CNIT 242 Complete Set

What was one of the earliest uses of local area networks (LANs)?

Printing – primarily to share expensive laser printers among multiple users.

Despite the push for paperless offices, what trend continues with printing?

Organizations continue to print more pages each year, not fewer.

Why is printing still a major concern for IT administrators?

It remains a significant source of administrative challenges, second only to backups.

Is network printing management improving?

Yes, it’s getting better, but still poses ongoing issues in many environments.

In the Direct Printing Model, how does the application interact with the printer?

The application sends the print job directly to the printer, requiring it to understand how to communicate with that specific printer.

Why did the Direct Printing Model require multiple drivers?

Because each application needed a specific driver for each printer it used.

Which types of applications still use the Direct Printing Model and why?

Applications like AutoCAD, because it provides maximum control and accuracy over printed output.

What does the 'print to file' feature do in the Direct Printing Model?

It creates a metafile that can be printed from another PC that has access to the printer, even if the original application isn’t installed.

What are common connection methods used in the Direct Printing Model?

Parallel ports

USB

WiFi

How does the modern printing model differ from the direct printing model?

It uses a print server to manage communication between clients and printers, rather than having each application talk directly to the printer.

Where can the print server be located in the modern printing model?

On a separate network-accessible server

Embedded within the printer itself

What is the function of spooling in the modern printing model?

Spooling (Simultaneous Peripheral Operations On-Line) buffers print jobs by writing them to the hard drive before sending them to the slower printer.

Why is spooling important in network printing?

It frees up client applications by queuing jobs for the printer, improving performance and reliability.

How does integration with Active Directory benefit modern printing?

It allows users to search for and use printers based on specific features (e.g., color printing, duplexing).

Why was driver management traditionally time-consuming in network printing?

Because drivers had to be manually installed on each client and varied by operating system, requiring separate management for each one.

What change began with Windows NT regarding printer drivers?

Automatic driver installation — clients connecting to a network printer via a print server automatically received the correct driver.

What is the main benefit of automatic printer driver installation?

It eliminates the need for user intervention, reducing the complexity and workload for IT administrators.

How does automatic driver installation improve the user experience?

It allows users to connect and print without needing to manually locate or install printer drivers.

What is the benefit of having multiple queues for a single physical printer?

It allows for customized control over print jobs by assigning different settings, permissions, and priorities to each queue.

How can printer queues be used to control access?

Permissions can be set to determine who can use each queue, enabling role-based access to printer features.

How can job prioritization be handled using multiple queues?

One queue can be configured to have higher priority over another, ensuring important jobs are printed first.

What types of default settings can vary between print queues?

Paper size (e.g., letter vs. legal)

Paper quality

Color vs. black & white

Print job prioritization

How does having multiple queues simplify changing print configurations?

Users can quickly switch between print modes (e.g., letter/legal or color/b&w) by selecting a different virtual printer, without changing settings manually.

What is printer pooling?

A setup where multiple physical printers are assigned to a single print queue to handle a higher volume of print jobs.

Why is printer pooling useful?

It helps with load balancing by distributing print jobs across multiple printers when one becomes busy.

What is a key requirement for printers in a print pool?

All printers must use the same driver, which typically means they must be the exact same model.

How does printer pooling improve efficiency?

It increases throughput and minimizes wait time by automatically sending print jobs to the next available printer in the pool.

What basic permission must every user have to use a network printer?

The “print” permission.

How can users be allowed to delete only their own print jobs?

By assigning the “manage documents” permission to the “Creator/Owner” group.

Why should most users not have full document management permissions?

To prevent them from deleting or modifying other users' print jobs, maintaining document control and accountability.

What does the “manage documents” permission allow a user to do?

It allows the user to re-order, pause, resume, or delete other users' print jobs.

When is it useful to grant someone "Manage Documents" permission?

If they are physically close to the printer

If they can help resolve issues without admin involvement

To reduce printing-related support requests

What does the "Manage Printer" permission allow a user to do?

It allows the user to change printer settings and configurations, such as renaming the printer or changing default settings.

Why should "Manage Printer" access be limited?

Because it grants administrative control over the printer, which could affect all users and overall printer functionality.

What were the traditional printer connection methods for UNIX/mainframe and PCs?

Serial for UNIX/mainframes

Parallel for PCs

What is the most common printer connection for consumer printers today?

USB

What connection type is becoming increasingly popular for consumer printers?

Wireless

How do workgroup printers typically receive print jobs?

Over a network via a print server

What does the print server do in a workgroup environment?

It controls data flow between the network and the printer engine, typically using a spooler service.

What is the traditional protocol used for network printing?

LPR (Line Printer Remote)

What server-side daemon is required for LPR to function?

LPD (Line Printer Daemon)

What platform was LPR originally developed for?

BSD UNIX

What are some limitations of LPR?

Port restrictions

4-minute timeout

Uni-directional communication

Requires accurate job sizing

What two elements must a client specify when using LPR?

Host – DNS name or IP of the printer

Queue – Format type (e.g., RAW or TEXT)

What does the “RAW” queue setting do in LPR?

Assumes a PDL-formatted job and adds no additional processing.

What does the “TEXT” queue setting do in LPR?

Accepts ASCII text and appends a carriage return (CR) to each line.

What is the default printing protocol for modern Windows systems?

RAW

What are advantages of RAW over LPR?

No port limitations

No timeout

Bi-directional communication

More lenient with job sizing

Does not require a queue name

What does CUPS stand for in UNIX systems?

Common UNIX Printing System

What does CUPS provide for UNIX-based printing?

Spooler

Scheduler

Converter

Backend connectivity to print devices

Is CUPS available on Windows platforms?

