tokenring printserver on an ethernetwork?

No problem - as long as it has an RJ45 socket.

Carefully seperate the RJ45 connector from the rest of the equipment. Discard the unwanted components.

Construct an ethernet print server. Write software for it. Solder on the RJ45 socket that you saved from the Token ring equipment.

You now have an Ethernet print server.

OH! I nearly forgot, perhaps before you start you should check that the socket has a full compliment of 8 conductors since TR uses different pins from Ethernet and there is the possibility that your device does not have the correct pins. That would have been a waste of effort.

Reply to
anybody43
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Hello,

Here's a question from a tokenring-nitwit: Is it possible to use, in ANY way, a tokenring printserver in an ethernet-network? And if so, HOW is it possible??

Thanks in advance!

-- Erix(at)xs4all(dot)nl ADSL 1600/512 SpeedTouch 580

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Reply to
Erix...

"Erix..." schreef in bericht news:421c2beb$0$28985$ snipped-for-privacy@news.xsall.nl...

Oops I just saw a similar question, sorry. Maybe my question should be:

I have an AXIS 660 Tokenring network printserver. Is it in *any* way possible to convert this server to an Ethernetserver (like the AXIS 560 printserver) with a firmwarehack or something?? (even though my network obviously don't recognise the server in its network...)

Thanks, again.

Reply to
Erix...

Get one of those token ring - ethernet bridges (good luck finding one) or get a router with an ethernet NIC on one side and token ring on the other or change the NIC in the printer.

Reply to
James Knott

No amount of "firmwarehack" will make two incompatible hardware protocols work together.

Reply to
James Knott

The differences between Token Ring and Ethernet start at the hardware level. If it's something you want to do for fun, go for it, but understand that you're basically going to be reverse engineering the whole print server and then redesigning the network interface on it. If you need a working print server then forget about modifying that one into an Ethernet device, instead you'll need to either obtain a Token Ring-to-Ethernet bridge or obtain or construct an Ethernet to Token Ring router--this latter doesn't have to be expensive, an old PC, a couple of network cards, and a copy of Linux and some time will do the trick. But if you're doing that it might be easier to just configure the machine you'd be using as a router to function as a print server instead.

Reply to
J. Clarke

Or perhaps replace the NIC in the printer.

Reply to
James Knott

If the printer had a network interface card in it then why would he be using a print server?

Reply to
J. Clarke

I wonder if he's using the correct term. Generally, a print server is a computer, that shares a printer to the network. That printer could be attached by any means, including the network. I have seen printers with built in ethernet or token ring cards. Generally all that's required to change them from one to the other, is to swap the NIC and possibly some config info. If he's referring to a print server computer, then of course he should be able to change the NIC. There are also small "print server" boxes, but I've never seen those in anything but ethernet.

Reply to
James Knott

Most of the printers that I have seen that have built in network interfaces also have at least limited print server functionality. When I think of a "print server" that is a separate device with a network port I think of a device used to attach one or more serial, parallel, USB, or other type of normally non-networkable printer to a LAN. Those devices were available with Token Ring and 100VG interfaces that I know of in addition to Ethernet.

The Axis 660, about which the OP was asking, is one of those "small boxes"--I'm not clear what interfaces it has--the manufacturer's site doesn't have much information about it other than that it's been replaced by the Axis 670, which supports 2 parallel and one serial printer. The photo of the 660 shows what appears to be a serial port.

Reply to
J. Clarke

Yes indeed, I was reffering to a seperate device called a "network print server", the AXIS 660, it's a TR-thingie with 2 LPT-ports and a serial port. The AXIS 560 is a network print server I would've like to have, it's an Ethernet-server. The 670 I didn't know yet.

Thanks for all your responses, I realise now that there's no (easy) way to use this device. I'd better try to trade it with an ehternetserver. Don't think that'll work, who's using TokenRing Networks those days..?

Thanks again, all! ERIX

Reply to
Erix...

In Britain, where things tend to be expensive, I could buy a little external print server, which connects to the printer via aparallel port or USB depending on the model, for about thirty pounds. I've got a D-Link parallel one at home, and we've got several HP USB ones at work for variuos printers which don't have network built in. All work fine.

Reply to
furles

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