Setting up a Two-Printer Pool: Stand-alone Win2k3 Environment

[Jay Bollyn]

I need step-by-step instructions for setting up two LJ8150n in a printer pool. We have a stand-alone win2k3 print server which runs pay-for-print software. All printing clients are winxp SP2. The pay-for-print system requires LPD/LPR protocol. The clients logon with a local account (no domains, no AD).

Here is what I need to do, as I understand it:

In the server printer folder, for EACH of the two printers, Properties > Ports > check 'enable printer pooling', check both ports in the pool. The MS 70-290 MCSA book suggests that one of the printers be named PrinterPool.

In the printer folder of each client, install PrinterPool.

Does it really matter which of the two pooled printers I install on the clients?

I know this would be easier with domains and AD, but that is not an option for these users.

TIA - Jay

[Roger Faucher · Accepted solution]

Jay:

This is from the W2K3 server site. I'm pretty sure you've got all of this covered but thought I'd toss it out, just in case:

"Pooling printers
Printer pooling is especially useful in high-volume printing environments. Pooled printers appear to clients as a single printer, but printing throughput is increased because the load is distributed among the printers in the pool.

Before you set up a printer pool, consider the following issues:

â ¢ Two or more printers are required; Windows Server 2003 does not limit the number of printers in a pool.

â ¢ The printers in the pool must be of the same model, and they must use the same printer driver.

â ¢ Printer ports can be of the same type or mixed (such as parallel, serial, and network).

â ¢ If you want to ensure that documents are first sent to the faster printers, add the faster printers to the pool first and the slower printers last. Print jobs are routed in the order in which you create the ports.

â ¢ Because users do not know which printer prints their documents, it is a good idea to locate all of the pooled printers in the same physical location. Otherwise, users might not be able to find their printed documents.


Top of page
To create a printer pool
1. In Control Panel, open the Printers and Faxes folder, right-click the appropriate printer, and click Properties.

2. On the Ports tab, select the Enable printer pooling check box.

3. In the list of ports, select the check boxes for the ports connected to the printers that you want to pool.

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for each additional printer to be included in the printer pool."

The text is a little befuddling. The say all printers must be the same model but that you should add the fastest printer to the pool first??? The only thing I could think of is two printers of the same model but with different amounts of memory might make one faster than the other. Nevertheless, based on that statement, I would point the client(s) to the first printer added to the pool.

Make a great day!

Roger

[Jay Bollyn]

Thanks Roger,

You are right, many of these win2k3 administrative tasks seem pretty simple and straightforward, until one actually needs to roll it out to production. As they say, the devil is in the details.

At this point, you are now 10 points closer to a ITRC MS-Family forum milestone - 10,000 points earned. This is quite an achievement!

http://www.volac.info/itrcstats/user_details.php?user_id=CA615696&show_others=

I have recently scaled back my forum contributions, because as you know, so many time-consuming solutions go unrewarded. I am amazed at how much time and effort you spend solving problems, such detail and thoroughness. My approach is to just point them in the right direction.

- Jay MCP (en route to MCSA)

[Jay Bollyn]

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