HP Jetdirect 175x Print Server series User Manual
User’s Guide
HP J6035B Jetdirect 175x external print
server/Internet connector for USB
HP J6038A Jetdirect 310x external print
server/Internet connector for USB
Contents of this User’s Guide
1. Get a general product description of the print server (below)
2.
Learn the basics of networking and network printing
3.
Install the print server
4.
Configure and manage the print server
5.
Troubleshoot the print server
Get support for the print server
6.
Limited warranty for the print server
7.
8.
Specifications and regulatory statements for the print server
General product information
The HP Jetdirect 175x and 310x models are external print servers with USB connections. That is, they
plug into the USB ports of printers (and multifunction peripherals) to provide network connections for
those printers.
(A label on the end of the product’s box lists printers that are tested and supported.
Newer models may also be supported.)
Each of these print servers connects to an Ethernet (IEEE 802.3i 10Base-T) or Fast Ethernet (IEEE
802.3u 100Base-TX) network, attached at the RJ-45 connector using twisted-pair cabling.
The two print servers are similar in operation and performance. The 310x offers all the features of the
175x; in addition, it supports several additional network operating systems, additional management tools,
and has upgradable firmware.
The 175x print server supports both peer-to-peer and client/server printer networking
under TCP/IP; it supports peer-to-peer printer networking under IPX/SPX (direct
mode), Apple EtherTalk, and LPD printing. Operating system support includes Windows
(95, 98, 2000, ME, NT 4.0, and XP) and MacOS (v 8.6 and later). See the section on
specifications for details of which operating systems support which protocols.
The 310x print server includes all the protocol support of the 175x, as well as
client/server support for IPX/SPX under Novell NetWare and support of DLC/LLC, FTP
and IPP printing. These protocols are, in various combinations, supported on these
operating systems: Windows (95, 98, 2000, ME, NT 4.0, and XP), MacOS, Novell
NetWare, HP-UX, Solaris (on SPARC systems), SCO UNIX, LINUX, IBM AIX, MPE-IX,
and Artisoft LANtastic. See the section on
specifications for details of which operating
systems support which protocols.
Both print servers include an embedded Web server that allows remote management through a Web
browser.
The embedded Web server, which allows you to monitor and manage the print server
remotely, requires Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 or later, or Netscape Navigator 5.0 or
later.
See the
specifications section for more details on the print servers.
Contents of the product package
The HP Jetdirect 175x and 310x products include:
● print server module, with detachable mounting clip and mounting tape
● power module
● USB cable
● HP Jetdirect CD (includes installation software, manuals, and troubleshooting)
● Startup Guide poster
©2000, 2001, 2002 Hewlett-Packard Company
Networking Basics
Please click on a title to view a document.
The Network Basics Tutorial
A brief overview of:
● Networks
● Network Printing
● Installing a Network Printer
Tips on Getting Started
Answers to common questions:
● Which CD should I use?
● Where do I find the printer driver?
● When do I stop?
The
Network Basics
Tutorial
This tutorial tells you about:
● Networks
● Network Printing
● Installing a Network Printer
Click the button to continue.
Section 1:
Networks
Click the button to continue.
NETWORKS
What you want . . .
. . . is for all your computers to be
able to:
● Communicate -- send
and receive e-mail, and
participate in
conferences
● Share information --
transfer files among
systems, and get
information from central
databases
● Share resources -- use
shared printers,
scanners, and servers
NETWORKS
The problem is . . .
. . . standalone computers have
no way to talk to each other, so
attempts at communication fail.
NETWORKS
The solution: a local
area network
A local area network (or LAN)
provides connections that tie the
computers together and allow
them to communicate. (The most
common type of local area
network may also be referred to
as an Ethernet LAN or an
Ethernet.)
Local area networks can be
either wired (as shown here) or
wireless. We will look at the
different types in the next few
pages.
NETWORKS
Wired LANs
As the name implies, a wired
LAN connects computers (and
other network devices)
physically, using wires. A typical
LAN uses twisted-pair wiring
(similar to telephone wiring) to
connect each computer to a
central hub. The hub transmits
network communications
between computers.
Wired LANs offer high-speed
communication, as well as
reasonable security and
reliability. In general, however,
they are not as flexible as
wireless LANs.
Most wired LANs conform to the
IEEE 802.3 standard. The most
common wiring schemes use
twisted-pair wiring or thin
coaxial wiring.
Click on these links for
more details on LAN wiring:
● Detail: twisted-pair
wiring
● Detail: thin coaxial
wiring
● Detail: computer
connections
NETWORKS
DETAIL
Wiring: twisted-pair
The most common wiring used
for LANs is twisted-pair wiring,
similar to the wiring used for
telephones. This wiring connects
the computers or other network
devices to a central hub. The use
of telephone-type wiring makes
it easy for the persons who
administer your telephone
wiring to administer the network
wiring as well.
