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TICKET ARCHIVE -> Printer Sharing

mister_blubs - Jun 17, 2005 - 3:25 pm

can you help me print to a shared printer?

printer: Epson Stylus Photo 820, USB

connected to: G4 desktop running Panther 10.3.9

connected to: Linksys router


Other Mac: iBook G4, Panther 10.3.9

- talks to router via Airport Express


From iBook - I cannot see the printer when trying to add printer to Printer Utility (there's no other printers).

Are there some printers that don't play? I can't find info about that.

Thanks -

baldprof - Jun 17, 2005 - 4:12 pm

If I understand you correctly, you have an Airport Express connected to the router, and you have an Airport card in the iBook. Is this correct?

Assuming that it is, then there may be a conflict between the way the router assigns IP addresses and the way you have your Airport Express setup. I would gues that your Linksys router is using DHCP to assign IP adresses. If so then you should have your Airport Express set up to act as a "bridge", and simply pass along any IP addresses assigned by the router.
The router in effect sets up it's own LAN, and only devices within that LAN can see each other. If you have the Airport Express set up as a "bridge" then any machine communicating with it becomes part of the routers LAN. If you have the Airport Express set up to also assign IP addresses then it is creating it's own LAN as well. Devices on one LAN cannot see devices on the other.

Check to make sure that your Airporrt Express is operating in "Bridge mode."

mister_blubs - Jun 18, 2005 - 6:00 pm

Wow - you were right. Not being all that network savvy, I looked up what you meant by "bridge mode" and found a brief tutorial on the topic. I made a change using Airport Utility, and bada bing! it worked.

Thanks for the quick response, too.

Adios -

mister_blubs - Jun 25, 2005 - 11:31 am

Okay, me and my printer problem again.

Last week you helped me figure out why I could not see my printer from my airport-equipped iBook. I put the iBook's airport in "bridge mode" as you suggested, and suddenly could see the printer on the home network (again, my one Airport Express is connected to a router using DHCP).

Today, I again cannot see the printer from the iBook. I've checked Airport Utility, and it appears to retain the same bridge mode settings (allowing only the router to assign IP addresses). I then shut everything down, restarted the cable modem, then the router (I've restarted Airport Express at least twice).

Any ideas why I suddenly can't see the printer?

Thanks

baldprof - Jun 25, 2005 - 12:10 pm

Back for more are you? Ha!


I need to ask, can you access the internet? Can your other Mac see the printer? If you can, then the problem isn't the router or the Airport Express.

Well I am not sure what is going on. First thing to do is to Repair Permissions. You can find that in the Disk Utility which is in the Utilities folder, that is under the Main Applications folder. Then restart.

Suppose that doesn't work? Step 2: Boot from an OS X CD; insert the disk, select Restart from the Apple menu, and hold down the C key to force a boot from the CD. When it has booted, click on Options, and run the Disk Repair process which is part of Disk Utility. This has to be done by booting from a CD.

Then if that doesn't work, then you might find some help here:

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=153424

mister_blubs - Jun 26, 2005 - 8:45 am

Michael -

Repairing permissions did it -

1) I shoulda tried that before I asked for help, and 2) because I best learn by example, i'm a little disappopinted that the problem wasn't something more... "interesting".

But thanks again.

:: bruce ::