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[guest]

Gratuitous spam again but this is a product that works :

http://www.lindy.com/uk/productfolder/04/42929/index.php

We have one and after the problems* setting it up (we have two subnets here - best not to ask really) I expected the worst.

I was very wrong. It does exactly what it claims and has been running on our network for a month now without any need for intervention. An Epson 830U is on one USB port and an HP2550 (IIRC - cba to go upstairs and check) is on the other. Yes I know the HP is a network printer. Its rubbish on the network though. I run it from our home server (in the garage - a DL145G2 dual Opteron 275 affixed to the wall ) over this device and I grudgingly have to admit (I dislike HP printers - or rather all the s/w which they insist installing) it works very well.

Yes it is £90 but its USB2.0 (platform neutral) and runs off the LAN. Put your printer (and future printers) wherever you want - no more USB2.0 cable length problems

*I suspect many of these were down to traversing 192.168.0.* and 192.168.10.* nets via the server. Now I know what the thing does it can come into our "trusted" LAN - 192.168.0.* so I'll report back if any setup issues exist. The interface and docs could do with some work but for a v1.0 device (I know I know) its excellent.

Edit - it sets up as the docs say it should when there's only one subnet so twas me complicating things which caused the original problem. Oh and I guess I should point out that its only operating system neutral when you use one machine to run the printer and share via that machine. Otherwise you need to install s/w on each Windows computer but I'd guess most Linux peeps have a box up 24/7 anyway.

Edit 2 - occurs to me that peeps might not see the point? Well if your kids are networked up then the printer can be in their room (saves them saying Dad can I print....) but totally under your control. In short if you can get network cable there, or wireless (you'd need an AP or a bridge) or more likely mains networking then the printer can go where its best.

[kitz]

>> Well if your kids are networked up then the printer can be in their room (saves them saying Dad can I print....) but totally under your control

hmmm that reminds me - I never played with the Print Server on my Buffalo link station.

Eric - did you ever try that - or do any of the extra stuff thats available on it?  atm its basically acting as a back up server and holds all the multi-media stuff.

The idea was I was also going to put all my "working files" on there too and use it as a file server so I could either work from the lappy or the desktop, but I never got around to that and still seem to work off the desktop all the time.

[roseway]

I did play with the print server, and I was able to see a connected printer from a PC, but I never did get it to print. I really should have another go, because I can't believe it's that difficult. The Buffalo firmware is a Linux system, so it's a bit embarrassing that I didn't solve this before.

[guest]

I had a Linkstation about 3 years ago. I never managed to get a printer working from it. Frankly I don't honestly think Buffalo ever had any intention of making it work. I have two Terastations here (1TB and a 2TB Pro) and I wouldn't believe anything Buffalo say.

The Terastations we have are connected to a Windows "domain"  but despite all that I see on the Buffalo site they simply don't honour domain user settings. Fine for me as I use them as static media storage so I just leave them read-only.

As roseway says it shouldn't be that difficult but as with Draytek routers (they had a USB printer port too) I think other, more pressing issues filled up the firmware.