Burst. Others affect printing directly and are listed below:

Network Printers this parameter allows you to select the number of LPT ports that the Windows 95 client will allow capturing to. The default is three. The values are 1 through 9.
Print Header this sets the size of the buffer used to initialize the print job. Increase this buffer when printing large, or complex, print jobs.
Print Tail this sets the size of the buffer used to hold the information needed to reset the print job.

Exercise 4-3 Capturing a Printer Port in Windows 95

Right-click on the Network Neighborhood icon.

Select Novell Capture Printer Port from the pop-up menu (see Figure 4-4).

Figure 4: Network Neighborhood pop-up menu
The first available port will appear in the upper part of the dialog box. If you wish to select a different port, select it from the drop-down list.
The second portion of this dialog box should be completed with the name of the server and print queue as displayed in Figure 4-5.

Figure 5: The Capture Printer Port dialog box
Click the Capture button.
You can click the Settings buttons and customize the capture settings, if desired. If the defaults are OK, then click Close.

New Technology directions

NetWare’s print queue-based printing architecture was efficient, and Novell’s NetWare operating system was well known for its printing services. However, newer technology demanded that a printing system be created that could incorporate bi-directional communication with more intelligent printers, and desktop printers have begun moving in this direction. Integration with Microsoft Windows operating systems, the most widely installed desktop operating systems, was a requirement. And, in extending the single-seat administrative concept of Novell Directory Services, a management solution was also in order for printing.

Introduction to Novell Distributed Print Services

Novell Distributed Print Services (NDPS) is the next generation for printing within a NetWare 5 environment. This printing architecture was designed by the partnership of Novell, Hewlett-Packard,and Xerox. The goals for NDPS were:

Take advantage of built-in printer intelligence
Centrally manage network printers
Improve network print performance
Facilitate network printer usage for end users

Benefits of NDPS

NDPS leverages the power of Novell Directory Services, and the single point of administration advantage that it offers. The NDPS Printer object is the main focus of NDPS administration. The bi-directional and intelligent communication built into printers feeds information into the NDPS object. From there, the administrator can view proactive information and review printer messages without having to get up to visit the printer and view its information panel. The administrator can move, pause, copy, and delete print jobs. Event notification features of NDPS can even submit an e-mail, write an event to a log file, and prompt a pop-up window on the administrator’s workstation. The event notification features can include FAX and beeper notification, if a third party application has been integrated with NetWare 5.

With NDPS, administrators can install common Windows drivers for the printer and configure the printer setup so that the correct printer driver automatically installs when the user first attempts to print. The NDPS client software is integrated with the Novell NetWare Client 32 software. This software also enables the user to view printer status, job status, and other printer details, as well as re-route their own print jobs. DOS printing still requires the legacy Novell NetWare print queue environment.

End users can benefit from print-job scheduling features of NDPS. There is the ability to schedule print jobs in a first-in, first-out basis or prioritize them based on the smallest sizes first.

On the network, there is an improved performance for the network in general. NDPS reduces network traffic that is associated with SAP (Service Advertising Protocol) broadcasts. Even NDPS printers connected to HP JetDirect cards, which are network printing devices connected directly to the network, are not required to SAP under NDPS, thus reducing bandwidth. Instead, under NDPS, a new printer is registered with the NDPS Service Registry that notifies clients of printer availability.

NDPS provides support for all IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) standard Printer MIB (Management Information Base) objects. This means that any NDPS printer can also be managed through SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol). With a draft of the Internet Printing Protocol (IPP) still in the IETF standards committee, Novell is actively participating in IPP development. NDPS already includes many IPP-like principles. Novell’s current plans include adding support for IPP.

Justine is an engineer who is migrating an Enterprise network from a mixed legacy NetWare 3.x and NetWare 4.x network to NetWare 5. The internetwork includes an Ethernet segment that historically performs poorly during main business hours. Justine notes that this segment includes a large number of printers and decides to migrate the servers that manage those printers first. Why would she decide to do this?Justine knew that in migrating the servers, she could also migrate the printers to NDPS and immediately receive a performance bonus on that segment of the network since NDPS does not need to use SAP, whereas legacy printing is known to consume excess traffic due to SAP usage.

NDPS Structure

Novell Distributed Printing Services was designed to have an architecture that was independent of the operating system. This makes NDPS portable to other environments. The following components make up the NDPS structure:

Printer Agent
Printer Gateways
NDPS Manager
NDPS Broker
Print Client

The Printer Agent is the center of NDPS, and combines the same functions performed by the legacy NetWare printer, print queue, print server, and spooler. The Printer Agent can be software running on the server, or firmware embedded in a network printing device. A Printer Agent can make printers publicly available by not being registered as an NDS object. In contrast, a controlled access printer uses a Printer Agent that is an object within NDS.

