Reddit mentions: The best network print servers

> Older print servers and printers will need ipv6 help.

Print servers and network to parallel or serial "device servers" with explicit IPv6 support don't seem hard to find. We'd typically build our own print servers from micro-server hardware for the additional flexibility and capability, but I don't blame anyone who doesn't want to do that.

We've found "enterprise" or "commercial" market gear with network interfaces to generally have good IPv6 support. Not all, but most. I suspect U.S. purchasing mandates for IPv6 support are a big factor, but I haven't found any direct evidence of that. It's possible that feature-parity between rival vendors may play a part.

It's consumer-market endpoint gear (e.g., not routers or networking gear) where IPv6 support is dire. However, the good news is that if buyers begin to check for IPv6 support in order to "future-proof" their purchases, I guarantee that IPv6 support will show up in those products soon.

Unless you have specific reasons to keep the networks separate, and considering that this problem might come up again in the future: you might consider bonding the two internet connections together and making the combined connection available to a single local network. You would first need a gateway capable of load balancing or WAN bonding. One such gateway would be the Ubiquiti USG which is both highly-rated and very inexpensive (about $100). This device sits at the perimeter of your network, acts as your security firewall and can accept up to two WAN (outbound internet) connections. Unlike other professional solutions, this one requires no annual contract or ongoing license fees. This remarkably inexpensive device can optionally be combined with Ubiquiti's other solutions such as their VOIP phone system, wireless antennas, security cameras, and Cloud Key, to provide a unified high-performance professional solution for your business.

https://www.ubnt.com/unifi-routing/usg/

https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Unifi-Security-Gateway-USG/dp/B00LV8YZLK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1527712928&sr=8-1&keywords=ubiquiti+usg

As suggested by /u/vigilias, your question suggests an underlying problem with the network that, if possible, might be better corrected by making changes to your network rather than resorting to a work-around. The networking subreddit would be a good resource if you choose to tackle this one on your own. Alternatively, you might consider hiring a local IT consultant to advise you on implementing a solution like the Ubiquiti USG.

Also note that some workgroup laser printers, such as HP LaserJet 42xx/43xx series, have multiple expansion card slots which can accept additional network cards. By adding additional inexpensive cards, it is therefore possible for some LaserJet printers to be available on multiple networks simultaneously.

https://www.amazon.com/HP-J3113A-JetDirect-Print-Server/dp/B0009MAU36

You've answered your own question. As you've observed, the Chrome OS platform has made a bet on the cloud as the future of computing. That's why the maintainers aren't prioritizing features that would be inconsistent with that bet.

If Chrome were about handling every possible use case -- which is more the 1990s Microsoft strategy following the 80/20 rule -- then yes, they'd handle both non-cloud and cloud so that both legacy use cases and modern use cases could be covered. But Chrome is different: "We built Google Chrome based on three ideas: speed, simplicity and security." (source). There's no room in that statement for including a bunch of third-party printer drivers and taking on support responsibilities for old printers.

Incidentally, the Wirecutter's top-rated printer is both Google Cloud Print-compatible and about $90: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JCA4GW2/. I don't know whether you're in the U.S. or whether $90 is expensive to you, but compared to other consumer printers, $90 is a reasonable price.

There's also this thing that claims to adapt non-cloud printers to work with Google Cloud Print. I haven't tried it. I guess if you had a printer you liked, it might be a good way to extend its life.

If you could post a link to the USB extender you're using that would help a lot. My best guess is you have an extender that just boosts the signal strength and uses the ethernet cable as a simple twisted pair, instead of packetizing the data and sending it over TCP or UDP.

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All the USB extenders I've found that work using the actual ethernet protocol only use one device. Meaning that there's a box you plug your devices (e.g. keyboard, flash drive) into that has an ethernet port, and then you use a software client on the computer you want to connect them to.

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Example of the type I suspect you have: https://www.amazon.com/WEme-Extender-Connection-Ethernet-Extention/dp/B01FHTCH68

Example of the type I think you need for your setup to work: https://www.amazon.com/Silex-DS-510-Device-Server-Ports/dp/B00U9UDSH8

This was a simple cluster, not really designed for running a lot of VMs. We run 3 AD servers, a File Server, and one server for a special piece of software. That's a total of only 5 Windows 2008 R2 VMs, but you can see that it can handle much more.

