Printer Nightmare

[Gabzor]

I think its more of a networking issue, but its also a hardware issue i have as well so here goes.

So I have a client with a pizza restaurant, she wanted to upgrade her old server, and a couple of her satellite pos machines.

The server is a old windows 2000 server machine

I cloned her HD, and tried a direct upgrade to server 2003 via trial edition to see if it would work out on the new machine, works alright, except the printers..

the old computer is using one of these


i didn't use drivers for it, but windows had drivers so i just went along with it..

its hooked up to infared printers and registers from the kitchen to the front cashiers

basically all the com ports changed with the new hardware, and the most i could get working was a front cash register printer, but it was still having issues (maybe cause i was using windows2000 drivers)
[Epson t88II]

is there anyway i can make it so com ports stay the same? even if i move the pci card from the old computer to the new one??

and the printers use some kind of weird parallel to ethernet connector, all going into the com port, and the cash registers seem to have those parallel to ethernet connectors as well, but it has a software that can assign them ip, etc and they both are used by LPT 1..

also is it recommended maybe i just migrate windows 2000 server to the new hardware?

right now i tried the print migrator to 2003, and now windows is all buggy :/

[ljtechservices]

is there a model number on the card that can be looked up?
I can't really see from the picture.

[Cornerstone Technologies]

I think you may have made more work for yourself than you will be compensated for. In this case, I would have insisted on new hardware, not newer software on the same hardware.

I would became more familiar with the network and how it works before I would feel comfortable about planning an upgrade. Also, as a matter of practice, I like to do upgrades where the old system and network are left in place in case something unforeseen comes to light. That way, especially for a business, everything can be restored and business can operate normally until changes are complete and ready for full deployment.

[Gabzor]

Originally Posted by Cornerstone Technologies

I think you may have made more work for yourself than you will be compensated for. In this case, I would have insisted on new hardware, not newer software on the same hardware.

I would became more familiar with the network and how it works before I would feel comfortable about planning an upgrade. Also, as a matter of practice, I like to do upgrades where the old system and network are left in place in case something unforeseen comes to light. That way, especially for a business, everything can be restored and business can operate normally until changes are complete and ready for full deployment.

that i did, i thought it'd be a simple swap/transfusion, but nope..
well softwarewise, most of it is good..

and actually i did it the other way around, upgraded hardware and kept the software, software works good, its hardware and such that are having a problem.. if i just found out how to keep the com ports, it should be alright, but i am doing my research

ljtechservices - will let you know asap, the new computer is just sitting at my house

the business is still flowing fine with their old machine, they are just frustrated cause they paid and want the new hardware of course.

[pc-quebec]

The Intel quad NIC you show us on the pic as nothing to do with com port, it's not a serial card it's a quad network card, pretty common. You have to show us a pic of those "weird parallel to Ethernet connector", I suspect they are print server, they must have a fix IP and a port name, so you have to create a TCP/Ip port for each of them in the new server.

Your customer as all the right to get piss off, you should have not get this job if you don’t know the difference between a com port and a network card, server migration must be perform by experienced tech. I also question this migration from 2000 to 2003, in 2012 you should use 2008r2.

Show us a pic of what I think is a print server, so we can get you out of this mess.

here a link that show few print server, all true your model must be old


http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...server&x=0&y=0



.

[Gabzor]

yeah each printer has a print server but it goes through the quad card, it seems to emulate a com port for each printer for some reason, the reason why 2k3 was installed is she wanted to keep her old software, as upgrading license for her pos system (vitalink) is insanely expensive

the 3 printers in the kitchen all have individual print servers, but i can't catch the ips or anything, and their setup as "com printers"

but the 2 cash registers theres software that allows me to assign ips and all so its no biggie

[ljtechservices]

Originally Posted by pc-quebec

The Intel quad NIC you show us on the pic as nothing to do with com port, it's not a serial card it's a quad network card, pretty common.

I first thought it was a quad PCI NIC but when he described the setup I started thinking it was a serial card. Serial can run over RJ45. I've used it in industrial controls and I've seen it on a lot of older POS systems
here's one:
http://www.antarespro.com/6310876-it...14d315d308d316

but without knowing what the numbers are on the card I couldn't be sure what it is.

Originally Posted by Gabzor

the reason why 2k3 was installed is she wanted to keep her old software, as upgrading license for her pos system (vitalink) is insanely expensive

that answered the other question I had.

[pc-quebec]

Originally Posted by ljtechservices

I first thought it was a quad PCI NIC but when he described the setup I started thinking it was a serial card. Serial can run over RJ45. I've used it in industrial controls and I've seen it on a lot of older POS system.

I'm 100% positive, it's an Intel 10/ 100/ 1000Mbps, from what I can see it's similar to an Intel EXPI9404VT I have on my bench , you can see the words on the plate

10 off
100 GRN
1000 ORG

those are the Intel color , aside you can see 2 block of opto isolator Intel use in their NIC.




This setup is very simple, they use parallel printer on print server. so the TCP/IP port as to be configure the same way as before. The Op should make the list of all those port before migrate to the new server.

[rsarceno]

Originally Posted by Gabzor

I think its more of a networking issue, but its also a hardware issue i have as well so here goes.

Gabzor,

What you have on the PIC is a Quad NIC made by Intel.
The printer your using "Epson" is a parallel or serial printer
The box your referring to as parallel to COM is a print server.

The printer Server contains the IP address (not the printer).

If the print server is directly connected to one of the port on the Quad Nic, then most likely it a crossover cable.

You can do this. If you don't know how to configured a print server

1) Connect the Print Server to your laptop with a cross over cable
2) Do a scan. You should see the IP address.
3) DO it for each print server
4) COnfigure the matching network IP address for each port on the Quad NIc.

If you don't have a cross over cable and couldn't make one, use a hub or a switch. Just make sure only one printer and one laptop connected on the switch.

If you need help, yell and I will help you remotely.

[Rob_NNCC]

My experience with POS is slightly limited, but here is what I think is going on.

Printer, uses a DB25 serial port (gender is reversed from parallel.)

That goes through an adapter cable that takes it to rj45.

That goes to a 4 port serial card. I KNOW it is not the card you have pictured because no Server that had 2000 installed on it had PCIE.

I would see if there are updated serial card drivers. Then I would write down what port goes to what printer, and what baud, trans control and what not each printer require.

Go from there.


EDIT: looked up the printer, yep, serial: http://www.beaglehardware.com/servlet/Detail?no=179