Choosing NPRINTER/RPRINTER or PSERVER
When configuring your print server, you’ll have to set it up in either NPRINTER/RPRINTER or in
PSERVER.
How NPRINTER/RPRINTER works
A MarkNet print server configured in NPRINTER/RPRINTER acts as a remote printer. This remote printer receives print jobs from a NetWare print server. The NetWare print server, a program called PSERVER.NLM running on a NetWare server, obtains print jobs from a queue and sends them to the remote printer.
How PSERVER works
A MarkNet print server set up in PSERVER acts as a NetWare print server attached to NetWare servers. This print server obtains print jobs from queues located on one or more file servers.
PSERVER print servers actually log into NetWare servers as a NetWare client and require one NetWare user license per PSERVER device.
NPRINTER vs. PSERVER in IntraNetWare
NetWare Directory Services (NDS)
Print servers are fully supported in IntraNetWare NDS, using either NetWare NPRINTER or PSERVER. If you use bindery emulation, you cannot use NPRINTER.
NPRINTER in IntraNetWare NDS
Advantage of using NPRINTER in NDS:
•Does not require a NetWare server user license
Disadvantages of using NPRINTER in NDS:
Little information is available about the print job. After a job leaves a print server queue, it is removed from the queue, regardless of whether it actually prints. This could cause a print job to be lost if the printer is turned off in the middle of the print job. This is inherent in the NetWare design.
Notes about printing performance:
Many people prefer to configure their print servers in PSERVER. In early versions of NetWare, PSERVER performance was significantly better than NPRINTER/RPRINTER performance.
This performance difference is less for IntraNetWare. Actual print job throughput is affected by many other factors such as topology, job size and content, and print server settings. Under many circumstances, NPRINTER provides an excellent IntraNetWare NDS solution.
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