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TICKET ARCHIVE -> Networking my printer

jverschu - Jan 10, 2008 - 6:59 pm

Hello MacOSX support team,

I have a Lexmark Optra Rt+ printer and a Netgear RangeMax WPN894 v2 wireless router which is used for wired and wireless internet. Now with my older Lexmark printer and brand new MacMini it may be wiser to network the unit over buying a USB to parallel cord. I played around a bit and noticed in the router setting an "attached devices" box. I noticed the existing device, my computer I guess, has the IP address ending 1.2. The router's ending number on the bottom of the router is ending with 1.1. Pressing the refresh does not change anything still only one device is attached. On the router I see Port 1 in which I plugged the printer into the light turn orange over green which is the light of port 4 in which my computer is plugged into. My printer always beeps when starting it up, indicating that it is missing a network, which I then have to disable. Now with the ethernet plugged into the router it starts up without the beep, indicating some "happiness" at his/her end. However things are not quite there yet and refresh does not do it so what further settings do I need to at to get this printer to work via the network?

Thanks
Jan

DeltaMac - Jan 10, 2008 - 7:42 pm

Maybe you are over-thinking on this...
Do you have the most up-to-date drivers (really just a needed PPD for your printer) from the Lexmark web site)
http://downloads.lexmark.com/cgi-per...p=Mac%20OS%20X
Have you tried to add the printer? Use your printer setup utility, or if you have Leopard, just add the printer in your System Preferences/Printer & Fax pane. That will tell you more than trying to see the network device manually. Bonjour is fairly thorough, and should see your printer without a struggle.

jverschu - Jan 11, 2008 - 12:40 am

Hey Deltamac!
Thanks again for pulling me out of the mud! Never ever networked anything so sorry for over thinking things here. Thanks for the Lexmark link. I installed the driver. In the Print and Fax pane, when clicking the + sign and go to MORE PRINTERS I get the computer looking for installed printers but then at the end in the drop down list I only get Canon IJ Network, Epson Firewire, Epson TCP/IP and HP IP printing, where I would expect Lexmark, to be able to move forward. And where do I see Bonjour and what does that do?....
Sorry for the ignorance.
Thanks
Jan

DeltaMac - Jan 11, 2008 - 6:53 am

Assuming your Netgear router is working OK, and assuming that your Lexmark printer is plugged into an ethernet port on the router. Make sure that your printer power is on. You may need to turn on AppleTalk (in your Network pref pane).
** Restart your Mac.**
Go to your Printer Setup Utility. Is your printer showing in the Printer list? That's all you need, and that's how Bonjour works - in the background doing useful things like finding printers on your network.
If you don't yet see your printer, click on Add Printer. You shouldn't need to click on a drop down. Is your printer in that window? If so, click on the line with your printer to select it. It may take a couple of minutes before the Add button is available. You should see your Lexmark model in the Print Using: drop-down automatically, or click that drop-down, and browse through the list to your printer, and click the Add button when it is available.
I hope you are printing by now.
- Dale

jverschu - Jan 11, 2008 - 10:11 am

Hi Dale,
When the printer is OFF the light on 1 on the router is out. When turning the printer on it turns amber. On port 4 is my Internet to my computer and that is green all the time: it works! They both flicker once in a while in simultaneously. So let's assume that all at that end is OK. AppleTalk I found had the checkmark checked at Make AppleTalk Active. No printer in the PrintFax options. And the ADD box is greyed out. At least under MORE PRINTERS. When I go to IP, it gives the Line Printer Daemon LTP box at the top. When jumping to the bottom box; Select printer to use, my Lexmark model is in there. But I cannot select it to jump into the box...

AH! Fixed it I think. Under IP address I (again) wrote in the IP address which is printed underneath the Router. NOW it worked and could choose the Optra Rt+ driver. It lets me further custom choose all the hoopla that's attached to the printer. I think I am good to go! Instead of More Printers I had to go to IP. But I had been playing there as well before I think.... Looks like you saved another mortal digital soul! BUT the router light on port one is still orange AND I have to go to work now....
We may talk more later!
Thanks Dale!!

jverschu - Jan 13, 2008 - 11:36 pm

Hi Dale,

Well, we are close but no cigar yet, I think. When trying to print, a little box pops up on the dock that is linked to the printing settings. "Attempting to connect to host 192.168.1.1 for printer. Network host 192.168.1.1 is busy, will retry in 30 seconds." Plus the port number 1 light on the router, where the Ethernet for the printer is plugged into is still orange and not green like my port 4 which is for my ADSL...
Thanks beforehand Dale,

Jan

DeltaMac - Jan 14, 2008 - 6:36 am

Try the disconnecting the ethernet form your computer, and connect the printer directly to your computer. You may need a cross-over ethernet cable when you try that. The cross-over might be what you need at the router, too. If that's what you have now for the printer, then you would need to try a standard straight-through ethernet.
Bonjour should be picking up your printer, but something about the connection is not right, and the orange connect light is your clue. If you can get that to be green, you should be good.... The printer's configuration page probably has a better IP address to use. You would need that instead of the router's address. I can't help you with that part.
- Dale