>SAN $230: http://www.ebay.com/itm/RACKABLE-2U-SERVER-S5000PSL-2-x-INTEL-QUAD-CORE-L5420-2-5GHz-16GB-1TB-SATA-/121402377113?pt=COMP_EN_Servers&hash=item1c44254399
x2 VM Server $1200: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-PowerEdge-C1100-CS24-TY-1U-2x-XEON-QC-L5520-2-26GHz-4xTRAYS-72GB-DDR3-/261355969100?pt=COMP_EN_Servers&hash=item3cda079a4c
SSD $75: http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-MX100-adapter-Internal-CT128MX100SSD1/dp/B00KFAGD88/
x2 Boot Drives $206: http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Desktop-3-5-Inch-Internal-ST3000DM001/dp/B005T3GRLY/
x2 Storage Drives $280: http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Desktop-ST4000DM000-3-5-Inch-Internal/dp/B00B99JU4S/
x3 Batteries $300: http://www.amazon.com/CyberPower-CP1000AVRLCD-Intelligent-1000VA-Mini-Tower/dp/B000QZ3UG0/
Shelf $31: http://www.amazon.com/Odyssey-ARS2-Space-Shelf-Accessory/dp/B0002DV0GI/
Server Rack $281: http://www.amazon.com/Tripp-Lite-SR4POST25-Cabinet-Capacity/dp/B004OB8T72/
Microsoft Server 2008 R2 $695: http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Windows-Server-Standard-Packaging/dp/B00H09CF70/
x2 Microsoft Server CALs $298: http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Windows-Server-2012-OEM/dp/B0093CBTOM/
Switch $66: http://www.ebay.com/itm/DELL-POWERCONNECT-2716-USED-/251627465136?pt=US_Network_Switches&hash=item3a962a69b0
Firewall $90: http://www.amazon.com/EdgeRouter-ERLite-3-512MB-Ethernet-Router/dp/B00CPRVF5K/
Rack Screws $27: http://www.amazon.com/Tripp-Lite-SRCAGENUTS-Enclosure-Hardware/dp/B001DW8J5C/
Drive Converter $15: http://www.amazon.com/Icy-Dock-EZConvert-2-5-Inch-Converter/dp/B002Z2QDNE/

That is the full setup from the rack down to the software licenses that runs 144GB RAM and 4TB usable drive space on ZFS with a 128GB SSD Read cache. It falls short of $4k. We use XenServer and OpenIndiana.

That's only two VM servers, but every VM the client needs can easily run on one in case of a failure. Just thought I would share this setup to show that it is feasible to price a VM cluster out at under 6k. This is not the cheapest build I've done, but definitely near it and much smaller than I would recommend for most people. It is actually smaller than I recommended for this client, but it is what it is.

Sorry /u/cctop2009 I was busy in RL but this one should solve your problem https://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TL-WPS510U-150Mbps-Wireless-Detachable/dp/B003CFAU0U. It is pretty expensive but its what you wanted. Would I recommend it? No. My suggestion is to buy a cheap Wireless Printer and save yourself some headache.

Depends on what you have available, plug computers were a popular choice a decade ago but anything capable of running print software will work.
I've never used one of these but assuming your printer supports the same protocols it could be a solution. Here is a wireless version but it has bad reviews.
Some high end consumer routers will also allow usb printers or drives to be connected for network purposes.

If you are willing to give it a try, you may be able to get it back up and running for about $20 or so, by replacing the network card yourself. Although I can't guarantee that it will fix the printer, it seems like the likely cause and fix.

Edit: It looks like the J7934G is the better model, and closer to $43 on Amazon Prime instead of $379 through HP.

You should be able to find one of those servers used for way cheaper, this was literally the first Google result, and it's less than half the price, with a reviewer specifically mentioning your printer model. The USB Y cable isn't going to work out well, but I've had decent results with printing with a parallel to USB adapter on HP laser printers. They're finicky to get set up, but once you do, they work great. Can't speak to old HP inkjets, since the oldest one I've got is some trash USB thing that doesn't even work in Windows 7 anymore.

That's specifically a print server, so might not work as you would like.

Something like this would be a better choice.

Speaking of dial-up modems... When I was in college (around 1996-ish), I did "work study" for 3 credits at a small landscaping business running out of an old house. The only Internet they could get at the time was dial-up so I set up an SMC Barricade router connected to an external serial US Robotics 56K modem. The network had multiple computers on it and they all could share a single dial-up connection through this contraption. The Internet was much "lighter" in those days so it worked a lot better than you'd expect.

You would need a Wireless Printer Server with AirPrint capability, like these:

• https://www.amazon.com/Hawking-Technology-Wireless-Multifunction-HMPS1A/dp/B00NMUJ4R0
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Lantronix-XPS1001NE-01-xPrintServer-Network-Edition/dp/B00685423M
  
  There are also some wireless routers that have a USB printer port and also have AirPrint compatibility, like NETGEAR.
  
  Lastly, there are some workarounds, like the PrintDirect app.
  
  
• https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/printdirect/id423223834?mt=8
  

Have a look at some cheap print servers like this. They will allow you to share your USB printers on the local network with minimum effort.

