HP3600 Laserjet - Config via Hostname not working

[RangerZ]

I am trying to configure my PCs to use the HP3600 Laserjet’s hostname instead of the MAC address. I want to replace the router and change the IP range and would like this to be as seamless as possible when I do it.

The printer gets a static IP assigned by my DD-WRT router based upon it’s MAC and has the same host name on the router as the printer.   I also have configured the routers “LAN Domain” and get a value in the “Connection-specific DNS Suffix” on the PC and in the HP “Networking => TCP/IP Domain Name” value that match. (mylan.lan).

I can ping as follows using the hostname.

Vista to XP – Yes

Vista to Printer – No

XP to Vista - No

XP to Printer – Yes

Ping request could not find host NPI70EC01. Please check the name and try again.

Tracert results are:

C:\Users\Steven>tracert 192.168.1.80
Tracing route to NPI70EC01 [192.168.1.80]
over a maximum of 30 hops:
1   <1 ms   <1 ms   <1 ms NPI70EC01 [192.168.1.80]

I do not know where the hostname value is derived from.

There is config under the following sections that I do not understand:

Configuration =>Network Settings TCP/IP and SNMP

Configuration => Other Settings

Security => Mgmt. Protocols

I am not clear if this is a printer, LAN or workstation issue. The Vista firewall is off, and the sharing is generally liberal.

[davidzuts]

Not an expert in this field, however, the host name is assigned by hp when the network card is first configured.  If you bring up the web page for the ip address of the printer and go to network settings you can change the host name as you wish. Many places to this for example to assign the location of the printer as the host name.  Now as to finding the host name, a lot depends on network settings which is not my area of expertise.  I do know that the ip address of the printer has to be in the same net as the computers and servers for the host name to be seen on the computers.  The ip address can be set as bootp or dhcp so it finds an available address on bootup within the net which allows for the hostname to be seen.  Hope some of this helps.

[RangerZ]

Thanks for the response, but not sure I am following you totaly.

I do not care what the host namie IS, just that I can use it to ping (assign to the printer) it.  The IP is assigned by DHCP and the DNS appear to be corect, at least as I wish.  The IPs are all in the same subnet. I can find the device by pinging the IP, I just want to do it via hostname so I can change the IP in the furure.

This is pretty much a simple home LAN, with an AP.   

I do not know what bootp is/does.

[davidzuts]

Here is what I would try first as it seems Vista is the operating system that you may have an issue with host names.  With your current settings just go to add printer and then create port and in the drop down choose standard tcp/ip and then next.  It should ask you to put in the ip address or hostname.  Put in the host name and then choose next.  If it goes to the makers page it means it finds the host name.  If it goes to asking you type of network card (I think generic), then it can not find the printer by host name and you may have to inquire on the networking forum on how to activate hostname recognition under networking.  As I said that is not my area of expertise.  I know that most times I can enter the host name and it finds the printer without issue, but sometimes when I enter the host name it can not find the printer and I revert tcp/ip address.  If you do have an issue I would just use the tcp/ip address where I assign a manual address for now.  When I get the new router, I would just do a cold reset on the printer so it finds a new ip address.  Make that a manual address and then just edit the port on each computer to reflect the new ip address.  Hope some of this helps with what you want to do.

[RangerZ]

I have been down this road (all day), but you did point out something I did not realize.  I am using the hostname to configure the printer, and I get through the process.  When I print, I get "Error - Printing" which we all no is a totaly useless message.  This is actualy the goal.  I do not care about pinging hostname, but think that if I can not ping, I can not print by hostname.

I have had printing working on IP since day one.  I am trying to make all the local IP addresses go away, and maintain everything on the router.

I have, since the first post, got the XP machine working by hostname for printing.  I am pretty sure it's PC related at this point.

I have flushed the dns and tcpip, along with some other checks of the registry keys with no joy.

Tomorrow I will try installing a printer on my other vista.  I just use it for a media server and avoid anything that I do not need.

[davidzuts]

I could be wrong on this but make sure you have file and print sharing enabled on any computer you want to communicate with hostname.  I think it has something to do with DNS which is the way networks see hostnames.

[RangerZ]

On both Vista machines:

Network discovery is on

File Sharing is on

Printer sharing is off (see below)

This is a network printer, and I have not set the printer to be shared in any of the printer configurations. Some work, some do not.

This becomes more convoluted.

I configured another XP machine and it prints by host name. Pinging either Vista machine using host name gives a “request time out’, but acckowledges the device with IP.

My second Vista machine (V2) gets a “destination unreachable” pinging the first Vista machine (V1) which means it knows it’s there, but not talking. More interesting is that I can not ping the printer, but do have it configured to use the hostname and it works.

Pinging V2 from V1 does work, but appears to be using an IPV6 address.

Other searching has brought me to the HKLM\system\current control set\services\netbt\parameters but I find none of the issues described in the post. http://superuser.com/questions/476417/unable-to-ping-local-machines-by-name-in-windows-7 One difference between my V1 and V2 was the line EnableProxy value (0), which I deleted with no impact. I also see that on V2, which works, is there is an Interface\TCPIP entry under this hierarcy for the adapter, but on the one that does not work there is no entry.  This is an addin  Intel-CT Lan Card.

At this point it seems that all my configured machines but my primary Vista machine can be configured by hostname. All the XPs can ping the printer, the Vistas can not. One Vista can print using host name, the other can not.

For what it’s worth, V2 has some virtual (VMWare) adapters, and a OpenVPN TAP adapter.