Problem setting up AirPort USB printer

[J.J.]

I connected an Epson printer to the USB port of my AirPort Extreme Base Station but cannot get it to work. It shows properly in the Admin Utility Summary display on the configuration screen and in the USB Printers tab from the AirPort tab but cannot be seen from any computer on the network.

Possibly relevant information is as follows:
* AirPort firmware is version 5.6
* The AirPort does not provide DHCP or NAT services
* The AirPort has a static IP address with appropriate entries for the router and DNS.
* The DNS server has an entry (forward and reverse) for the AirPort.
* The LAN port of the AirPort is connected to an ethernet switch with Mac, Windows, and UNIX computers.
* Both Mac and Windows laptops connect by wireless.
* All computers on the network (wired and wireless) can see each other and the Internet.
* The printer, USB cable and printer software were connected directly from another computer and functioned properly.
* Of the computers that need to access the printer:
- The Macs run OS/X 10.3
- The Windows computers run XP sp2 or 2003 Server.

Questions:
* The AirPort IP address apparently refers to the WAN port (according to arp responses). Does the same address apply to WAN, LAN, and AirPort interfaces? Is there some way,or any need, to set a separate address for each interface?
* When setting up the Windows TCP/IP Port Monitor which protocol should be used? If LPR protocol is used, what is the queue name? And should "Byte Counting" be enabled?

 

[gsahli]

Airport Extreme/Express provide the HP Jetdirect/raw port 9100 protocol.

More info needed - I think you are describing a network where the Airport Extreme Base Stn is acting as a wireless access point - it provides no router functions, just connects wireless computers to some other router?
Or is there no router/gateway in this picture?

 

[J.J.]

Thanks gsahli. Using the raw procol with port 9100 allows me to print. I still get a communication error - apparently related to the bidirectional support but maybe that can be solved later.

Also, you are correct about the network. The AEBS acts only as a wireles access point. (From the AirPort Help) With DHCP and NAT turned off, the base station acts as a simple bridge between the wired and wireless computers on the network. Routing, etc, is provided by other computers on the network.

 

[gsahli]

If the IP address you gave the Airport Extreme base station (AEBS) is in the same subnet as everything else, then I think it should work. Some other routers (2 Netgear models and 1 Linksys I've tried recently) can only do this by not connecting the WAN side and connecting the LAN side to the network - maybe you should experiment with that.