Enable print server access (LPR) post SP2: open port 515 TCP

[John Faughnan]

Today I tried printing to my old Apple Laserwriter. Didn't work. I got
an error saying the print job had failed, but nothing further. The
printer light never flashed.

Fortunately it occurred to me quickly this was an WinXP SP2 problem. I
print to a Hawking PS12U print server via the LPR protocol. That
protocol uses TCP Port 515.

I disabled the XP firewall and was able to print. I then added Port
515 (labelled it LPR) and enabled the firewall. I was then able to
print with the firewall enabled.

Not a big deal for me, but I can see the firewall is going to cause
quite a bit of "education" for a lot of people.

fyi.

(e-mail address removed)

meta: jfaughnan, jgfaughnan, printing, Windwos XP, print server,
error, can't print, firewall

 

[Hans-Georg Michna]

Today I tried printing to my old Apple Laserwriter. Didn't work. I got
an error saying the print job had failed, but nothing further. The
printer light never flashed.

Fortunately it occurred to me quickly this was an WinXP SP2 problem. I
print to a Hawking PS12U print server via the LPR protocol. That
protocol uses TCP Port 515.

I disabled the XP firewall and was able to print. I then added Port
515 (labelled it LPR) and enabled the firewall. I was then able to
print with the firewall enabled.

Not a big deal for me, but I can see the firewall is going to cause
quite a bit of "education" for a lot of people.

fyi.

John,

thanks a lot for the good information! I have taken the liberty
to add it to http://www.michna.com/kb/WxSP2.htm along with an
attribution to you. If you don't like your name to appear there,
just let me know, and I will delete it again.

Hans-Georg

 

[David Efflandt]

Today I tried printing to my old Apple Laserwriter. Didn't work. I got
an error saying the print job had failed, but nothing further. The
printer light never flashed.

Fortunately it occurred to me quickly this was an WinXP SP2 problem. I
print to a Hawking PS12U print server via the LPR protocol. That
protocol uses TCP Port 515.

I disabled the XP firewall and was able to print. I then added Port
515 (labelled it LPR) and enabled the firewall. I was then able to
print with the firewall enabled.

Not a big deal for me, but I can see the firewall is going to cause
quite a bit of "education" for a lot of people.

I have never had trouble at work configuring a TCP port to print to
JetDirects from multiple PCs with old XP ICF or SP2 firewall enabled on
LAN nic. Even network printing/scanning on an OfficeJet G85 has never
been a problem.

At home enabling the old XP ICF on my LAN nic prevented me from LPR
printing or even accessing print server's web interface (pfirewall.log
showed it dropping replies from port 515 or 80), although, I could ping
the printserver. Ie, I had internet web access through my LAN gateway,
but could not access intranet (local) web interface of my print server.
I had no idea why or how to change that short of disabling ICF (which
worked fine).

But when I updated to SP2 (full download, not automatic update) and it
enabled its firewall on my LAN nic, everything at home worked fine.

Strange how SP2 can either cause or resolve a similar problem. But I
heard that there are some differences between the full SP2 update and
automatic SP2 update. I have updated 10 PCs with XP Pro or Home (Duron
900, P4s, Athlon XP and 64) and none had any issues. But all were the
download, not automatic.

 

[Hans-Georg Michna]

Strange how SP2 can either cause or resolve a similar problem. But I
heard that there are some differences between the full SP2 update and
automatic SP2 update. I have updated 10 PCs with XP Pro or Home (Duron
900, P4s, Athlon XP and 64) and none had any issues. But all were the
download, not automatic.

David,

in theory there should be no difference. If there is a
difference, then there is a defect in the autoupdate.

But defects are widespread, the complexity is unmanageable, and
therefore I'm not surprised to hear of cases where autoupdate
doesn't work, but the full download does.

Hans-Georg