Bonjour Service Name changes unexpectedly after being set on m402dn printer

[IronBadger]

Hello,

There must be another cause for the name change that is also affecting the ability to print.  Once the print queue is created to the printer, the Bonour service name can change at the printer and not affect printing.  Using Bonjour the queue is actually connecting to the MAC address of the device.  So the IP and the Bonjour Name can change all day and the opriginal created queue would still be able to print.  I just verified this.  So, your scenario is very confusing.

I wanted to clarify one of the statements above.  You said that changing teh Bonjour Service Name back to the original name would correct the issue.  Is this right?  Changing the name would resart the print server so that is most likely what is fixing it rather than the name change.  In any of your troubleshooting have you just turned the printer off and on again to see if this resolved the issue?  This would help us get closer to root cause.

Is the printer connected wired or wireless to the network?

Also, how are the macOS clients connecting to the printer?  Are you just going to System Preferences and selecting the printer from the Default Window (Bonjour)?  Or are you entering a specific IP Address?  Also are you using AirPrint, Secure AirPrint or the HP Driver to print?

Do you have an Windows PCs printing to the same device?  Do they lose connectivity at the same time?

When the AirPrint name changes, does the IP address on the printer change as well?  It almost sounds like the router is losing track of the printer at some point and not recognzing it is the same device on the network.  That's why you would get the enumeration and loss of connectivity. 

Do you have the ability to restart your router to see if this resolves the issue?  What model of router do you have?

I would very much like to set up an environment where I can try and replicate the issue.

[Seven709]

Hello IronBadger,

thank you very much for your post. I'm sorry that it took so long to respond, but last week my macbook failed and just today I got it back from repair. However, let me try to answer our questions:

Yes, changing the name back to the one before the change fixed the issue and I could immediately connect and print. As far as turning the printer off and on I vaguely rember doing this on a previous occasion to no avail. Only re-installing printer driver and connecting to the now new name re-established printing. 

The printer is connected via wire and a static IPv4 Adress. But ... until starting troubleshooting IPv6 was enabled as well. My internet link is a true Dual-Stack with an IPv4 and an IPv6 external IP and assigned IPv6 range. However, like the (external) IPv4 address, the (external) IPv6 address is provided via DHCP and changing also daily, as well as the assigned range. So, basically once a day all my IPv6 capable devices got a new IPv6 address. Please note that I have now IPv6 disabled in the printer settings, and so far, the Bonjour name did not change again. I would assume that, due to the static IPv4 address we can exclude my (IPv4) DHCP server from the equation which is btw not my router but a dedicated VM. IPv6 addresses on the other side will be indeed provided by my router which is an AVM FritzBox 7490.

Currently the macOS clients are connected via System Preferences "defaults" and AirPrint.  I started with the HP printer driver, but the issue occured with both, AirPrint and HP Driver.

So far, I checked the the settings almost every day now .. but a watched kettle never boils ... 🙂

[Seven709]

Hi all,

just for your information

Day 14 now and the name is still the same. In short, just disabled IPv6 (previously DHCP with daily changes) and running only with static IPv4 address.

[irishguy8]

So I've been having the same issue as mentioned here, having to delete the old Bonjour name/Printer e.g. HP OfficeJet Pro [B00EBE] (XXXX) where XXXX is some random number that's been increasing every time I have to do this.  Are you saying that you changed a setting (I think you're saying you disabled IPV6), and now the name "sticks"? 

HP Support has been brutal on this.  They literally had me calling Apple, then my internet company, where they wanted me to update some core function of the WiFi to make the printer work.  Hours upon hours of tech support via phone, then nagging callbacks to see if it was resolved, when I told them I wasn't calling my ISP to change settings to make a printer work!

[IronBadger]

I set up a device but have yet to be able to reproduce this so it must be a bit environment specific.

@irishguy8 Which OfficeJet Pro do you have?  Is the printer wired or wireless?  The more details I can gather about environment the more likely I can reproduce it.  We can't fix anything until we can reproduce and figure out root cause.  Is your device connected externally as well?

@Seven709 thank you for all the detailed information.   IPv6 address should be seperate from Bonour Name...that is kind of the point around mDNS..IP should be able to change but printer name does not.  Thanks for the follow up on it not changing after disabling IPv6.  The printer will do a soft reboot after disabling this as well.  Were there any other network changes?  Did the router get rebooted for any other reason per chance?  Power outage or anything really?

[irishguy8]

I've got an OfficeJet 7740.  It's connected wirelessly.  I'm on a Mac - both a desktop and a laptop, and occasionally a smart device.

Like I said, I setup the printer via Airprint (adding it via Printers and Scanners), which adds the HP OfficeJet Pro 7740 series [B00EBE] (XXXX), where XXXX is some number increment (Started at 1, now it's up to 1124 last time I re-added it).  Works fine for an indeterminate amount of time.  Then poof - it disappears and creates a new XXXX name (and therefore a new printer that needs to be added to all the devices).

[IronBadger]

@irishguy8 Sorry.  The 7740 part did not show in your previous post.  That's why I asked.

The m402, M477 and OfficeJet Pro 7740 use completely different firmware bases (OS that runs the printer).

So, it is something that is not specific to the type of printer.  Thank you for the additional clarification this is helpful.

[irishguy8]

Ok - I PM'd you, but in case you want to continue the conversation here, please let me know what else you suggest.  Firmware is up to date ( I just checked).

[IronBadger]

@Seven7   When you had IPv6 DHCP set up, was it chaning the link.local address periodically as well as the Globally Unique?

One of the reasons this is confusing me is that Bonour is completely based on local. for IPv4 and Link.Local for IPv6.

The IPv4 address and IPv6 Globally Unique address should not affect Bonjour name and enumeration.

As a default HP already appends part of the MAC (hardware) address to the Bonjour name as to make it unique from the onset.  The Bonjour name that the printer takes at power on should not change.  Subsequent devices with the sma ename should send out an request for other devices on the network to use that name.  If the name exists then the printer will enumerate the name by 1 and try again.  This repeats until it does not get a response back.  What seems to be happening here is that something on teh network is caching these names and responding as if the device exists, so when the printer checks at power on for a unique name it sees the same name exists and enumerates by 1.  This obviously should not happen especially if the Bonjour name is already unique by containing part of the MAC address.

If turning off IPv6 resolves the issue permanently for @Seven709  then we have another clue.  macOS will prefer the IPv6 Link.Local to IPv4 if it is available.  As IPv6 is relatively new we may be seeing a gap in implementation or possibly an issue.

@irishguy8 can you try turning off IPv6 on the printer and see if you see a change in behavior as well?

[irishguy8]

I have turned off IPv6, so I'll check back in a day or two and let you know if anything changes (or better said, DOESN'T change).