You could make the printer a wired ethernet printer, connect it to your router then you wont need to have a PC online 24x7.
this will do that
Or if you have your heart set on wireless

Trendnet, but Netgear and D-Link make them as well


If I had the slots, I'd just buy a Parallel port card and share the printer instead of WiFi.

this might work:

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Hawking Technology 4-Port Wireless-N Multifunction USB Printer and Device Server (HMPS2U)

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https://www.amazon.com/Hawking-Technology-Wireless-Multifunction-HMPS1A/dp/B00AKXOVG6/ref=pd_sbs_147_2/132-1903090-9925147?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00NMUJ4R0&pd_rd_r=c7220e23-a6b5-11e9-a9ae-270e3ef58a57&pd_rd_w=OvHTC&pd_rd_wg=qc4fb&pf_rd_p=588939de-d3f8-42f1-a3d8-d556eae5797d&pf_rd_r=D4PAHF4MMRA4E0S06NHN&refRID=D4PAHF4MMRA4E0S06NHN&th=1

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I hate to say this, you might be better off to get a "modern" printer that supports the features your wanting; because your 3015 is rather old (Windows XP era).

There are a couple of options:

1. Does your printer support AirPrint - Airprint is the protocol/standard for apple devices to print wirelessly
   
2. Airprint enable your printer by hooking it up to a mac as suggested or you could buy a airprint server like this airprint server on amazon
   
3. See if your printer brand has an app on the appstore. For instance, hp has an ios app for printing to HP Printers

I use this laptop cooler that I bought from amazon. I usually play skyrim for 5+ hours at a time and it keeps my laptop real cool.

You can get a print server to connect older, non-"cloud ready" printers and make them work with ChromeOS. I've used this one for my grandparent's chrome books well enough;

http://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-Networking-Print-Server-105342/dp/B002JTT9V6/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1463719563&sr=8-3&keywords=print+server

I still need to double-check if the printer has a USB port. If it does, and I can plug it straight into the router, is it then configured through the router settings?

If it isn't USB-ready, I believe I'm going to have to purchase a print server.

I'm currently looking at this one

I'm hoping it comes with setup instructions, although I can't imagine it would be too difficult.

How would a networked laptop then connect to this print server? Would it just show up as an available networked printer when I go to add it on the laptop?

I have had luck with those cheap USB to print server devices.

https://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-Networking-USB-Print-Server/dp/B002JTT9V6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1525213544&sr=8-2&keywords=usb+print+server

I have no idea what an IPP adapter is either but searching "internet printing protocol adapter" brought up a print server for a parallel port, so I'd guess a modern one would be something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-Networking-USB-Print-Server/dp/B002JTT9V6

https://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-Networking-Print-Server-105342/dp/B002JTT9V6 is just one option for connecting an USB printer straight to the network, to which you can both connect then via the network. it's just 25 bucks. I just took the first one I saw on Amazon, there are tons of others.

But no - it's not a security risk per se to share a printer.

Something like a standalone AirPrint server? https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hawking-Technology-Wireless-Multifunction-HMPS1A/dp/B00NMUJ4R0


but probably cheaper to buy a wireless label printer?

No. That's not how either device is designed to work. What you're looking for is a wireless print server - this is one example of such a device.

I don't own any such devices, so I can't make a specific recommendations. You'll have to go by the user reviews if no one else comes in and recommends any particular part. :)

if the printer will stay near the router you just need a usb print server and it will be wireless to wifi computers.

http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TL-PS110U-ethernet-supports-Internet/dp/B003CFATRE/

if it will not stay near the router and needs to be wireless to the router you need a wireless print server.

http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TL-WPS510U-150Mbps-Wireless-Detachable/dp/B003CFAU0U/

For those with older laser printers a print server http://www.amazon.com/TL-PS110P-parallel-ethernet-Internet-Printing/dp/B003CFATR4

For anybody with a mobile cart a few drops of oil are a sanity saver.

USB print server like this

Just get a USB printer server, dude.

https://www.amazon.com/IOGEAR-1-Port-Print-Server-GPSU21/dp/B000FW60FW/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1539284330&sr=8-4&keywords=usb+print+server&dpID=41ssjx-gWDL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

I used these at my last job for USB label printers on a 2012 print server.

https://www.amazon.com/IOGEAR-1-Port-Print-Server-GPSU21/dp/B000FW60FW/ref=pd_sim_147_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B000FW60FW&pd_rd_r=8ED7MFQDPN1BPV18MC4H&pd_rd_w=y67a0&pd_rd_wg=gbYIb&psc=1&refRID=8ED7MFQDPN1BPV18MC4H&dpID=41ssjx-gWDL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=detail

It likely goes to one of these and then the switch: https://www.amazon.com/HP-Jetdirect-J3263-60001-Exeranl-Adapter/dp/B0009HMXHW/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1503019272&sr=1-2&keywords=jetdirect

SATO Printer? I regularly use a SATO that is about that old. Here's what you need.

SMC Barricade using a 56k modem:

http://www.amazon.com/SMC-SMC7004ABR-Barricade-100Mbps-Integrated/dp/B00005NBR6

I would imagine not without installing some other Linux on it and using cups - but I could be wrong. Not sure it's worth messing up what's probably a nice Bravia TV.

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Have you considered a USB print server to add networking to the printer? What you're trying to do isn't uncommon, people add networking to USB only printers often. https://www.amazon.com/IOGEAR-1-Port-Print-Server-GPSU21/dp/B000FW60FW