Service and Support

Chapter 6: Troubleshooting Network Printing Problems

 

Objectives:

This chapter discusses the problems you are likely to encounter regarding printing. The objectives important to this chapter are on page 6-1:

1. Explain NDPS, Its Components, and Printer Types
2. Use General Troubleshooting Principles to Solve NDPS Printing Problems
3. Troubleshoot Common NDPS Printing Problems
4. Explain Queue-Based Printing, Its Components, and Processes
5. Troubleshoot Queue-Based Network Printing Problems
6. Troubleshoot Queue-Based Printing Problems at the Workstation
7. Troubleshoot Queue-Based Printing Problems at the Print Queue
8. Troubleshoot Queue-Based Printing Problems at the Print Server
9. Troubleshoot Queue-Based Printing Problems at the Remote Printer Workstation
10. Troubleshoot Queue-Based Printing Problems at the Printer

Concepts:

• Printer Agent - this is assigned to a particular printer; it performs the functions previously done by the Queue, Print Server and Printer objects in NDS. Each printer on the network will have its own Printer Agent. Oddly enough, this component is not an NDS object.
• NDPS Manager - a Manager must exist on the system in order to create a Printer Agent, which is like an object inside the Manager object. Create a Manager object in NDS, then create Agents inside it.
  The Manager is implemented as a program that runs on the server. Each server can only have one Manager running at any given time, but the Manager can control any number of Agents. Create the Manager object in NDS first, then load the program on the server.
• Gateway - Gateways provide backward compatibility, supporting printers and other printing systems that are not directly compatible with NDPS. Three Gateways are provided with NetWare 5:
  
  • Hewlett Packard Gateway - to support non-NDPS HP printers
  • Xerox Gateway - to support non-NDPS Xerox printers
  • Novell Gateway - to support all other non-NDPS printers
• NDPS Broker - the Broker provides three services to integrate NDPS with the rest of NetWare. You get one Broker for each network, automatically installed on the first server that runs NDPS. However, an additional Broker is automatically installed when a server has NDPS installed on it and the server is over three hops from any existing Broker. So, what's a hop? Every time a signal has to pass across a router, that counts as a hop. Yes, some networks use routers internally.
  The Broker's services are:
  
  • Service Registry Services - while this sounds redundant, it is actually important. It allows certain types of printers to advertise (or register) their services (availability) to the network. It is more efficient than SAP (Service Advertising Protocol).
  • Event Notification Services - this service provides notification to users when printers finish tasks or have problems.
  • Resource Management Services - this service sends drivers to users from a central location (a NetWare server) when the user logs in. This allows the administrator to change or update drivers centrally instead of having to touch each workstation.

• Public Access Printers
  Features:
  
  • available to anyone on the network
  • plug-and-print, which means the network will use it easily
  • no NDS object exists for these, so you create them in a Manager
  • low security because of the unlimited access
• Controlled Access Printers
  Features:
  
  • does have an NDS object, and is controlled through it
  • many security options
  • many printer configurations are possible
  • access is automatic for users in the same container as the printer object, others can be granted access

Note that you can convert a Public Access Printer into a Controlled Access Printer by creating an NDS object for it. If you do so, you will need to configure that object.

Workstations can be assigned a printer automatically when a user logs in, or you can configure the workstation manually with Novell Print Manager.

Advice about troubleshooting NDPS printing follows. Some of the highlights are:

• Check to see if the NDPS Manager or NDPS Broker is down
• The LOAD NDPSM.NLM command (for the NDPS Manager) is not automatically added to the AUTOEXEC.NCF file. Edit this file and insert the command, to make sure the Manager is loaded when the server is restarted.
• You can move the spooling area to a new location. It should not be on the SYS: volume.
• Check for changes in hardware and software on the workstation.
• Check cabling.
• Check for error messages on the printer, the workstation and the server console.

Page 6-46 recaps the queue based printing process in NetWare.

