DPI announces family of print servers; New generation of Flash ROM Technology provides flexibility and protects hardware investment.WALTHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 15, 1995--DPI (Digital Products Inc.) today announced NETPrint 1000, NETPrint 1500. NETPRint 2000 and JetXPrint 1000 print servers that utilize a new generation of Flash ROM Another term for flash memory. Since flash chips can be updated over and over, the ROM (read only) designation is somewhat misleading. "ROM" is used more to mean not volatile than not changeable. See flash memory. Flash ROM - Flash Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory technology to provide network administrators with greater ongoing flexibility while protecting their current hardware investment. The products are available immediately. NETPrint 1000 connects two parallel and a serial printer to an Ethernet network. NETPrint 2000 connects four parallel and one serial printer to an Ethernet network. Both support simultaneous printing from NetWare IPX/SPX See IPX. , AppleTalk and, through TCP/IP TCP/IP in full Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol Standard Internet communications protocols that allow digital computers to communicate over long distances. , UNIX UNIX Operating system for digital computers, developed by Ken Thompson of Bell Laboratories in 1969. It was initially designed for a single user (the name was a pun on the earlier operating system Multics). , Windows NT (Windows New Technology) A 32-bit operating system from Microsoft for Intel x86 CPUs. NT is the core technology in Windows 2000 and Windows XP (see Windows). Available in separate client and server versions, it includes built-in networking and preemptive multitasking. 3.5, LAN Server 4.0 and Windows for Workgroups A version of Windows 3.1 introduced in 1992 that added peer-to-peer networking. See Windows. (operating system) Windows for Workgroups - (WFW, WFWG) A version of Windows 3.1 which works with a network. Although stand-alone 3. networks. NETPrint 1500 connects four parallel and one serial printer to an Ethernet network and supports printing from NetWare IPX/SPX. JETXPrint 1000, an internal card for Hewlett-Packard MIO (Modular I/O) A hardware interface for HP printers that is primarily used to plug in an internal print server and network adapter. MIO has been superseded by EIO. See EIO. printers and plotters, offers the same features of the new NETPrint series. JETXPrint 1000 connects one HP MIO printer and a second serial printer. Flash ROM enables network managers to make software and ROM updates to NETPrint from a PC. For maximum flexibility, the new NETprint family features 1 MB of segmented Flash ROM. Segmented ROM separates the update or boot code from the operations code. Because of this segmenting, the update code can be completely overridden giving users maximum flexibility for upgrades. "NETPrint 1000 will help me protect my customer's hardware investment," said Tom Foley, executive vice president of Bay State Computer Group Inc., a high end systems integrator for the New England and New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of areas. "NETPrint 1000 users will be able to easily upgrade to new features without having to obsolete their hardware. Many of my customers, for example, want to upgrade to NetWare 4.0 soon. Using NETPrint 1000's Flash ROM, they will be able to add support for NetWare Directory Services See eDirectory. (networking) Netware Directory Services - (NDS) Novell, Inc.'s directory services for Netware, Windows NT, and Unix. The NDS directory represents each network resource (user, hardware, or application) as an object of a certain class, where each class has . And if a customer chooses to migrate their network over to a new operating system, NETPrint will be able to reconfigure to support the new NOS," added Foley. DPI's Flash ROM requires little, if any, downtime for configuration, even in large networks. Network administrators can centrally and simultaneously make product and network updates on up to 25 NETPrints using a Windows-based program. Segmented ROM allows the network administrator to easily return the print server to operational status in case of an unsuccessful upgrade. Numerous check points guard against the incorrect code being accidentally downloaded into memory. Easier support tools NETPrint comes with tools designed to make network support easier. NETPrint 1000 has a two status LED, while the NETPrint 1500 and NETPrint 2000 have two LEDs. All models have a four-step operations manual printed on the unit that provides status of print jobs, print server, and the printer. If there are printing problems, the administrator can identify them without having to walk back to the office to look for the manual. In addition, the three-step installation process is printed on the bottom of the units. Supp0ort for NetWare, TCP/IP or EtherTalk can be installed in minutes without software using the three-step manual. Laura Walker, network administrator for Synchronics of Memphis, Tenn., calls NETPrint 1000 the best print server for busy