How do I set up a D-link five port ethernet switch to share a printer.?

Question

I have four lap tops to share one printer.The switch is a D-link, five port ethernet. Can you give me written instructions?

Answer 1

Your laptops and printer have to be configured in some sort of workgroup or network. A workgroup is probably easier to set up, unless you are running everything through a server, in which case you'd set everything up in a domain configuration.

To set up your workgroup (do this on each laptop), right click My Computer on your desktop and go to Properties. Go to Computer Name and give your laptop a name. Then hit the Change button to set up your workgroup and to give your laptop a unique network name (this is different from the name in the previous screen). Then hit OK and you may have to reboot for everything to take effect.

If your printer is network-ready, just plug that in to your switch and configure it to work with your workgroup (procedure depends on your printer's model and your switch - check the help files or online tech support). Then on each laptop, go to your Control Panel and click on Printers and Other Hardware. From there, click Add a Printer, which will bring up a wizard. Hit Next, and if everything was set up right earlier, you can look for a network printer on the next screen, and then browse for your printer on your network - you should see your workgroup name listed with the different laptop names. Just find your printer and you should be set.

If your printer is not networ ready, you may have to either get an adapter for it (they have USB/Ethernet adapters that allow you to plug in a USB printer to an Ethernet port), or you can plug it in directly into a laptop. The downside to this is that your laptop has to be on and plugged in to your network in order for others to use the printer. If you go this route, set up the printer on the laptop first via the installation CDs or the Add a Printer wizard as described above (but you're adding a printer that's connected locally, not via a network). After that is done, set up the other laptops to connect to that printer through the laptop, using pretty much the same procedure above (find a network printer in your workgroup by first finding the laptop it's connected to).

There are other ways of doing this, depending on what other network issues you may have (i.e. WiFi, servers, etc.), but hopefully this will give you some ideas.

Answer 2

particular. If the printer has a community connection (ethernet - comparable through fact the connections to the swap), it is going to ensue on the community as yet another gadget the MACs can use. you will might desire to configure the printer so as that it fairly is IP handle (the handle on your community) is interior the form of that utilized with the help of your different instruments. The printers often have a configuration menu that may not comparable to printer variety to printer variety. although, in the journey that your printer is barely USB, there are instruments which will help you connect with the community and then connect with it as defined above. fairly, you configure the gadget with a notebook or MAC, and then connect it to your printer. The gadget does each and all of the networking that would desire to often be performed with the help of the actual community connection your printer lacks. returned, if perfect. link decrease than. There are dozens of those, and you may desire to anticipate to pay $25+ in case you like one. i'm utilising an previous DLink DP-311U. in case you will come across a variety of, they are affordable and basic to apply. (even with the reality that they are 802.11b i've got faith, you could want a extra modern-day one it rather is "G" or "N".) even though it supply you a concept of what you like in the journey that your printer does not community quickly. i'm a domicile windows guy, so i won't supply you the step with the help of step to "browse" the community to discover the printer as quickly as you have gotten it online, yet yet another poster will probably supply you the keystroke with the help of keystroke way of doing it.