Printer Gateways enable communication between non-NDPS printers and NDPS clients so that NDPS clients can place jobs in print queues. The two types of gateways are:

Third-party gateways developed by printer manufacturers to support network attached printers (plug and print) to provide access to printers that are not NDPS-aware (currently, NetWare 5 ships with the Hewlett Packard ® (HP®) and the Xerox ® Gateways), and
The Novell gateway that supports a printer, that does not have an embedded printer agent, connected to a NetWare server or workstation, including NPRINTER and queue-based printers connected directly to the network.

The Novell gateway utilizes a Print Device Subsystem (PDS) and Port Handler. The PDS stores printer information in a database. The PDS information is then used for the Printer Agents created for each of the NDPS printers. The Port Handler portion of the gateway makes sure that there is communication between PDS and the printer.

The NDPS Manager is where Novell Distributed Print Services Printer Agents are created and managed.

The NDPS Broker provides three services:

SRS The Service Registry Service permits public access printers (those without NDS object-based Printer Agents) to advertise themselves. When a printer is required, the workstation NDPS client contacts SRS and retrieves a list of all registered printers.
ENS The Event Notification Service provides the means for event notification configuration for users that may or may not be the print job owner. RMS The Resource Management Service enables resources to be stored in a central location and distributed to network nodes such as client workstations and printers. The resources that can be stored and shared are such things as printer drivers, banners, and fonts.

The NDPS client software is integrated with the NetWare 5 client software. The NDPS Print Client includes an agent for the Printer Service Requester. The client transmits print jobs to the Printer Agent.

Setting Up Novell Distributed Print Services (NDPS)

There are two areas where Novell Distributed Print Services must be set up in order for it to function. First, NDPS files must be installed on a NetWare server, either during server installation or later through the NetWare Configuration NLM. Then, NDPS must be set up so printers can be shared.

Setting Up NDPS During Server Installation

When installing a network server, the installation program reaches a point where it prompts for additional products to be installed. This is a critical point for NDPS, since it is listed in the products available for installation. If a server did not have NDPS installed when it was set up, it is still possible to load the product.

Exercise 4-4 Installing NDPS Files on a NetWare 5 Server

Load NWCONFIG.NLM at the server console.

Select Product Options from the menu.

The resulting menu should include an option for Install Novell Distributed Print Services (NDPS) in the upper box (see Figure 4-6).

Figure 6: NetWare configuration menu product installation
In the lower box, select Choose an item or product listed above.
It will move the cursor to the upper box, in which you should select Install Novell Distributed Print Services (NDPS).
The NWCONFIG program will prompt for the path to the installation files. Verify that the correct path is being prompted, or press F3 and type the correct path.
Files will copy and NDPS will be ready for further configuration through NetWare Administrator.

Completing NDPS Setup from the Workstation

NDPS objects are set up in the NetWare Administrator, which is run from the workstation. The workstation setup for NDPS is easiest to initiate from the creation of the NDPS Manager and an NDPS printer.

Exercise 4-5 Creating NDPS Objects

Choose Start | Run, type F:\PUBLIC\WIN32\NWADMN32.EXE, and press ENTER.

Navigate to the context where you wish to place the NDPS objects.

Press the INSERT key.

Select NDPS Broker from the list of objects.

Type in an appropriate name and press ENTER.

You will be returned to NetWare Administrator; press the INSERT key.

Select NDPS Manager from the list of objects.

Type an appropriate name and press ENTER.

At the NetWare Administrator window, press the INSERT key.

Select NDPS Printer from the list of objects (see Figure 4-7).

Figure 7: NDPS printer creation
Make sure that the Create New Printer Agent is selected in order to set up the NDPS Printer Agent; then click Create.
The NDPS Printer Agent prompts for the correct gateway and NDPS Manager (see Figure 4-8). For NDPS Manager Name, click the button to the right of the box and navigate until the NDPS Manager object is selected. This printer will be a printer connected locally to the server, in which case the Novell Gateway should be selected. The other two gateways are for use with Hewlett-Packard and Xerox printers attached directly to the network. Click OK.

Figure 8: Selecting the Novell Printer Gateway and NDPS Manager
The next screen, illustrated in Figure 4-9, prompts for the configuration of the PDS (Print Device Subsystem) and Port Handler. Select the printer type in the upper box, and click OK.

