Network printer only prints when disconnected/reconnected

BrianofNazareth

BrianofNazareth

Member
Reaction score
13
Location
Lake Tahoe, CA
Windows SBS 2003 controls the DNS & DHCP. Ricoh c3003 Printer/Scanner configured with static address. Mixed workstations Windows & OS X. Have had Ricoh support out several times.
Users are unable to print (or communicate at all with the Ricoh), unless the network cable is removed momentarily and then reconnected. The office users swear that this behavior is consistent with all computers in the office (both wired & wireless, Windows & Mac).
Usually I can find all the answers from my friend Google but I'm not getting what I need. Lots of smart people on this forum - any suggestions will be welcome.
 
No experience with the Ricoh but I did have an HP that did this once. Turns out once the printer went into sleep mode, it couldn't be woken back up. A firmware update resolved the issue. Is the firmware up to date? Try disabling any sleep mode on the printer itself.

Also - are the workstations trying to go through a print server or directly to the printer? Any other printers on the network?
 
Good thinking... Also double check speed and duplex settings on both printer and switch to make sure they coincide. I've seen older cisco switches drop ports due to this.
 
"Firmware up to date?" Unknown. You would think so as Ricoh support has been out several times but I can't assume.
No other printers on the network.
I did set up the printer on the server via USB and shared it today and all the desktops in the office could print no problem. However, these people scan to email so network connectivity is wanted/needed.

Updated the firmware on the router today hoping that might help and it did not; will change out the cable & port tomorrow morning to see if that helps.

Thank you
 
You can setup the printer on the server and share it out still using ip network connection. You create the printer on the server using it's ip address (just as you do on workstation) and then share the printer. The workstations then connect to the printer share on the server. This way the features requiring direct network connection are still available on the printer.
 
Yes I could (re)set up the printer by it's ipaddress and share it from the server but the server has the same communication problem when connected via network cable that the workstations have so i'll still be nowhere....
 
I have some success by giving network printers a static IP in the network settings. This usually keeps 8-9/10 of the many printers I have set up awake and alive when a network device sleeps or drops off the network.
 
Any possibility the that the printer's static IP is in range of the DHCP (Not reserved) and another device has taken it? Run a continuous ping on the IP and disconnect the printer
 
Printer set to "obtain from DHCP"..and I give it an IP reservation from the server. Easy to track this way (as your networks get larger)...and change when necessary. All from the server.

Add printer to server as an IP printer.
Share out the printer..publishing to active directory.

Publish the printer to workstations via the various older methods we had to do with Server 03....scripts, or...since it's SBS..aint' that many clients..just run around and pull down the print share from the server. start...run... \\servername <enter> right click printer and "install".

As for the CrApples....just let them natively install it locally.

As for the occasional disconnects..many areas to troubleshoot that....most already covered above.
*Check for IP conflict...this is one of the many advantages of doing it properly via DHCP reservation from a server
*Bad network drop
*Failing network switch(es)
 
UPDATE:

New Gigabit N Router w/DD-WRT, (it was time to upgrade to equipment from this millennia anyway)
New Cat 6 cable
New Gigabit Switch

No change. Printer is not sleeping (timer set to 60 minutes). No IP conflict (I can see all attached devices in the router)
Printer DOES respond to a ping, and will not print nor serve up the web interface unless the cable is pulled and reinserted - and then there is about a 15-20 second window (possibly more but less than a minute) where it will print and serve up the web interface. If the web interface is open and actively used, the web interface will keep the connection alive for longer.

As the server needs to be retired, and there are only 4 desktops on this domain (no Exchange either), I'm thinking of disabling DHCP & DNS on the server and letting the router be in charge - are there any unforeseen consequences I'm not aware of if I go down this path?

Thank you
 
If AD is running on the server then IT MUST run DNS and DHCP. You can't just turn that off until you are ready to do away with the server. Sounds like a bad nic on the printer to me.
 
BrianofNazareth said:
As the server needs to be retired, and there are only 4 desktops on this domain (no Exchange either), I'm thinking of disabling DHCP & DNS on the server and letting the router be in charge - are there any unforeseen consequences I'm not aware of if I go down this path?

Thank you
Click to expand...

A domain controller MUST be DNS for the network...nothing else. It should do DHCP also. If the workstations use a router for DHCP and especially DNS...they will not properly log in to the domain (they may look like they are...but if you have any concept of active directory..and you pour through event viewer...you'll see the foundation of active directory crumbling down.

"DD-WRT"....on the router..sounds like a residential grade router. But I'm sure the router isn't the cause of the problem.

Running a perpetual "ping -t" to the printer should help point to connectivity issues.....granted it may be responding when you're in front of it...but over several days, 24 hours a day...looking at a steady ping test could prove helpful.

If it's all steady pings for several days straight...sounds like a problem with the printer..have them call their printer guys that have the support contract.
 
"Running a perpetual "ping -t" to the printer should help point to connectivity issues.....granted it may be responding when you're in front of it...but over several days, 24 hours a day...looking at a steady ping test could prove helpful."

-It responds to ping all day long. It just won't print or respond to the web interface unless physically disconnected/reconnected.

I did not set up the server, and the guy that did succumbed to Melanoma so I can't ask him anything.
I am not a server guy; 99% of my clients run on workgroups. I see lots of errors in the event logs (Kerberos, IPBOOTP), but no DNS errors.
The Ricoh guys have been out several times now, and claim that it's not their fault.
 
BrianofNazareth said:
-It responds to ping all day long. It just won't print or respond to the web interface unless physically disconnected/reconnected.
Click to expand...
Which again implies the problem is the printer. If you had a network fault then I find it unlikely that ping would work and all other protocols die. I assume that the web interface is brought up by direct IP address same as the ping no?
 
BrianofNazareth said:
UPDATE: Ricoh support showed up, and when connecting his laptop directly to the nic he can print, scan etc with no problems so he says the nic is not the problem.
Click to expand...

Doesn't it always work at first when cable is plugged in? Has he left his laptop connected long enough for printer to go to "sleep" and then try it again? Basically - is he just hooking up, print, unhook or is he trying to mimic the real problem as close as possible.
 
We had this issue with a Ricoh M201. Ricoh guy connected via cross-over and showed perfect printing, every time. Even after a significant delay.

I eventually found a malformed print job sitting in a Windows print queue (this was NOT in the "what's printing" monitor, but actually in c:\windows\system32\spool\printers.

Every so often this computer would attempt to send that malformed print and the printer would lock up.

Using: http://www.sevenforums.com/attachme...reset-reset_and_clear_print_spooler_queue.bat

worked nicely.

We wasted almost a week on this issue, but were happy to reach a resolution.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

thecomputerguy
Issues connecting a computer to two networks LAN & WiFi
Replies
2
Views
801
thecomputerguy
thecomputerguy
Tech Savvy
[SOLVED] GPO deployed printers not printing.
Replies
1
Views
2K
bitznpcz
bitznpcz
B
Xfinity gateway somehow running out of DHCP addresses?
Replies
7
Views
1K
YeOldeStonecat
YeOldeStonecat
tek9
HP Server no network link to Mikrotik router
Replies
10
Views
3K
tek9
tek9
Cody Shepherd
Client printer has 110 disconnects from network
Replies
13
Views
1K
MichaelEC
MichaelEC
Back
Top