ITC-2000 Lab Remote Printer Sharing
Objectives
In this lab, you will share a printer, and configure the printer on a networked computer.
Background/Scenario
Even though you can connect directly to the network printer by setting it up as a "Local Printer" as we did in a previous lab there are some advantages to doing that on a single PC which you will use as a print server and then sharing that printer to other computers using Windows File and Print sharing. One of these advantages is that the driver files will be held on the print server PC and other computers can automatically access and download the drivers needed for printer just by double clicking on the printer in the network browser. It also allows print jobs to be managed and controlled on a central computer which is useful in an enterprise environment.
In this lab you will share a network attached HP Color LaserJet MFP M477fdn printer from one PC running Windows 10 to another PC running Windows 10 using Windows File and Printer Sharing. In this case the first PC will communicate directly to the IP address of the printer, taking advantage of the built-in hardware print server in this printer. From the point of view of the PC it will be "directly connected" to the printer and not accessing a "shared printer" (one made available through Windows File and Printer Sharing). This first computer will then be turned into a "print server" by sharing the printer out to other computers on the network.
Required Resources
- An ITCnet account for VPN access (your instructor should have provided you with a username and a temporary password)
- A IHCC Netlab account for remote pod access (your instructor should have provided you with a username and a temporary password)
- A remote lab equipment pod for this course consisting of:
- Two remote lab PCs which Windows 10 is installed on one of which already has a direct IP connection to the printer and appropriate drivers installed
- One OpenWRT router system
- A computer which has the OpenVPN software installed on it
- A reliable broadband internet connection
Instructions
Step 1: Get ITCnet Access Working
- If you are working from off campus you will need to connect to the ITCnet VPN.
Step 2: Sign In to the Netlab System and Make a Pod Reservation
- The ITC Netlab remote lab system can be accessed using a web browser when you are attached to the ITCnet. Simply point your web browser to https://ihcc-netlab.campus.ihitc.net
- Each time you want to work on a lab in Netlab you need to make a reservation to work on your equipment "pod". In some classes pods are shared with other students and in other classes pods are reserved just for you or your team.
- You will want to make a reservation for the "PC Hardware and Software Lab Access (2 Windows PCs with Network Access)" lab which we'll use several times throughout the course.
Step 3: Access PC 1 and Verify Printer Access
- You will need to enter your reservation during the time you have access reserved in order to interact with your remote lab PCs.
- Note the "Topology" tab found in your remote lab setup. Topology diagrams are like maps of networks, they show how all the various components of the network are connected together. In our case you can see that PC 1 and PC 2 are connected to a network switch which is connected to the LAN port of your OpenWRT router. The WAN port of your OpenWRT router is connected to a network shared by others in your class, to the network printer we will use in this lab, and eventually out to the Internet.
- Click on the "PC 1" tab and sign in to PC 1 if you haven't done so already.
- Navigate to Control Panel > View Devices and Printers
- Verify that the "ITC Office Printer" installed in the previous lab is still there
- Right click on the printer and choose "Printer Properties"
- Click the "Ports" tab and ensure the port selected for the printer is the IP address of the printer (172.17.110.21) which means this computer has a direct connection to the printer.
- Click the "Cancel" button to close the dialog box
- Navigate to Control Panel > Appearance and Personalization > File Explorer Options.
- In the View tab, deselect "Use Sharing Wizard (Recommended)" which makes file sharing simpler for home users but gives less control. Click the OK button to continue.
- Navigate to Control Panel > Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center
- Click "Change advanced sharing settings" on the left side of the window.
- In whichever profile is listed as the "current profile", which could be either the "Private" or "Guest or Public" depending on how you setup your Windows system, enable "Turn on network discovery" and "Turn on file and printer sharing"
- In the Change sharing options for different network profiles screen, expand the "All Networks" profile.
- Select "Turn off password protected sharing" and click Save changes.
- Navigate to Control Panel > View Devices and Printers
- Right click on the "ITC Office Printer" and choose "Printer Properties"
- On the "Sharing" tab click the "Change Sharing Options" button
- Check the "Share this printer" box and give the shared printer a name which is slightly different so you'll be able to tell it apart like "Shared ITC Office Printer"
- Click OK
- Notice that the "State" of the ITC Office Printer is now listed as "Shared" at the bottom of the window when the printer is selected and that there is a new Windows File and Printer Sharing icon over the image of the printer in the control panel.
- Check the IP address of your computer
- Right click on the start menu button and choose "Run"
- Enter "cmd" and press enter
- Enter "ipconfig" and press enter
- Look for the line "IPv4 Address"
- Click on the "PC 2" tab at the top of your Netlab screen and sign in to PC 2 if you haven't done so already.
- Navigate to Control Panel > Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center
- Click "Change advanced sharing settings" on the left side of the window.
- In whichever profile is listed as the "current profile", which could be either the "Private" or "Guest or Public" depending on how you setup your Windows system, enable "Turn on network discovery"
- Right click on the start menu button and choose "Run"
- Enter "\\" followed by the IP Address of PC 1. For example, in one case "\\192.168.1.5", and press enter
- You should see your named shared printer in the window on the screen, double click on the printer to install it on PC 2
- Once the printer queue window opens go ahead and close it, the printer should now be installed, note that no drivers were needed and PC 1 will be able to manage the print jobs going to the printer.
Normally we would print a test page to ensure the printer is working correctly but that's not possible to check without someone at the printer to look at the page so instead we will just verify the printer is now installed in PC 2's Devices and Printers control panel.
- Navigate to Control Panel > View Devices and Printers
- Look for the "ITC Office Printer" but note that the name also contains the IP address of the print server computer.
Finishing Your Lab
- Once you are done with the lab activity you can shut down both PC 1 and PC 2. Note that you did not use PC 2 in this lab but it is still powered on every time a lab reservation is made. It's always a good habit to properly shutdown a computer using the shutdown command in the operating system before you turn off the power. In Windows this can be done by clicking the Start Menu in the lower left of each PC and choosing the "Power" button followed by "Shutdown". Doing this prevents data corruption which can occur if the power is suddenly removed from a PC.
- However, if you forget to do this in Netlab and you have properly installed the VMware Tools Drivers Netlab will take care of safely shutting down your PCs for you.
- If you still have time remaining in your Netlab reservation it's polite to click on the "Reservation" menu in the upper right corner of your browser and choose "End Reservation Now" which will free your spot on the Netlab system immediately for someone else to use.