Print Servers
A print server is a device which can accept print jobs from clients over a network and send the data to a specified printer.
A print server can be a host computer running an operating system (Windows, Linux or Unix). Client computers can connect using a variety of methods including Microsoft Print Services or Samba.
Samba is an open source project developed out of the SMB/CIFS protocol (server message block/common internet file system). SAMBA is software that can be used as both a print and file server to Windows clients. It can run on Unix, Linux, FreeBSD, OS X.
A dedicated device can be used to connect printers to a LAN (local area network). The printers can then be connected to the device using an RJ-45, USB cable or parallel cable. Apple, Netgear, Linksys, to name a few, provide devices that function as a dedicated device. Some of these devices use a wireless connection (Wi-Fi) to connect to the printer to the network.
Additional resources for print servers
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