RJ-45 connectors are used to
connect the twisted-pair wiring
to the computer and to the hub.
The wire for a network can be
graded in a number of
categories; Category 5 wiring is
the most popular grade. Category
5 wiring has superior electrical
characteristics, and we strongly
recommend it for all twisted-pair
networking applications. The
wire grade is usually marked on
the cable jacket.
The equipment for a twisted-pair
LAN commonly operates at a
data rate of either 10 Mbps
(megabits per second) or 100
Mbps. Category 5 wiring is
required for 100-Mbps
operation. A 10-Mbps LAN can
run on either Category 3 or
Category 5 wiring (though we
strongly recommend Category 5).
At either data rate, cables may
extend up to 100 meters (328
feet) from the hub to the
computer.
A twisted-pair network running
at 10 Mbps is called a type
10Base-T network. A twistedpair network running at 100
Mbps is called a type 100Base-T
network.
NETWORKS
DETAIL
Wiring: thin coax
An alternative to twisted-pair
wiring is thin coaxial cabling,
often called thin coax. This
cabling is known as RG-58A or
RG-58U cable, and has an
impedance of 50 ohms. (It looks
similar to the 75-ohm thin
coaxial cable used in television
installations, but the television
cable will not work in a network.)
The connectors used with thin
coax are BNC connectors. The
cable is a continuous cable, up to
185 meters (606 feet) long, made
up of shorter segments with BNC
connectors at each end. It
connects to computers and other
devices along its length using
BNC "T" connectors, and there is
a 50-ohm terminator at each end
of the cable. This cabling scheme
does not use a hub.
A thin coaxial LAN operates at a
data rate of 10 mbps (megabits
per second), and is known as a
type 10Base2 network.
NETWORKS
DETAIL
Computer
connections
For twisted-pair LANs: A
desktop computer connects to a
twisted-pair LAN through a
network interface card (NIC) that
resides in a slot in the computer,
or through a similar interface
built in to the computer itself.
The RJ-45 plug of the network
cable plugs into an RJ-45 jack on
the card or in the computer. A
portable computer may have a
built-in connection using an RJ45 jack, or it may use a PC card
that inserts into a PC card slot in
the computer. (Some PC cards
take up two slots and have room
for an RJ-45 jack that is integral
with the card; others take up only
a single slot but require a short
cable that provides the RJ-45
jack.)
For thin coaxial LANs: A
desktop computer typically
connects to a thin coaxial LAN
through a network interface card
(NIC) ; built-in BNC connections
are uncommon. Portable
computers connecting to thin
coaxial LANs use a PC card with a
short cable that provides a BNC
connection. In all cases, the LAN
cable connects to the computer
through a BNC "T" connector.
Hidden network cables and
equipment: In many network
installations, the hubs are kept in
equipment closets and the cables
are hidden in the walls. In these
installations, wall outlets with RJ45 jacks are the only visible
components of the network
wiring. For such a network, you
use a short length of network
cable to connect from the
computer to the wall jack.
NETWORKS
Wireless LANs
In a wireless LAN, information
travels through the air in radiofrequency signals instead of
through wires. This makes
wireless LANs very flexible, and
setup and reconfiguration are
very easy. Communication
speeds on wireless LANs,
however, tend to be slower than
on wired LANs, and it generally
takes more work to make a
wireless LAN as secure as a
wired LAN.
Most wireless LANs conform to
one of the subsets of the IEEE
802.11 standard; the most
common subset is currently
802.11b. Data rates for 802.11b
LANs can be as high as 11 Mbps
(megabits per second). Typically
a wireless device in an 802.11b
LAN can transmit signals across
a distance of about 30 meters
(100 feet) in a semi-open office
(no walls) and still maintain a
data rate of 11 Mbps. It is
possible to extend the range to
about 100 meters (300 feet), but
at such a distance the data rate
drops off to 1 Mbps.
802.11b wireless LANs operate in
the 2.4 GHz frequency band.
There are several channels
(frequencies) that wireless LANs
can use in this range.
Government regulations
prescribe which channels may be
used in various parts of the
world.
There are two basic wireless
networking topologies -infrastructure mode and ad hoc
mode; these are described in the
detail pages (see below).
Click on these links for
more details on wireless LAN
topologies:
● Detail: infrastructure
mode
● Detail: ad hoc mode
● Detail: standalone
peripheral connections
● Detail: computer
connections
NETWORKS
DETAIL
Infrastructure
mode
Terminology: Infrastructure
mode is referred to as a "basic
service set" (BSS). It's topology is
sometimes called a "star
topology", and it may also be
called "enterprise mode" because
it is the preferred topology for
large networks. On a network of
Apple Macintosh computers, it
may be called an "Airport
network".
