Before:
Every computer in customer's studio prints to the same networked
printer(s) via Hewlett Packard JetDirect 170X print servers (static IP
addresses). ISP
is Comcast; phone service is Vonage. The Vonage box is also the
NAT, serving up internet access to all computers that are allowed.
And then:
Customer dropped Comcast and Vonage to go with Wide Open West for
internet and phone service. WOW's cable modem also serves up IP
addresses via DHCP, but uses a different internal network than the
Vonage NAT used. The WOW cable modem *is not* user-configurable.
Result:
None of the computers are able to print anymore. They hooked one
of the printers up to somebody's PC and everybody has to use sneakernet
in order to print their stuff. [Sneakernet = put your document on
a floppy disk or USB device and walk it over to the computer that has
the printer hooked up to it.]
Assets:
* Everybody is pissed, BUT, nobody is *freaking out*.
* Customer has saved and was able to locate one original JetDirect box,
including the manual and installation CD (unbelievable).
* The secretary that i have to work with looks like the early 90's Molly
Ringwald.
Somebody there who actually knows quite a bit about computers was
trying to figure this out but he was never going to get anywhere with
it.
Everybody assumes that the internal network used by the WOW cable modem
is 192.168.100.x, because you can hit that modem's internal
web/configuration page by typing http://192.168.100.1 into your web
browser (internal network). But in reality, DHCP is not
handing out 192.168.100.x addresses internally. So even if he
could've managed to get those JetDirects reprogrammed on that network
they still would not have been able to print.
Ok, so here goes...
First of all, they have no idea what the original network was, let
alone the individual IP addresses of the JetDirect print servers.
The best guess is 192.168.0.x, 255.255.255.0. I try to get this
information by printing test pages fromt he 170X's. One comes out
blank; the other just repeats this line over and over:
"Courier-Bold findfont 12 scalefont setfont 612 Courier-Bold..."
I reset the print server by rebooting them while holding the Test
button in. I know that if the print server can't acquire an
address via DHCP in 120 seconds, it will assign itself this address:
192.0.0.192, 0.0.0.0 (no subnet mask).
To confirm network the WOW modem is actually handing out addresses for, i let DHCP assign it and then i print out the test
page (which is working fine after resetting to factory defaults).
I can see that they're on a 24.192.x.x, 255.255.248.0 network. I
write down the address handed out to the JetDirect and then i reset it
again; this time with the WOW modem *unplugged* from my teeny 4-port
hub.
I assign my PC a 192.0.0.x address and pop the original installation
CD in. First of all, the disc doesn't happen to have the HP
JetAdmin program on it, which could've maybe saved me a whole bunch of
time. Then the installation software was unable to locate (and
therefore allow configuration of) any JetDirect print servers on the
network via auto-locate OR manually. I can ping it so i know
that it's there. [that software couldn't find a damn thing on
any network at all]
I pull up a browser window and punch in 192.0.0.192, and the JetDirect's
internal webconf page shows up, but withOUT anything other than frames
and background color. I set IE for the lowest possible security
setings but it still doesn't work. I check out the code and
realize that i'm looking at JavaScript that was written sometime around
1998 or 99.
Telnet to the rescue!
I launch Telnet and connect to the JetDirect
"o 192.0.0.192" <cr>
Turned off DHCP
"dhcp-config: 0" <cr>
Changed the IP address
"ip: 24.192.x.x" <cr>
"subnet-mask: 255.255.248.0" <cr>
Then "quit" to save and exit the session.
With my first test i manually gave my PC a 24.192.x.x address to see
if i could ping and telnet into the JetDirect. Success.
Then i set the PC to DHCP and let the cable modem give it an address and
of course i could still see the JetDirect. Sweet!
Add Printer > Local printer attached to this computer
Create a new port: > Standard TCP/IP Port
Printer Name or IP Address: (whatever i assigned to the JD)
Chose the printer and started printing to it. Then i just had
to add that printer to every other computer and i was done.
I love Telnet. |