Figure 9: PDS and Port Handler configuration screen
The next screen configures the printer connection. Select Local (physical connection to the server) and the appropriate physical port (most likely LPT1); then click Next.
At the next dialog box, accept the default parameters for PSERVER emulation and click Finish.
The NetWare Administrator next prompts for the resource drivers to be distributed by the Resource Management Service. Click the Windows 95 Driver tab and select the appropriate driver. Click OK.

In order to use an NDPS printer from a workstation, the user simply has to browse through the Network Neighborhood tree and double-click the NDPS printer. The dialog box in Figure 4-10 appears to the user.

Figure 10: NDPS Client prompting to install an NDPS printer

After clicking Yes to this dialog box, the printer automatically installs its driver and prompts you to verify the name to use for the printer in the client workstation’s Printers folder. This process alone is a vast improvement over the legacy printing method from the end user’s standpoint.

The end user can also use the Novell Printer Manager from the workstation to install printers and manage their print jobs. This application is found in SYS:PUBLIC\WIN32. The executable name is NWPMW32.EXE. When it is running on the workstation, the user can install a printer by clicking the Printer menu and selecting New. Click the Add button, which extends the dialog box. Click the Browse button and navigate to the NDPS printer object to print on. Click OK; then click Install.

The installed printers show up in the Novell Printer Manager window. To view the list of print jobs, double-click on the printer icon. To see the current status of the printer, select the Printer menu and click Information. To configure the Printer object, select the Printer menu, and click Configuration.

Managing NDPS

There are two NLMs that are loaded on the server for NDPS functionality. One is NDPSM.NLM, which is the NDPS Manager NLM and loaded at the server console prompt by typing LOAD NDPSM. The other is the broker, which is loaded at the server console prompt using the command LOAD BROKER .BROKERNAME.OU.O. To verify that they are loaded, type MODULES at the server console prompt.

Exam Watch: The NDPS NLMs, as well as most of the NLM files for NetWare, are stored in the SYS:SYSTEM directory or in the C:\NWSERVER directory. The server will search the NWSERVER and SYSTEM directories first for NLMs. If an NLM is moved to another directory, the LOAD command must include the path to the NLM file. Or the administrator can execute a SEARCH ADD <volume:path> command on the console so that all subsequent LOAD commands will also search that path for the NLM file before reporting that the file is not found.

The NDPS Manager displays the printer status at the server. The printer shown in Figure 4-11 has run out of paper.

Figure 11: NDPS printer status at the server NDPSM.NLM

The NDPSM.NLM offers several options to manage the NDPS printing. The first menu offers the options for Printer Agent List, NDPS Manager Status and Control, and Exit. To view an individual printer’s status, such as that depicted in Figure 4-11, select a printer from the Printer Agent List.

To view further details of the NDPSM.NLM, select NDPS Manager Status and Control. This screen displays how long the NDPS Manager has been up and running. It also shows the number of attached printer agents and the current status of the NDPS Manager. The final option in this screen is Database options. Select this for further features as shown in Figure 4-12.

Figure 12: Database options for the NDPS Manager

These options, which consist of a database file and an index file, are available for advanced troubleshooting of NDPS Manager. The Examine Database option will display database statistics. The Backup Database Files option copies the NDPS Manager database files. The Auto Backup options displays another menu of automatic backup for NDPS Manager database files. If requiring an NDPS Manager Database Restore, select the Restore Database from Backup option. The Resynchronize Database Files builds a new Index file from the database file. To review the NDPS events, select View Log File. Delete the log file if it has become too large. Uninstall Database removes the NDPS Manager and its supporting files from the NetWare 5 server.

The Novell Printer Manager enables users to manage their own print jobs, view printer status, and install printers. The NetWare Administrator provides further configuration and management of NDPS printing objects. In particular, when viewing the NDPS Printer object properties, the Job List and Set Defaults buttons in the Printer Control property page display the same information as the Novell Printer Manager Information and Configuration options. Table 4-5 describes NDPS Broker properties

NDPS Broker Property	Property Page	Function
Name	Identification	NDS name for the NDPS Broker object.
SAP Name	Identification	Name to use for SAP (Service Advertising Protocol).
Description	Identification	Description information for NDPS Broker.
Location	Identification	Location information for NDPS Broker.
Status/Unload	Identification	This button allows the administrator to unload the NDPS Broker NLM from the server.
Managers	Access Control	Lists users given manager access to the NDPS Broker.
Service Registry Service	Service Registry Service	Displays the services registered and availability. When a service option is selected, the address for the service information will display a MAC or IP address. A Disable button allows the administrator to select a service and turn it off.
Event Notification Service	Event Notification Service (ENS)	Displays which events are loaded. The administrator can load more services, unload the ones currently loaded, or disable the ENS altogether.
Resource Path	Resource Management (RMS)	Shows the path where resources are located on the network.