jverschu - Jan 15, 2008 - 11:37 am

Hi Dale,
Hooked the printer directly into the computer. Noticed in Network settings that my Ethernet icon remained green, with a different IP address. 169.254.250.197 subnet 255.255.0. I can add a printer in the print/fax setup. I can choose the Optra Rt+ driver. When printing the error box in the dock does not bounces up like before but it does show up with the message that the printing job is paused. In the listing it says STOPPED. When hooking up everything through the router and trying to choose the 169.254.250.197 address, there is an exclamation mark right on the dropdown list, makes sense. But the "bouncing on the dock" is identical to using the router address. In the listing it says "printing" and not "stopped" That stopped message while not having stopped anything sounds to me further away from making this work over the readings when going through the router. I have been flipping through the printer's menus but cannot find an IP address in there. When hooking the printer up to the computer it lost a connection it said and I could push a retry button which made the printer find what it needed and produced 169.254.250.197 IP I guess. the There are some network options on the printer. NET 1 PCL and PS Smartswitch are both on and Net 1 NPA mode is set to AUTO. On straight through or cross over... I just have a regular ethernet cable that fits in any RJ45 jack so I plug it straight into the devices. I assume that that is a straight through connection. What would be a cross over. AND by the way, should have mentioned this sooner maybe: the printer is ALSO connected via Parallel to my old windows machine.
What else can you come up with in this...
Thanks Dale
Jan

DeltaMac - Jan 15, 2008 - 3:43 pm

A straight-through ethnet cable is a normal ethernet patch cable. A 'sross-over' ethenet cable has 2 pairs in the cable reversed, and is often used to connect with printers. A shop that sells those will know what that means.

The 169.x.x.x address is normally _not_ a good IP address. It is known as a self-assigned address, and usually indicates a problem with the port or the cable. I think you need to try the cross-over ethernet cable for that printer to work.

jverschu - Jan 18, 2008 - 2:13 pm

Hi Dale,
I hope you are going to impress me again and by the looks of it: you will! I am away from home for a week but can pick up the needed cables. Cross over ethernet cable is required to go from router to printer only OR do I need also to change the current ethernet cable to cross over going from the computer into the router which gives me my Internet but also communicates between the computer, via the router, to the printer? And not the one going from the DSL modem into the router I would assume... Probably not three but maybe 2 cross over ethernet cables? Or is ONE sufficient... AND another thought. The Mini has wireless capability. Is it possible to print wireless from the computer to the router from where than it continues via Ethernet? Maybe saving cables? But maybe I am saying something that makes no sense...
Thanks Dale,
Jan

DeltaMac - Jan 18, 2008 - 6:52 pm

I really don't know if the cross-over cable will help, but it's something that you haven't tried yet...
You would only need the one, connected to the printer, and whereever you would attach the other end.
You get the 169.x.x.x when the printer is connected to the computer directly, so the cross-over would certainly be needed for that setup. You will be able to directly connect from the printer to the computer with the cross-over cable (I predict that will work, anyway!)
Yes, you can print wirelessly from your mini - You have a wireless router, - and if the printer driver includes networking code that allows for wireless printing. You won't know 'til you try... !
And - - you don't know if the Netgear router that you have will support the Lexmark printer in any case. (I have no idea). You haven't had luck yet with that. Hopefully that will change. Your printer may need AppleTalk, and not all internet routers will pass Appletalk. I don't know if that is the problem, but can often happen.

TechSupport - Feb 8, 2008 - 12:40 pm

We apologize for not being able to resolve the issue you asked of us. It is the absolute worst case scenario for us to do this. In our review of why this happens, it generally is related to either the particular issue being addressed or frequently, incomplete or incorrect information provided. We hope by moving your request to the public forums that you will be able to get a solution without leaving you empty handed.

Your ticket has been closed with our support team. Your request has just been posted to Mac OS X System & Mac Software and is available for your viewing at:

http://macosx.com/forums/showthread.php?t=298317

Again, thank you for using Macosx.com. We hope you will consider using us again in the future.

jverschu - Feb 8, 2008 - 12:45 pm

Hi Dale,
Finally got my cross over ethernet cable hooked up directly to the printer. Through some fumbling I got the printer to stop the beep at start up, indicating it was missing a network connection, now from it's end at least expressing to have found a network, like before though. I installed the appropriate driver for the Optra Rt+. It is going to IP address 192.168.1.1 on port 631 but I cannot print. The icon jumps up again on the dock with "unable to print, will retry in 30 seconds". I ALSO have no succes setting up my Apple modem. In that process I have a lot of confusion going on. I cannot use it/set it up for dial up internet. As when trying to do so it tells me under Modem, Internet Connect: "Could not open the communication device. Running Diagnostics on External Modem I choose PPP, no cable or DSL modem and I have nothing more to unplug as the modem goes direct in the telephone line: it cannot get configured.
AND where my real confusion comes in: I deleted ALL my network items, like airport, Eternet, Firewire as they were all red to begin with and I could not get them to work. Restart my system. Resetting those up: all stays red (I have no wireless at the moment OR wired Internet btw, I am writing this from another computer...) but my Parliant PhoneValet adapter and Pagesender network (= the ext. Modem!) items ARE red but work fine. My Firewire icon is red BUT my LaCie is hooked up and I can access it just fine.... WHAT does RED mean than when things DO work though...
Thanks again Dale
Jan

jverschu - Feb 9, 2008 - 5:53 pm

I see, Dale, that by reopening the ticket the initial question is posted to the website... I hope this somehow reaches you though as I now also received a "reminder" email from MacOSX, as if I need to respond.

Hope to hear from you.

Jan