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CIS370 HOME
A print spooler is software that intercepts a print job on its way from the application (a word processor, for example) to the
printer, and sends it to a print queue. A print queue is a buffer where the print job is held until the printer is ready for it.
1. An application formats its document data into a form the printer can use, and sends it out.
2. The computer's redirector sends the data onto the network, where it travels to the print server computer.
3. The print-spooler software on the print server computer places the data in a print queue on the server.
4. The print queue stores the data until the printer is free to print it.
Print queues generally use RAM for storage because it can move data faster than a hard disk can. However, if numerous documents
are sent to the printer at once and the queue overflows, the overflow documents will be sent to the print server's hard disk to wait
their turn in the queue.
Sharing a Printer
Connecting a printer to a network print server will not, in itself, make the printer available to network users. The printer is a
resource on the server, and—like any other resource—it must be shared to the network before anyone can access it. In a
server-based network, access to the printer can be controlled in the same way as access to any other resource on the server.
To send print jobs to a printer, users have to be able to identify or see the printer from their computers. In other words, the
network operating system (NOS) must provide a way for the printer to contact network computers to identify itself and signal that
it is available.
Every NOS has its own version of printer sharing, but each requires the administrator to provide printer drivers and supply the
NOS with information about the printer.
Loading printer drivers so that the printer can work with the print server.
Creating a share name for the printer so that other network users are able to recognize and access it.
Identifying the destination of the output so that the redirector knows where to send the print job.
Setting information and output format parameters so that the NOS will know how to handle and format the print job.
This process can seem complex, but most network operating systems have utilities to help administrators enter the information. In
Windows NT Server, for example, a utility called the Print M anager presents the printer setup screen shown in Figure 11.2.
Connecting to a Printer
After a printer has been shared, users must use the NOS to connect to it. To do this, users need to know two things:
The name of the server to which the printer has been connected
The name of the printer
This explains why the administrator needs to supply a name for the printer during the sharing process. Current computer operating
systems, such as Windows, provide a graphical user interface to help users connect to a printer.
To use Windows NT as an example, you can double-click on the server name and select the printer. To connect to the printer on the
server, double-click the server icon, and then select the required printer from the list.
Exercise 11.1: Term Definition Review
In this exercise, a list of terms is given in the left column. For each term listed, fill in the definition in the space given in the column
to the right.
Term Definition
Redirection
Print spooler
Print queue
Print-sharing utility
Share name
Printer driver
Print M anager
Answers
Lesson Summary
The following points summarize the main elements of this lesson:
The redirector is used to direct the print job from the local computer's printer port out to the network.
A print spooler is software that intercepts a print job and sends it to a print queue.
A print queue is a buffer in which the print job is held until the printer is ready for it.
A printer, like files and directories, must be shared on the network before any user can access it.
M ost network operating systems have a utility to help administer the printing process.