No, CUPS is UNIX-only

What is a Page Description Language (PDL)?

A programming language used to describe the layout and content of a print job to a printer.

What is the role of the print driver in relation to PDLs?

It implements the PDL and formats the print job according to the language the printer understands.

Why is it important for printers to support specific PDLs?

Because the printer must understand and process the commands encoded in that PDL to print correctly.

What are the two most common Page Description Languages?

PCL (Printer Command Language)

PostScript

Who developed PCL and when?

HP, in 1984, for their early inkjet printers (e.g., HP Thinkjet 2225).

What are some characteristics of PCL?

Simple, efficient, lightweight

Became the de facto standard for inkjet printing

Less tolerant of errors than PostScript

What is a major drawback of PCL compared to PostScript?

It is less error-tolerant, making it more prone to failure with complex jobs.

When and why was PostScript developed?

Developed in 1982 for the Apple LaserWriter, later licensed by Adobe.

What does PostScript treat everything as?

Raster images, including text—enabling features like scaling and rotation.

What file format is based on PostScript?

PDF (Portable Document Format)

What are the pros and cons of PostScript?

Pros: Powerful, allows complex layout and graphics

Cons: Slower for font rendering due to text-to-raster conversion

What open-source alternative exists for PostScript?

Ghostscript

What is the first component in the client-side print job path?

Application – The software generating the print job (e.g., Word, Excel).

What role does GDI play in the print job path?

Provides services to the print driver, such as caching and character conversion. It calls the appropriate driver based on printer and data type.

What is the function of the Print Driver on the client side?

Uses data from GDI to generate output specific to the target printer’s hardware and features.

What does the Client Spooler do?

Queues the print job and sends it to the print server for further processing.

What is the role of the Windows Print Server in network printing?

It manages the print queue and processes the job using its own Print Spooler, Print Router, and Print Monitor.

What does the Local Print Provider contain?

Another instance of GDI and Print Driver, used for final formatting and rendering on the print server.

What is the job of the Print Spooler on the server side?

Schedules incoming print jobs, locates necessary print drivers, and handles spooling of high-level function calls.

What does the Print Router do in the server’s print path?

Determines which print provider to forward the job to, based on the job's metadata.

What is the Print Monitor responsible for?

Delivers the print job to the physical or remote printer port and enables bi-directional communication between client and printer.

What is the complete print job path from a client application to the printer in a Windows network environment?

Client Side:

• Application generates the print job

• GDI (Graphics Device Interface) formats the output

• Print Driver converts it to a Page Description Language (PDL)

• Client Spooler queues the job and sends it to the Windows Print Server

Print Server Side:

• Print Spooler receives the job

• Print Router selects the appropriate print provider

• Local Print Provider (GDI + Print Driver) may reprocess the job

• Print Monitor manages final data transfer

• Printer prints the job

How are file shares accessed in a traditional server environment?

Directly by specifying the server name and share name, such as \\servername\sharename

What is a drawback of the traditional file sharing approach in large environments?

It becomes clunky and hard to manage, as users must remember multiple server and share paths.

Does being in the same domain simplify access in the traditional model?

No, users still need to know and enter specific server and share names, even within the same domain.

Provide examples of traditional share paths in a domain.

\\server1.acme.lcl\users

\\server2.hq.acme.lcl\projects

\\server3.wl.acme.lcl\purdue_projects

What does DFS stand for and when did it first appear?

Distributed File System, first introduced in Windows NT Server 4.0 and expanded in later Windows Server versions.

What are the two basic components of DFS?

Namespaces

Replication

What is a DFS Namespace?

A unified view of distributed file shares, making shares on different servers appear as if they are all on one server.

What is DFS Replication?

A process where two or more servers host the same share, automatically synchronizing data between them.

Why is DFS useful in large environments?

It simplifies access by hiding server-specific paths and improves redundancy and availability through replication.

What does DFS allow multiple shares on multiple servers to appear as?

As if they are shares on a single server, through a namespace.

What does a DFS namespace look like to the user?

It appears as a share: \\servername\namespace, with folders underneath like directories.

Where can shares in a namespace be located?

On the namespace server or on other servers across the network.

What tool is used to manage the DFS Namespace hierarchy?

The DFS Management Tool.

What are the two types of folders in a DFS namespace?

Folders without targets – virtual folders for structure

Folders with targets – point to actual network shares

What is a referral in the DFS namespace?

A pointer from a namespace folder to an actual shared folder location.

What is the benefit of having multiple targets for a namespace folder?

Provides redundancy and reliability across multiple servers or locations.

How must targets be maintained for redundancy to work properly?

They must be synchronized, using DFS Replication or another method.

What is a Standalone Namespace?

A namespace hosted on a single server and accessed via \\servername\namespace; does not require Active Directory.

Can replication be used in a standalone namespace?

Yes. It is automatic with Active Directory, otherwise manual.

What is a Domain-Based Namespace?

A namespace hosted in Active Directory, accessed via \\domainname\namespace.

Can multiple domain-based namespaces exist within one domain?

Yes. Each is managed independently (e.g., \\acme.lcl\dfs, \\acme.lcl\private).

What is DFS Replication used for?

To synchronize data between multiple servers hosting the same namespace target.

What is a replication group in DFS?

A group of servers that replicate shared folder contents using defined schedules and bandwidth limits.

What are sites in Active Directory?

Collections of IP subnets, used to represent physical network locations.

How does DFS use site awareness?

It automatically refers clients to a local target within their AD site (if available), for faster and more reliable access.

In DFS, what is a folder within a namespace?

A shared folder that is linked to the namespace root, appearing as part of a unified directory.

What is a folder target in DFS?

A UNC path pointing to a shared folder or another DFS path.