[rescue] Parallel ports [was Re: Slightly OT: ?Bad Cap Saga]

[Lionel Peterson]

>From: wa2egp at att.net
>Date: 2008/08/23 Sat AM 02:01:03 EDT
>To: The Rescue List <rescue at sunhelp.org>
>Subject: Re: [rescue] Parallel ports [was Re: Slightly OT: ?Bad Cap   Saga]

>> Time for a print server:
>> 
>> http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00006B9HK
>> 
>> I've used it with an older HP LaserJet 2100 - worked great, incl. Mac and 
>> Solaris clients. Then I got a printer with a built-in JetDirect card.
>> 
>
>That's all dandy but I just want a cable (adapter) for my Powerbook that can just plug into an older printer with parallel connector (cause that's all we have at school) and print stuff out.  The "techs" have to "modify" you machine to allow it on the network and can't even spell Apple much less know what to do with it.  There's a few older printers around here I'd like to use too.

Crossover cable? ;^)

I know, School District IT folks are total flakes - I'm one now ;^)

Our district has about 40% Macs, 50% PCs, and the othe r10% is Intel servers with three Xserves for the Macs.

This summer we:

Upgraded nearly all our internal network elements, as they were no longer supported by Cisco (too old)

Re-wired every wiring closet to have proper length patch cables, not the spaghetti balls we had in our closets.

Replaced about 2 dozen APC UPSs that that either had (or were about to) fail for bad batteries.

Installed (with consultants) about 150 Cisco Wireless APs across 6 buildings (supporting A, B, G and soon N - as soon as we can get away from the POE power injectors required, as N uses too much juice)

Installed 10 security cameras in the HS, as a pilot before rolling out across the district.

Moved our datacenter (6 full-height racks) to the room next door, then moved it back after required power and space upgrades were completed.

Pulled about 250 older PCs out of use and replaced them (Optiplex 270s or earlier).

Created new Ghost images for all machines in our district, and rolled them out.

And, we compressed several production servers onto a Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V platform, savin gpower and making several P3 servers (like PE2550s).

All with 4 full-time employees and about 5 interns (aged 14-17 years old)... And a couple consultants.

You should teach in our district, though the commute would suck ;^)

Lionel