• the user creates a print job on a workstation
• the NetWare client sends the job to the network
• a server receives the request
• the server places the job in a queue
• a print server pulls the job from the queue when a printer is ready to receive it and sends it to the printer
• the printer prints

In previous editions of this text, a list of steps was provided for setting up printing in NetWare 3.12:

1. Create queues.
2. Create print servers.
3. Assign print servers to servers (if desired).
4. Configure printers and ports.
5. Make queue assignments.
6. Make spool assignments (if desired).
7. Run PSERVER and RPRINTER. (Note: In 3.12, on the workstation that a printer is attached to, you run RPRINTER.EXE on the workstation if it is used as a workstation. You run PSERVER.EXE on the workstation if it is used only as a print server.)

1. Create the NDS Print Queue object, and identify the volume the actual queue directory is in.
2. Create the NDS Printer object.
3. Assign the Queue object to the Printer object, and enter configuration information.
4. Create the Print Server object, if it does not exist already.
5. Assign the Printer object to the printers list property of the Print Server object.
6. Run PSERVER and NPRINTER.

General tips for troubleshooting appear on the following pages:

• Install the most recent software, as Novell always recommends.
• There is often a one-to-one correspondence between printers and queues. Make sure you are capturing to the queue that matches the printer you want to use.
• Disk space is needed on the server holding the queue and on the workstation, to make a temporary file. Make sure both have adequate free space.
• Use short names for print queues, and only use alphanumeric characters.
• Make sure the application is printing to the same port you have captured.

Quick fixes are listed for common problems:

• Ask the user when it stopped working, and what happened in between.
• Check cables to the computer and the printer. Replace old cables (Cat 3 or older.)
• Standard: turn the printer off and on. This may cause the network to reacquire a lost printer.
• Does the printer have paper, is it on line, does it have toner, ink, etc.?
• Check the port that is captured, the language being sent, and whether other applications can print.
• Check for printing forms. Does the job originate at the workstation or a mainframe?
• Look for messages on the server console or on the workstation.
• Check the printer for error messages.

Isolate the problem by determining whether it is before, after, or at the queue. As noted in the text, if you stop the jobs from leaving the queue, you can send a new job, watch for it to arrive, see if it can be sent to another queue and be printed.

Most problems will be associated with the workstation. The text presents a list of indicators that point to workstation related problems:

• Only one workstation has a problem.
• The print job never arrives in the queue. (The user could actually be sending to another queue.)
• The print job status in the queue sticks on Hold or Adding mode.
• The print job merges with another job at the printer.

Basic workstation troubleshooting steps follow:

1. For network aware applications: make sure they are sending to the correct queue, using the correct printer driver, and that the user can print to other printers.
2. For non-network aware applications: check the print redirection with the proper Novell tools and check the port and drive setup in the application.
3. You may be able to cable the PC to a local printer. If it can print this way, the problem is likely with the client software itself or its configuration.
4. Look for conflicts with other workstation components. A lack of interrupts is possible.

As a reminder, the driver used to send a signal to a printer is a translator. It must send the signal in a language that is understandable to the printer that receives the signal. Often, the problem is simply the wrong driver is being used. Some versions of Microsoft Word will only send signals to the printer that Windows thinks is its default printer, so this setting must be changed when the user wants to use a rarely used printer.

Some other suggestions for advanced troubleshooting that may be more useful to you:

• Make sure users know what queue goes with each printer. This is useful if the users change the settings themselves, and if the queue names and printer names do not easily match up.
• If large graphics are being printed, increase the time-out setting for users printing them. Jobs may merge, or images may be incomplete if the time-out is too short.
• Printing needs disk space. We are reminded again to check for lots of space on the volumes holding queues.

Suggestions for troubleshooting the print queue follow. Three symptoms of queue problems are listed:

• The print job was sent uncorrupted, but is corrupted in the queue. This is diagnosable by sending to another queue.
• The print server abends when accessing the queue.
• The printer prints in spurts.

Tips for troubleshooting queues also appear:

• Use the latest files. This can burn you, however, when a new service pack comes out for the operating system that does not support a device.
• Use short queue names. A queue is a directory, and short names are acceptable to all name spaces.
• This tip is really back to the workstation: make sure you are printing to a port that is captured to the queue.
• The queue may not have space to grow. Give it more room than you think you need.
• If the queue is corrupted, you may notice it by the fact that jobs will not enter it. Delete it, recreate it and reassign it to a printer. NOTE: you will lose all print jobs currently in the queue by doing this.
• If a queue has non-alphanumeric characters in its name, rename it.

