Question on connecting through a 'hub'

[96XP]

Not sure if this is possible, however I hope I can get some advice here.

Have two printers, two computers, and a Netgear GS105 5 port hub.
Can I connect two computers and one printer through the hub, so that the printer can be sent print files from each workstation - without conflicts or damage?

 

[balstestrat]

Yes, you can.

 

[signage]

absolutely

 

[96XP]

Thanks for the replies. Would I need to change any IP settings, or just good-to-go? (plug and play)

 

[balstestrat]

Thanks for the replies. Would I need to change any IP settings, or just good-to-go? (plug and play)

Impossible to answer the question without knowing how your network is set up now.
Probably you do need to change it if you are also connecting to internet via this hub but not before.

 

[96XP]

So should each computer need a different IP for the hub/printer to communicate, or the same?

 

[balstestrat]

Every device needs its own address from the same subnet.

 

[96XP]

That's what I figured. Many thanks

 

[unclebun]

You don't have to worry about the IP address assignments. Your router takes care of that. Or the devices. Computers get their IP addresses dynamically on a network. Most other devices do too, though some may require a fixed setting. The only thing you are likely to have to set is from the computer that is sending the prints, you'll have to make sure the print driver has the IP address of the printer in the port settings, especially if you are changing the network.

 

[balstestrat]

You don't have to worry about the IP address assignments. Your router takes care of that. Or the devices. Computers get their IP addresses dynamically on a network. Most other devices do too, though some may require a fixed setting. The only thing you are likely to have to set is from the computer that is sending the prints, you'll have to make sure the print driver has the IP address of the printer in the port settings, especially if you are changing the network.

This little switch of hes doesn't have a dhcp server and if it's left offline without connection to router or something the devices won't just magically "get their IP". And if the printer is already set to a static IP, it will still keep it.

 

[unclebun]

This little switch of hes doesn't have a dhcp server and if it's left offline without connection to router or something the devices won't just magically "get their IP". And if the printer is already set to a static IP, it will still keep it.

If the network has no connection to the internet, you are right. The internet router would be the DHCP server in that case. If not, you have to turn on DHCP in the computers if it's not already, and then assign an address to each computer.

 

[WYLDGFI]

Its not hard to set up the IP addresses....subnet mask 255.255.255.0 & IP addresses...10.10.10.# 1 thru whatever. We have a mix of static and DHCP here at our shop.

 

[netsol]

there are 3ranges of non routable ip addresses

• 10.0. 0.0/8 IP addresses: 10.0. 0.0 – 10.255. 255.255.
• 172.16. 0.0/12 IP addresses: 172.16. 0.0 – 172.31. 255.255.
• 192.168. 0.0/16 IP addresses: 192.168. 0.0 – 192.168. 255.255.

what this means is. ALL OTHER IP ADDRESSES HAVE BEEN SOLD for use on the internet (as. global ip's

if you use something other than these 3 ranges, you run the ridk of your computer or router trying to get to an ip and seeing the same destination inside and outside your network. it doesn't know which one is valid, so it goes nowhere

forgive me for over simplifying a very complex issue, but NO ONE WANTS A LESSON IN BINARY MATH. (yes i am a geek, who can pass as a normal person, sometimes)

 

[unclebun]

I was thinking about whether I have ever made a network without internet connection, and I have. I built a computer for a business that wanted to replace an old one. We connected the new and old computers to a switch via ethernet. No connection to their wider network (or therefore the router and internet). Nothing needed to be done for the two computers to see each other on the network, nor to copy data from one to the other. No manual setting of addresses or anything. Perhaps with Windows, the fact that the ethernet adapters have unique MAC addresses is enough? Or Windows itself is able to assign ip addresses.

 

[netsol]

unclebun
we did a lot of networks without internet (for instance before there was an internet)

if no internet, probably no router, but between the devices, there needs to be an "election". (yes that's really what it's called)

one computer needs to perform dhcp. (handing out the numeric ip <192.168.1.xxx for example> so devices can send information to each other

the same computer needs to do dns (matching a computer name to the above mentioned ip address & validating permissions, user names and passwords)

if no router & internet, there doesn't need to be and may not be a gateway

the gateway is your way to the internet

in the old days, we had to choose a protocol (communication language and a very elaborate set of rules) for the network to use.

 

[SignMeUpGraphics]

Oh the choices... NetBEUI, IPX/SPX, TCP/IP... the good old days of coaxial networking hehe

 

[Joe House]

On a network without a router, and no other internet connection (wireless or whatever) you don't need DHCP functioning. You can just assign static addresses to every device on the network.
Most large format printers that I'm familiar with all use static addresses. Just make sure that you're giving it a number that is not in the range of addresses that your router assigns to DHCP devices. An off the shelf router will usually have a range of 50 addresses that get used for DHCP assignment (xxx.xxx.xxx.100 - xxx.xxx.xxx.150) - or something like that. You can find it on the internal web server of the router - or guess based on the address that gets assigned to a computer. I've also found that HP printers, which will take a DHCP assignment have better connectivity with the RIP if their address isn't changing.
I've had to set up many printers on networks that had marginal management at best. If I don't know, I'll just add or subtract 100 from the address of the computer to keep it between xxx.xxx.xxx.005 and xxx.xxx.xxx.250 (I've seen the far ends of the address range used for router (or gateway) addresses.

Good Luck