Topology: In infrastructure
mode, all signals travel through
an access point. Like the hub in a
wired LAN, the access point resends the incoming signals out to
the computers and other devices
on the network. (The access
point performs additional
functions when a wireless LAN is
connected to a wired LAN.)
Infrastructure mode is suitable
for wireless LANs of all sizes.
In infrastructure mode the
access point sets the channel for
all device that communicate
through it.
A wireless LAN can have
multiple access points. This can
expand the capacity of the
network and extend its range,
allowing users to roam with their
portable computers and still stay
connected to the network.
NETWORKS
DETAIL
Ad hoc mode
Terminology: Infrastructure
mode is referred to as an
"independent basic service set"
(IBSS). It is sometimes called
"peer-to-peer mode". On a
network of Apple Macintosh
computers, it may be called
"computer-to-computer mode".
Topology: In ad hoc mode the
wireless devices on a network
communicate directly with each
other, and access points are not
used. Ad hoc mode is used for
very small networks.
Performance in an ad hoc
network degrades as you add
more devices to the network;
typically, ad hoc networks
connect no more than six
devices.
In ad hoc mode you can select
the channel. Make sure that all
devices on the network are set to
the same channel.
NETWORKS
DETAIL
Standalone
peripherals
Not all wireless connections are
network connections. Though the
distinctions may often be
somewhat blurry, some wireless
technologies -- such as the
Bluetooth technology that is
becoming popular in mobile
phones and handheld computers -are more about connecting a
computing device to a peripheral,
rather than connecting computers
and other devices in a network.
For instance, when a handheld
computer connects with a walkup wireless printer, or when a
mobile phone connects with a
vending machine, the interactions
between them are typical of a
standalone computer talking to a
peripheral device. In essence, the
wireless connection replaces the
cable in a standard peripheral
connection. Compared to network
connections, such wireless
peripheral connections work at
short ranges and slow speeds.
(In this tutorial, we will
concentrate on the networking
that is typified by 802.3-type
wired networks and 802.11b-type
wireless networks.)
NETWORKS
DETAIL
Computer
connections
Connections at the computer for
wireless networking connections
are simpler than wired ones just
because there are no wires to
connect.
Wireless connections are most
common in portable computers.
Increasingly, notebook
computers come with built-in
wireless networking. For
notebook computers that don't
have built-in networking, you
can plug a wireless networking
card into the computer's PC card
(PCMCIA) slot. (Wireless
networking is based on radio
technology, and in many add-on
cards the antenna protrudes
slightly from the PC card slot.)
Desktop PCs can have wireless
networking, too. A typical
arrangement is for an adapter in
a desktop PC to contain a PC
card slot, into which you plug the
same kind of wireless networking
card that you would use in a
notebook computer.
NETWORKS
Mixed LANs
Mixed LANs combine wired and
wireless LANs, taking advantage
of the strong points of each. For
example, a mixed LAN can
provide the flexible connections
of wireless with the high overall
throughput of a wired LAN. Such
an arrangement makes it
particularly easy for mobile
workers to connect their
notebook computers to the
network.
You create a mixed LAN by
plugging the network cable from
a wired LAN into a port on a
wireless access point. In addition
to acting as a hub for the wireless
portion of the network, the
access point acts as a bridge to
the wired portion. In a typical
case, when a computer with a
wireless LAN card comes within
range of the access point, it
connects through the access
point to the LAN (both the wired
and wireless portions) and to all
the computers and other
resources on the LAN.
NETWORKS
L is for Local
The "local" in "local area
network" means that the network
is in a single location. A LAN can
be small enough to serve a home
office or a small business, or it
can be large enough to serve a
school, a hospital, or a substantial
business or public office. It can
cover several buildings, as long as
they can all be connected into a
single network. Several types of
LAN equipment are available to
expand a LAN beyond the
workgroup-sized unit typically
served by a single hub.
Note that the definition of a local
area network does not include
broader networks such as the
Internet or a corporate network
with locations in many cities or
countries. These broader
networks are often called WANs,
or wide area networks. It is
possible for a LAN to connect to
such a network through a gateway
-- a device that connects different
types of networks. The gateway
can be a separate piece of
equipment, or it can include the
LAN hub. (This latter type of
gateway is becoming increasingly
common for Internet
connections, particularly for highspeed DSL connections.)
NETWORKS
Addresses
Each device on the network has a
unique address. This allows you
to communicate with a specific
computer (or other device, such
as a printer). That way, your email doesn't go to everybody,
and your print job doesn't get
printed simultaneously on all
printers on the network.
There are several addressing
schemes for networks. Of these,
the most popular is that of the
Internet Protocol (IP). In
addition to being used on the
Internet, IP addressing can also
be used for standalone networks
that don't connect to the
Internet. The network addresses
shown in the illustration are
sample IP addresses.