Suggestions for troubleshooting the print server follow. Two symptoms of print server problems are listed:

• The status of print jobs in the queue is active, but they do not print.
• The print job leaves the queue, but does not print.

• Make sure the print server is attached to the queue.
• Make sure the print server is running.
• Common approach: down the print server and restart it. This may mean that you have to take the server down that runs the print server program.
• Consult with the vendor if this is not a Novell print server.
• Call Novell.

Tips for PSERVER.NLM (run on the server):

• Use the latest version.
• Allow a current job to finish if possible before downing PSERVER.NLM, to avoid hanging the server. It may hang anyway, especially if the current job cannot finish.

• Use NETERR.ZIP or CRFAIL.ZIP to reboot the print server on failure. These are listed in the text as utilities from a company called Infinite Technologies. I have been unable to find them or the company in recent searches of the web and of Novell's site.
• The PSERVER.EXE and client software need 512 KB of conventional RAM to run on the workstation, along with another 10 KB for each printer.
• Older versions of the client software and IPX can hang the workstation.
• When the program hangs, it may hang for only one printer. Let the others finish before rebooting.
• The workstation's NET.CFG file should set SPX CONNECTIONS to 60 or more.

• Again, use the latest software.
• Plotters may not work with queues.
• Dedicated print servers and server-based print servers may not perform equally.
• Performance can degrade with large files or lots of graphics. Add RAM to the server, and thereby increase cache buffers.
• NetWare 3.12 only allows 16 printers per print server. This figure is not realistic, so don't assign that many.
• The messages "not enough free buffers" and "unable to create display portal" mean are resolve by adding RAM to the server.
• TRICK QUESTION: when loading a print server, you may see a request for a password. This is an indication that the print server is misconfigured or that you have mistyped its name. It does not actually want or need a password.
• If the print server definition is corrupt, odd problems can result. Delete it, recreate it and make assignments again.
• PCONSOLE can have problems running the "Print Server Status/Control" because it uses SPX. Routers may not pass the SPX request. Increase the SPX TIME-OUT and IPX RETRY values.

Suggestions for troubleshooting the remote printer workstation follow. Three symptoms of problems are listed:

• The print job was sent uncorrupted from the queue, but is corrupted in the printer. This is diagnosable by sending to another printer from the queue.
• The print job is inaccurate, missing characters or other errors.
• The print job becomes active or leave the queue, but does not print.

Tips for troubleshooting remote printer workstations appear on the same page:

• Determine if the problem occurs after leaving the queue.
• Redirect the queue to another printer.
• Swap out printers, physically, to see if it is a printer problem.

Troubleshooting the printer follows. Two symptoms of printer problems are listed:

• The print job is uncorrupted at the queue, but does not print or prints badly. Note that this is also a symptom for trouble with the print server.
• Everything is fine if you physically swap out printers.

• Standard problems for printers: not turned on, not online, not cabled, paper jammed, no paper, no ink or toner.
• If the printer goes off-line by itself, but is fine (for a while) after a restart, it may be ESD.
• Some kinds of paper can generate static, especially in high volume printers.
• Parallel printing is preferred.
• Use the latest drivers.
• Use the proper cable, if not printing through a network connection.
• Change the LAN configuration by: adding more queues, more printers per queue, upgrading printers, or changing workgroups using printers.
• You may need to add RAM to the printer or increase the buffer size of the network configuration for this printer.

• Parallel printers are faster.
• Usual cable limits are 10 feet for parallel, 50 feet for serial.
• Error checking is limited for parallel, parity checking slows serial printers.
• More complicated installation for serial.
• Serial compatibility can be a problem.

Tips for PostScript printers:

• Update drivers, as usual.
• If using a cartridge for the printer, make sure it is secure.
• Some printers require a switch to be set to use PostScript. Check this for your printer.
• Do not send banner pages to PostScript machines. The banner will be misinterpreted.
• Use the settings for No Form Feed.
• Printer Definition Files can cause problems.