network administrators. "I don't have to worry about it -- NETPrint 1000 runs itself. NETPrint 1000 runs so well I haven't really had to use the support tool," said Walker. Network administrators can centrally manage multiple NETPrints with NSDOCTOR, a Windows-based software utility. Using NSDOCTOR, administrators can turn protocols on and off, test printer ports, troubleshoot and reboot To reload the operating system, which restarts the computer. See boot. (operating system) reboot - (From boot) A boot with the implication that the computer has not been down for long, or that the boot is a bounce intended to clear some state of wedgitude. See warm boot. all connected NETPrints from the convenience of their PC. NetWare support was developed under Novell's NetWare Technology Licensing and NEST (Novell Embedded Systems Technology Novell Embedded Systems Technology, or NEST, was a series of APIs, data formats and network protocol stacks written in a highly portable fashion intended to be used in embedded systems. ) programs. NETPrint supports NetWare v. 2.2+, 3.x and 4.x, provides full PCONSOLE support and can support unlimited queues on up to 16 file servers. If a file server should go down, NETPrint will automatically reconnect itself to the file server once it recovers. NETPrint 1000 and 2000 support all network operating systems compatible with TCP/IP's standard lpd (line printer daemon) including: SUN (Solaris 1.1, 2.0), DEC (Ultrix 4.3) HP-UX HP's version of Unix that runs on its 9000 family. It is based on SVID and incorporates features from BSD Unix along with several HP innovations. (operating system) HP-UX - The version of Unix running on Hewlett-Packard workstations. and IBM-AIX UNIX systems. SCO (The SCO Group, Lindon, UT, www.sco.com) A leading vendor of Unix operating systems for the x86 platform. SCO had also offered Linux, but abandoned the line in the spring of 2003. The SCO Group is the combination of two companies: Utah-based Caldera, Inc. and Alpha OSF See Open Group. OSF - Open Software Foundation , Windows NT 3.5, LAN Server 4.0 and, with third-party software, Windows for Workgroups. Host software is supplied for use with AT&T (System V release 4). UNIX support includes Intelligent Filters which automatically places print jobs in the correct format for the attached printer. Another feature, Intelligent Queues, automatically sends UNIX print jobs to the correct printer. For maximum flexibility, each protocol can be independently installed and managed. Unlike competing print servers, users of other protocols can continue to print, even if other protocols are down. All protocols can print concurrently to all connected printers. NETPrint 1000 series products support both 10Base2 Ethernet networks, have 1284 bidirectional parallel ports and a UNIPORT. The UNIPORT can support a serial printer or, with the addition of a $60 UNIPORT-OUT adapter, another parallel printer. The UNIPORT can also be used to support PowerMinder, DPI's unique power management option that automatically turns printers off when they are idle and turns them on when a print job is sent. The PowerMinder, priced at $169, can save users up to $200 a year in electricity costs. One UNIPORT can support up to two PowerMinders. NETPrint 1000, 1500, 2000 and JETXPrint 1000 come with a three-year warranty as well as DPI's unique "Spare-in-the-Air" program which sends a replacement unit overnight if NETPrint or JETXPrint should fail during the first 90 days. All DPI (Dots Per Inch) The measurement of the resolution of display and printing systems. A typical CRT screen provides 96 dpi, which provides 9,216 dots per square inch (96x96). Flat panel displays from 110 to 200 dpi have also been developed. customers have access to toll-free technical phone support for the life of their products. NETPrint 1000 is $595, NETPrint 1500 is $795 and NETPrint 2000 is $995. JETXPrint 1000 is $349. All are available immediately through DPI's worldwide network of resellers and distributors including Ingram Micro and Tech Data. Digital Products Inc. is the industry leader in network printing and peripheral sharing technology, supporting more than one million users worldwide. The company focuses its solutions on the LAN (Local Area Network) A communications network that serves users within a confined geographical area. The "clients" are the user's workstations typically running Windows, although Mac and Linux clients are also used. and PC markets. To the LAN market, the company offers NETPrint and JETXPrint, high-speed print servers for Novell, Apple, Banyan and TCP/IP networks. To the PC market, the company offers PrintDirector, a family of automatic, buffered intelligent printer sharing devices. The privately held company privately held company A firm whose shares are held within a relatively small circle of owners and are not traded publicly. is located at 411 Waverly Oaks Road, Waltham, Mass., 02154. CONTACT: Digital Products Inc. Marilyn Peterson, 617/398-4564 mpeterson@digprod.com or Network Associates Sherri Walkenhorst, 801/373-7888 |
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