Laserjet 5 with Jetdirect J4100A misses print jobs

[dementg]

I have a Laserjet 5 with a JetDirect J4100A installed.
It works perfectly over the parallel port.
However, when I use the printer via ethernet on the J4100A, it will sometimes miss print jobs.

Specifically,
If I print several short jobs in quick succession, then the ones that are sent while the printer is busy will sometimes fail to print. They just disappear into the void. If I print say 8 single page documents quickly, without waiting for the printer, then about 5 of them will actually show up. The first job always prints, the problem comes from additional jobs being sent when the printer is already busy. Depending on the timing, it misses some of them.

I have to look through what got printed, and reprint anything the printer missed. Or I just print more slowly to avoid the issue.

It seems that the printer can't multitask very well between the jetdirect and the active print job, so it loses some incoming jobs.
If I use the parallel connection then this never happens.

Is this normal behavior that I have to put up with? The J4100A appeared to be NOS when I received it, and works fine other than the scenario described above.

The ethernet cable is known good. I've tried disabling all the extraneous networking protocols except TCP/IP in the settings, but that didn't help.
I've also tried setting Windows to finish spooling before it prints, but that doesn't help either.

Thanks for any insights. I'm curious whether Jetdirect is known to have issues with overlapping short print jobs, or if it's only me.

 

[Michael52x]

This card can't keep up with the throughput of your router,
Try to upgrade the firmware for it, or replace.

"Impatience will reward you with dissatisfaction" RMS Cosmics'97

 

[victorv]

hi,
explain better the scenario

1) you used parallel port (shared the printer)
and many PC printes on them, and now that each PC
use the Jet port, they lose some jobs.

2) you in this moment, reach simultaneously the printer
via Parallel and Jet

3) see in printer CFG, if there is something checked or not
about bi-directional printing.

I don't know the scenario, but you could do is:

a) Delete all direct eth port between each PC and Printer
b) Install (driver and eth port) printer on a server
(also a PC if you prefere or cannot use a Server)
c) share the printer by this
d) let that PCs use this shared one rather use own Jet direct port link.

bye
vic

 

[gbaughma]

Bi-directional printing only has to do with the parallel port, to support new parallel port specifications that were released oh, in the late 1980's. Bi-directional printing has nothing to do with the network port.

I'm with Michael52x on this one... sounds like a firmware issue on the JetDirect card.

The JetDirect card isn't handling the stream of information fast enough, and therefore things are falling into the "Bit Bucket".



Just my 2¢

"What the captain doesn't realize is that we've secretly replaced his Dilithium Crystals with new Folger's Crystals."

--Greg

http://parallel.tzo.com

 

[victorv]

hi,
gbaughma, try to add a HP Laserjet 5 to your pc, configured on a port built on a HP Jet Direct (after you installed driver):
you'll see in printer properties, Ports Tab, that
"Enable bidirectional support" is not gray:
furthermore, it is by default, enabled.

If you install a HP5000series, bidirectional support is gray

Just another example: connect the Laserjet5 (parallel, no by J4100A ) on an Axis,HP or generic Printer server, the JetDirect protocol encapsulates the parralel one;
If you disable bidirectional support, no data is sent back from the printer.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/132465

bye
vic

 

[dementg]

Sorry for not posting back here until now, and thanks for the suggestions.

I've updated the firmware, and I'll give it a workout next time I have a bunch of printing to do.

I don't know the scenario, but you could do is:

a) Delete all direct eth port between each PC and Printer
b) Install (driver and eth port) printer on a server
(also a PC if you prefere or cannot use a Server)
c) share the printer by this
d) let that PCs use this shared one rather use own Jet direct port link.

The problems occur with just 1 computer using the printer. It's not from simultaneous access by different PCs - I lose jobs just printing to it by myself. It's only being used at home, not a heavy multiuser situation.

If I share it through LPT it works fine, it only drops jobs when used through the JetDirect ethernet.

I'd prefer to use the ethernet because I'd like to free up LPT on my computer for a different device. Though that other device now looks like it won't work on this computer anyway, so it may be a moot point.

Anyway, it's still more convenient to use the internal JetDirect, rather than needing a PC to stay powered up as an LPT print server.

 

[dementg]

After updating the firmware to the latest version, I finally tried the ethernet print server again today. It still doesn't work under load. Only half the documents actually printed. It's useless, I'm surprised HP would design a business-level print server that's this broken when pushed.
I'll use the LPT port and forget about the J4100A.

I'm not sure if it's a faulty card, or if it's that most people don't do rapid-fire short print jobs so they don't encounter the problem.

The J4100A is a 10/100 type and I believe the latest that was compatible with this printer, which is why I bought it. Do the older, strictly 10Mbps servers work better?
I couldn't find any way to force this card into 10Mbps mode.

 

[gbaughma]

I had an issue recently with a printer "mixing" jobs... if one job was printing and someone started another one, it would insert pages from the second job in with the first.

The cure was to go to the print spooler settings, and tell it to wait until the job was spooled before it started printing.

Just a thought.


Just my 2¢

"What the captain doesn't realize is that we've secretly replaced his Dilithium Crystals with new Folger's Crystals."

--Greg

http://parallel.tzo.com