How to Install the Microsoft Print Agent for NetWare Networks

• Microsoft Windows 95

SUMMARY

The Microsoft Print Agent for NetWare Networks (MSPSRV) is a 32-bit (protected-mode) service that replaces Novell NetWare's RPRINTER and PSERVER commands. MSPSRV runs in the background taking the place of Novell NetWare's RPRINTER terminate-and-stay-resident program (TSR) and acts as the print server. MSPSRV lets a Windows 95-based computer accept and print jobs from a NetWare print queue (version 2.15 or later) to a local printer attached to an LPT port.

When you are loading Novell NetWare's RPRINTER, you can specify a printer number and print server. Make sure that the print server is configured to print on Printer0-Remote Parallel, LPT1:. Using RPRINTER, you could have a dedicated computer running Pserver.exe acting as the print server and directing the job to the RPRINTER node. This is not necessary or possible with MSPSRV because the functionality built into MSPSRV replaces both RPRINTER and PSERVER.

This article describes how to install MSPSRV.

NOTE: To install MSPSRV, you must be the administrator of the NetWare server.

MORE INFORMATION

Should I Install the Microsoft Print Agent for NetWare?

If either of the following conditions are true, you should use the Microsoft Print Agent for NetWare instead of the File and Printer Sharing for NetWare Networks service to share a printer:

• If you want the print queue to reside on a NetWare server.
• If there are computers on your network using the shared printer and running real-mode NETX or VLM clients.

Notes:

• If there are computers on your network running real-mode NetWare clients and using the shared printer, you can use the File and Printer Sharing for NetWare Networks service to share the printer. However, the real-mode client computers must capture a printer port and print to that captured port, instead of printing directly to the shared printer.
• When you use the Microsoft Print Agent for NetWare to share the printer, the print queue resides on a NetWare server and is administered using the NetWare PCONSOLE tool. When you use the File and Printer Sharing for NetWare Networks service to share the printer, the print queue resides on a Windows 95-based computer and is administered from the printer's property sheet.
• When you use the File and Printer Sharing for NetWare Networks service to share the printer, you can also share other resources that can be accessed by computers running the Microsoft Client for NetWare Networks or the real-mode NETX or VLM client.

Preparing to Install the Microsoft Print Agent for NetWare

Before you install MSPSRV, make sure the following conditions are met:

• The local printer is connected to the Windows 95-based computer and you can print to it from Windows 95.
• You can connect to the NetWare server on which the print queue exists.
• The Microsoft Client for NetWare Networks must be installed (File and Print Sharing for NetWare Networks does not need to be installed).

How to Add the Microsoft Print Agent for NetWare

1. In Control Panel, double-click Network.

2. Click Add, click Service, click Add, and then click Have Disk.

   NOTE: If MSPSRV has ever been installed on the computer, the Microsoft Print Agent for NetWare Networks will already be listed as a service under Microsoft and you do not have to click Have Disk to install it.

3. Type the path to the Admin\Nettools\Prtagent folder on the Windows 95 CD-ROM, and then click OK.

4. When the Microsoft Print Agent service has been added to the list of installed network components, click OK. You must restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

How to Activate the Microsoft Print Agent for NetWare

Once MSPSRV is installed, use the following steps to activate it:

1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Printers.

2. Use the right mouse button to click the default printer, and then click Properties on the menu that appears.

3. On the Details tab, click Capture Printer Port.

4. Verify that LPT1 is selected in the Device box, and that the Path box is empty. Click OK.

5. Click the Print Server tab. (If this tab is not available, MSPSRV has not been installed correctly.)

6. In the NetWare Server box, click the appropriate NetWare server.

7. Click OK.

8. Restart your computer.

   Admin\Reskit\Helpfile

Setting Up the NetWare Print Server and Print Queue

The following steps describe how to set up a Novell NetWare print server and print queue for use with MSPSRV. This requires a working knowledge of the NetWare PCONSOLE utility. If you need assistance creating a NetWare print server or print queue using PCONSOLE, please consult your NetWare documentation.

1. Using PCONSOLE, create a print server. Configure the print server for a remote LPT1 printer connected to the Windows 95-based computer that will run MSPSRV.

2. Using PCONSOLE, create a print queue. Assign the print queue to the print server created in step 1.

3. In the properties for the configured printer, click the Print Server tab, select the NetWare server on which the print queue resides from the list of NetWare servers, and then select the name of the print server that you created in step 1 from the list of print servers.

4. Click OK.

For information about known issues with MSPSRV, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q132786
   TITLE     : Known Issues with MS Print Agent for NetWare (MSPSRV)