Other network addressing
schemes you may encounter
include IPX (used with Novell
NetWare networks), DLC, and
AppleTalk. In this tutorial, we
limit our discussion of network
addressing to IP addressing, as it
is the most popular.
The number of possible IP
addresses is huge. So is the
number of Internet users, and
the possibility of conflicts is a
real one. If you use IP addresses
on your LAN and that LAN
connects to the Internet, you
must be careful to use addresses
that have come from a reliable
source, such as your Internet
service provider (ISP).
NETWORKS
Wireless security
Wireless networks are inherently
less secure than wired ones. In a
wired environment an intruder
needs to gain physical access to
your network wiring to break into
your network; in a wireless
environment, he just needs to be
in range of the radio waves that
carry the network traffic. Since
these waves penetrate building
walls and easily carry for tens of
meters, an intruder sitting in a
car in your parking lot could
monitor the traffic on the
wireless LAN in your building.
To frustrate intruders, a number
of standards have been
developed to make security for a
wireless network more-or-less
equivalent to that of wired
networks. These standards work
in three areas:
Network name (SSID): A
network name, or service set
identifier (SSID) is an
alphanumeric character string
that provides basic access control
on a wireless network. To
transmit onto the network, the
network name of a computer or
other device must match the
name configured into the access
point.
Authentication:
Authentication verifies the
identity of a user or device before
the user or device is allowed to
transmit onto the network. There
are several different schemes of
authentication that you might
encounter when installing an HP
Jetdirect print server:
● Open system: No
authentication.
● Shared key: Each device
uses the same shared key
(a shared password
value) for network
access.
● Server-based
authentication: A server
on the network
authenticates each client
that requests a
connection to the
network. There are
several protocols
available, all based on
the Extensible
Authentication Protocol
(EAP). Briefly described,
they are:
❍ LEAP
(Lightweight
Extensible
Authentication
Protocol) -- a
proprietary
protocol from
Cisco Systems
that uses
passwords for
mutual
authentication
(that is, the
client and the
server
authenticate
each other).
❍ PEAP
(Protected
Extensible
Authentication
Protocol) -- a
mutual
authentication
protocol that
uses digital
certificates for
server
authentication
and passwords
for client
authentication.
For additional
security, the
authentication
exchanges are
encapsulated
within TLS
(Transport Level
Security).
❍ EAP-MD5 (EAP
using Message
Digest algorithm
5) -- a one-way
authentication
protocol that
authenticates
the client using a
password
protected by the
MD5 algorithm.
❍ EAP-TLS (EAP
using Transport
Level Security) -a mutual
authentication
protocol based
on digital
certificates.
❍ EAP-TTLS
(EAP using
Tunneled
Transport Level
Security) -- a
mutual
authentication
protocol that
uses digital
certificates for
server
authentication
and passwords
for client
authentication.
For additional
security, the
authentication
exchanges are
encapsulated
within TLS
(Transport Level
Security).
Encryption: Encryption
methods encode the traffic on the
network, rendering it
unintelligible to an intruder who
is monitoring it. WEP (wired
equivalency privacy) is an IEEE
802.11 encryption scheme that
provides basic access control and
data privacy on your wireless
network. Under WEP, you supply
encryption keys that are used to
encrypt the data stream.
In addition, some of the
authentication protocols, such as
LEAP and EAP-TLS, can manage
encryption keys for the network
administrator.
Wireless print server
security: As you set up your
wireless print server, the wireless
setup wizard will make it easy to
match the print server's security
settings to those of your network.
The wizard's help pages provide
considerable detail on the
process.
Section 2:
Network Printing
Click the button to continue.
NETWORK PRINTING
Why use network
printers?
Using network printers lets you
meet your computer users'
printing needs more efficiently.
By sharing printers among
several users, you reduce the
number of printers you need.
This approach
● saves money -- there's
less equipment to buy
● saves space -- users
don't need to make
space for a printer
● saves maintenance --
fewer printers mean less
bother
all with little inconvenience to
users. (In fact, shared printers
may be more convenient: nobody
has to go without a printer or
change to a different computer
just to print; and sharing may
save enough money to let you
purchase printers with more
functions or greater speed.)
NETWORK PRINTING
Why use a print
server?
A print server provides your
printer with connection to the
network. You could get the same
connection using a computer -your network server -- but it
would cost more and be more
complex. Using a print server
saves you money and frees up
your network server for other
tasks, such as file storage.
You might want to use a network
server for management of print
jobs, a function that may be
useful for larger networks. In
such an application you will still
probably want to use a print
server, because its small size
gives you location flexibility.
Using a print server, you can
easily place your printers near
your users, while keeping the
network server out of the way in
a central computer area. (You
will see this application in the
notes on the client/server
topology, a couple of pages later
in this tutorial.)
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