[comp.protocols.nfs] PC based print servers

wittmann@erb1.wisc.edu (art wittmann) (06/29/89)

A group of faculty here are using PC-NFS and various Unix Boxes to
share files etc.  They've got a number of hardcopy devices that they
want to share (like HP laser jets, fancy plotters etc).  They'd like
to be able to access these devices across the network, from both PCs and
Unix systems.  They can't hang them directly off of the unix systems, 
because of geographic location.

So the solution seems to be some sort of PC based dedicated on non-dedicated
print server.  Ideally we'd like a non-dedicated print server that ran on
a pc that uses pc-nfs.  I don't know if it exists, if not, we'd be interested
in comments on attempting such a project.  Haven't seen anything in the way
of an API for PC-NFS from SUN, I guess we'd need at least that....

The pc is attractive, since we've got some 8088 system units that are gathering
dust (bought with IBM EGA monitors which have long since pasted away).

Thanks for any thoughts,
 
Art

wittmann@engr.wisc.edu  
phone 608/263-1748