Overview

Novell iPrint lets Windows users

• Quickly locate any local or remote printer using their Web browser.
• Easily install and configure a located printer with the click of a mouse.
• Print to installed printers from any location (including the Web) using an IP connection.

The information in this section provides a high-level overview of Novell iPrint print services. It is designed to acquaint you with basic iPrint functionality so you will understand

• The configuration steps you need to perform to provide iPrint print services.
• How iPrint functions from the user's perspective.

Using This Overview

If you already know that you want to provide NNLS print services for your users and you understand how iPrint works, skip the overviews and continue with Planning Instructions.

If you want to learn more about iPrint, continue with this overview section.

iPrint Components

A Novell iPrint installation consists of various components, most of which are represented by objects in your eDirectory^TM tree:

• Print Driver Store: This is a repository that stores the drivers on the NNLS server for your network printers. It is the first component you configure and is represented by an object in eDirectory that you create.

• Printer Drivers: These are the printer drivers that are stored in the Driver Store and are automatically installed on workstations when users select a target printer. Printer drivers exist as file structures within the driver store and are not represented by objects in eDirectory.

• Printer Objects: These are eDirectory objects you create that store information about the printers available through iPrint. The information stored in an object is used each time its associated printer is added to a workstation's list of available printers.

• Print Manager: This is a daemon that runs on the NNLS server. It receives print jobs from users and forwards them to the target printer when it is ready. It is represented by and controlled through an eDirectory object that you configure.

• iPrint Client: This is a set of browser plug-ins that is automatically installed on a workstation the first time it interacts with iPrint. It is required to navigate through the iPrint Web pages, select a target printer, and install the print driver.

For more information on iPrint, see "Overview" in the Novell iPrint Administration Guide for Novell Nterprise Linux Services.

iPrint Functionality

Figure 7 describes how iPrint functions from a user perspective.

Figure 7
How iPrint Works