Networked printer

gman

gman

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Graham
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Could use a little help with this, got Virgin business which can't be changed due to upload speed requirements and can't get anything near as fast in the area and a Networked Canon C351 hooked up via the network into wall. I've got the ip address reserved and a 1 week lease set yet it keeps losing its connection. I have to restart the server and then it will work again for a while. Server is just a simple win 7 pro and the computers never lose their mapped drive setting unless you restart the computers upon which you simply have to enter the login credentials again.

Any ideas why this is happening with the printer? Could it be something to do with power saving or sleep?

Cheers
 
With a reserved IP address, the lease time is irrelevant, but a static IP on the printer would be better. If you are printing via the PC, when it stops working, try to reach the printer directly via a web browser. If the printer responds, then the server is the issue.
 
Are you printing over the internet? If not then your Virgin business has nothing to do with anything.

The other question would be 'why do you need a print server?' Can't you just print directly to the printer itself?
 
Sorry, when I say server it's just a computer setup as dedicated file sharing. The printer always works fine, it's only when scanning to network that it seems to lose its connection. The printer is standalone and connected via cat6 into the wall and several computers print to it independently.

The printer has its own user and password as setup by the people who supplied it. The computers all have their own logins also to connect to the network and access the shared folders on the server computer.
 
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A static ip on the printer is the way to go.

Presumably the 'server' is not acting as a print server also?

Give the printer a static ip and add it on each pc.

Cheers
 
yes give the printer a static IP either high up in your range so it will not get allocated by DHCP or above or below your range.

Also male sure you use the correct DNS server which you can find out from doing an ipconfig /all from one of your workstations.

This will ensure the printer can contact an outside web site if it needs to retrieve print jobs.
 
Not sure how I go about giving it a static IP but as said I have reserved the IP address for the printer (and all comptuers/printers) in the router. It prints fine, it's just scanning to the networked folder that drops. Come to think of it I think the printer does have a static IP in the printer control panel on the actual machine.

I don't think the server acts as a print server but for scanning the server will have to be on as the shared folder is located there.
 
If the scanner can't see the share it is trying to scan to then it is probably that the 'server' has gone to sleep. You need to set your 'server' to not go to sleep/power save mode and that should resolve everything.
 
Great cheers, I'll check that out.

Just wondering, if that were the case then wouldn't the mapped drives on all the computers which are connected to the shared folders on the same server suffer the same problem?
 
How re you referencing the shared folder on the printer by its name or its ip address?
 
gman said:
Great cheers, I'll check that out.

Just wondering, if that were the case then wouldn't the mapped drives on all the computers which are connected to the shared folders on the same server suffer the same problem?
Click to expand...

From experience, no. Had this before, many years ago whereby computers accessing mapped network drives force the 'server' to wake up but 'scan to folder' doesn't.
 
Mr Bump said:
How re you referencing the shared folder on the printer by its name or its ip address?
Click to expand...

The shared folder for scan to network is on the server. The printer supplier set it up.

I'll check out this sleep thing cheers
 
gman said:
The shared folder for scan to network is on the server. The printer supplier set it up.

I'll check out this sleep thing cheers
Click to expand...

One thing to try - if you can set up printer and server to use FTP instead of a network share. That *should* require the printer to login every time you scan something.
 
Ploddles said:
If the scanner can't see the share it is trying to scan to then it is probably that the 'server' has gone to sleep. You need to set your 'server' to not go to sleep/power save mode and that should resolve everything.
Click to expand...


Just checked and it was already configured to stay awake always.

Not sure about the FTP / Network Share - will need to check with the printer tech.
 
Leave the printer with it's DHCP Reservation. If you trust your network infrastructure, a DHCP reservation is every bit as good as a static and easier to manage in the long run. If DHCP isn't working then fix the DHCP server rather than assigning statics.

I rather suspect the printer's connection to the network is fine. But you can test this by taking another machine on the network, opening a Command Shell (<Win> + <R> ==> cmd ==> Enter), and typing ping /t printerName. This will continually send a packet (once per second) to the printer and check for a response. Leave that running and next time there's a 'connection issue' check it. You could also set-up a ping to the 'server' using another Command Shell.

Don't bother with an FTP server - that's just adding extra complication when it's better to keep things simple.

The best suggestion I've seen so far, is checking that that "server" hasn't gone to sleep. There are two other distinct possible causes of this problem I can think of.
1) A none-server version of Windows will only support at most 10 remote connections to network shares etc. If you have over 10 workstations (or even getting close to 10 workstations), not all of the workstations (inc. printer) using the server will be able to access it simultaneously. Solution: stop being a Cheapskate and invest in a proper server.
2) I suspect the devices on your network are relying on a mixture of DNS courtesy of the Virgin Media 'hub' and Netbios courtesy of Windows to find each other. In a Windows 'workgroup' network (N.B. where there's no domain set-up) one of the machines on that network will be elected "master browser" and other machines on the network will query the elected "master browser" when looking for network resources like file shares and printers. The master browser can change as workstations are switched on/off and problems arise when a newly elected master browser does not know about all the devices on the network. I've had this problem a few times and I've hacked machines around so only the machine that's always switched on can be master browser. Solution: It's hacky. Stob being a Cheapskate and invest in a proper server.

A HP Gen8 Microserver and Windows Server 2012 Business Essentials or something like that should do the job.
 
Cheers I'll look into things. I afraid there isn't really a priority placed on IT but I'm slowly changing this view.
 
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