Table 5: NDPS Broker Properties

The NDPS Manager properties are summarized in Table 4-6.

NDPS Manager Property	Property Page	Function
Name	Identification	The NDS Fully Distinguished Name for the NDPS Manager.
Version	Identification	The version of the software loaded for the NDPS Manager.
Net Address	Identification	The network and node address of the NDPS Manager.
Description	Identification	Description information for the NDPS Manager.
Location	Identification	Location information for the NDPS Manager.
Volume	Identification	Volume where the NDPS Manager files exist.
Status/Unload	Identification	The status shows whether the NDPS Manager is active. The Unload button enables the administrator to unload the NDPSM.NLM from NetWare Administrator.
Role	Access Control	Lists the users who have manager control over the NDPS Manager.
Printer Agent List	Printer Agent List	Lists the printers that are being served to the network.

Table 6: NDPS Manager Propertiesx

Table 4-7 summarizes NDPS printer properties

NDPS Printer Property	Property Page	Function
DS Name	Printer Control	Identification button - NDS name for the NDPS printer.
Printer Agent	Printer Control	Identification button - Name of the NDPS Printer object.
NDPS Manager	Printer Control	Identification button - Name of the NDPS Manager object.
Description	Printer Control	Identification button - Description information for the NDPS printer.
Location	Printer Control	Identification button – Location information for the NDPS printer.
Manufacturer	Printer Control	Identification button – Manufacturer name communicated from printer.
Model	Printer Control	Identification button – Model name communicated from printer.
Net Address	Printer Control	Identification button – IPX network and node address.
Printer Control DLL name	Printer Control	Identification button – DLL snap-in for printer.
Spooling location	Printer control	Spooling button – Volume for spool files.
Disk space available	Printer control	Spooling button – Space available on volume where spool files are located.
Limit disk space	Printer Control	Spooling button – Limits the disk space for the spool files.
Scheduling	Printer control	Spooling button – Select the scheduling type for the printer.
Queue compatibility	Printer control	Spooling button – Select NetWare print queues to service as a backward compatibility feature.
Job List	Printer control	Job List button – Lists the current print jobs and their status.
Update Console	Printer Control	Updates the console with current information.
Features	Printer Control	Features button – Displays the printer’s features as communicated to NDPS by the printer, including amount of RAM.
Advanced	Printer Control	Features button – Displays advanced printer features.
Set Defaults	Printer Control	Set Defaults button – Enables the administrator to select the printer configuration to be passed to users, including number of copies and banner pages.
Media	Printer Control	Media button – Enables the administrator to limit the type of media loaded on the printer.
Status	Printer Control	Status of the printer.
Access Control	Access Control	Ability to establish managers, operators, and users for the printer.
Configuration	Configuration	Creation and management of print job configurations.
Container for remote config	NDPS Remote Printer Mgmt	NDS container object in which to store the remote configuration.
Remote Printer Options	NDPS Remote Printer Mgmt	Automatically install or remove this printer to workstations in the container listed.

Table 7: NDPS Printer Properties

Certification Summary

Network printing is the ability to print from a workstation to a printer that is connected somewhere else on a network. The printer can be attached to another workstation, a server, or be attached directly to the network.

Legacy printing structure in Novell NetWare included Printer, Print Queue, and Print Server objects in NDS. These objects are linked together so that prints are spooled under the Print Queue object, served out to the network by the Print Server object, and then printed to the Printer object.

New technology such as bi-directional communication, central management solutions, and intelligence in printers and network-attached print devices, have forced a new look at the way Novell NetWare handles printing. Novell, in partnership with Hewlett-Packard and Xerox, created Novell Distributed Print Services (NDPS), which incorporates new technology functions.

NDPS offers a single point of administration through its integration with NDS. It can communicate with printers directly, give notification of printer events, distribute printing resources such as print drivers automatically to clients, and reduce bandwidth consumption through the replacement of SAP with SRS.

There are several components to NDPS:

Printer Agent a combination printer, print server, and print queue
Printer Gateways print device subsystem and port handler enable communication between client workstations and printer
NDPS Manager the software or firmware that manages the printer agent
NDPS Broker consists of the Service Registry Service, Event Notification Service, and Resource Management Service
Print Client integrated with the NetWare Client 32 and uses a printer service requestor agent to access print services

To set up NDPS, the files for NDPS must be copied on a server first. If this is not done during the server installation, the files can be installed through the Product Install option in the NWCONFIG.NLM on the server console. The three NDS objects that must be created for NDPS are: NDPS Broker, NDPS Manager, and NDPS Printer. This is done in the NetWare Administrator.

NDPS is also managed from the NetWare Administrator. It provides the single seat of administration. Print jobs can be configured, managed, moved, and deleted. The NDPS Printer object will display the status of the printer and other relevant printer information that can be useful in managing printing. The NDPS Broker and NDPS Manager objects enable configuration management of printing. The NDPS Manager NLM (NDPSM.NLM) loaded on the server offers some administration capabilities over the printer agents it manages. End users can use the Novell Printer Manager to list and manage their own print jobs.

Two-Minute Drill

Older versions of the NetWare printing system were based on Print Queues and Print Servers. Along with Queues and Servers, a Printer object was included in NDS as a resource object.
The printing services NetWare provided required the creation of each individual Print Queue, Printer object, and Print Server. These printing service objects had to be linked together to provide a path for a print job to follow from the workstation to the printed output.
The Print Queue is a storage area that receives print jobs from multiple users, and lines them up or queues them for printing.
The Print Server is a service that manages the print action. The Print Server accepts the job and sends it to the correct printer.
The Printer object represents a network printer. It is configured in NDS, along with the Print Server and Print Queue objects, to define the connections between the various components.
Several NDS options can manage and configure printing to work correctly for the environment that it is serving. These options are available through the properties of the Printer, Print Queue, and Print Server objects.
Users can attach to Print Queues in order to print documents to the network printer using the DOS utility CAPTURE.EXE. CAPTURE.EXE redirects print jobs sent to the LPT port of the workstation to a network print queue, and has multiple switches to control how print jobs are handled.
Capturing a printer in Windows 95 is integrated into Client 32. In the Network Neighborhood properties, the properties of the NetWare Client include a Default Capture page and two Advanced Settings to manage printing.
The Windows 95 client enables the user to specify the standard configuration to use for printing whenever a capture is made. These settings are specified in the Default Capture page of the NetWare Client properties.
The Windows 95 Client 32 Advanced Settings page includes several printing management settings. They are Network Printers, Print Header, and Print Tail.
NDPS leverages the power of Novell Directory Services, and the single point of administration advantage that it offers. The NDPS Printer object is the main focus of NDPS administration. The bi-directional and intelligent communication built into printers feeds information into the NDPS object. From there, the administrator can view proactive information and review printer messages.
With NDPS, administrators can install common Windows drivers for the printer and configure the printer setup so that the correct printer driver automatically installs when the user first attempts to print.
End users can schedule print jobs in a first-in, first-out basis or prioritize them based on the smallest sizes first.
NDPS reduces network traffic that is associated with SAP (Service Advertising Protocol) broadcasts.
NDPS provides support for all IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) standard Printer MIB (Management Information Base) objects. This means that any NDPS printer can also be managed through SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol).
Novell Distributed Printing Services has an architecture that is independent of the operating system. This makes NDPS portable to other environments. The components of the NDPS structure are Printer Agent, Printer Gateways, NDPS Manager, NDPS Broker, and Print Client.
The Printer Agent combines the same functions performed by the legacy NetWare printer, print queue, print server, and spooler. The Printer Agent can be software running on the server, or firmware embedded in a network printing device. A Printer Agent can make printers publicly available by not being registered as an NDS object. In contrast, a controlled access printer uses a Printer Agent that is an object within NDS.
Printer Gateways enable communication between non-NDPS printers and NDPS clients so that NDPS clients can place jobs in print queues. The two types of gateways are: Third-party gateways, and The Novell gateway.
There are two areas where Novell Distributed Print Services must be set up in order for it to function. First, NDPS files must be installed on a NetWare server, either during server installation or later through the NetWare Configuration NLM. Then, NDPS must be set up so printers can be shared.
There are two NLMs that are loaded on the server for NDPS functionality. One is NDPSM.NLM, which is the NDPS Manager NLM. The other is the broker.
The NDPSM.NLM offers several options to manage the NDPS printing. The first menu offers the options for Printer Agent List, NDPS Manager Status and Control, and Exit. NDPS Manager Status and Control displays how long the NDPS Manager has been up and running. It also shows the number of attached printer agents and the current status of the NDPS Manager.
Database options are available for advanced troubleshooting of NDPS Manager. The Examine Database option will display database statistics. The Backup Database Files option copies the NDPS Manager database files. The Auto Backup options displays another menu of automatic backup for NDPS Manager database files.
The Novell Printer Manager enables users to manage their own print jobs, view printer status, and install printers. The NetWare Administrator provides further configuration and management of NDPS printing objects.