standard tcp/ip port printing using mac address

[mac_shinobi]

just wondering if its possible to print to a printer whether a normal desktop printer or copier ( obviously that has a network card and ability to print to it ) using the mac address of the network card on the device, if so can I have simple step by step instructions

 

tried it here using both raw and lpr ports using the mac address in a number of formats and it keeps failing

 

Tried

 

00.00.74.ad.c5.4f

74.ad.c5.4f

000074adc54f

74adc54f

 

Also tried in upper case but still failed so a bit confused - if I do an nslookup on the first example ie

 

00.00.74.ad.c5.4f

 

Then it returns the correct ip address but when trying to print to that port it fails to print.

Edited February 23, 2010 by mac_shinobi

[fiona_b]

i'm not sure you can, i have tried to do this my self when i had a dhcp issue but couldnt get it working.

[mac_shinobi]

bump - anyone ??

[powdarrmonkey]

No. You can't route packets on an IP network without an IP address to target.

[mac_shinobi]

No. You can't route packets on an IP network without an IP address to target.

 

doesnt it use the mac addresses on an ip network to route traffic using arp ?

 

could be totally wrong as cant remember exactly - still going through the ccna cbt nuggets

[Michael]

I don't believe this is possible no. The MAC address is a unique hardware address. Why would you not want to setup a static IP configuration?

[powdarrmonkey]

doesnt it use the mac addresses on an ip network to route traffic using arp ?

 

could be totally wrong as cant remember exactly - still going through the ccna cbt nuggets

 

Er... well, kind of. Switchgear keeps a table of mappings from IP to mac for the purpose of delivering a packet, but there is no routing information. If you have the CCNA stuff handy, revise the OSI Model and remember that on an IP network packets travel from layer 7 downwards on the way out, and upwards on the way in. You can't miss a layer out.

[mac_shinobi]

Er... well, kind of. Switchgear keeps a table of mappings from IP to mac for the purpose of delivering a packet, but there is no routing information. If you have the CCNA stuff handy, revise the OSI Model and remember that on an IP network packets travel from layer 7 downwards on the way out, and upwards on the way in. You can't miss a layer out.

 

fair enough good point

 

still assign it an ip address whether static / manual assignment or via dhcp reservation but thought it would be nice to be able to add it via the mac address so if it got the wrong ip address via dhcp reservation for whatever reason or whatever then it would be able to print to the same device via the mac address because on some of the Ricoh and possibly other devices there is a hostname and if thats changed and you are pointing the printer at the hostname it used to have then it will obviously break it but obviously that requires dns afaik to resolve hostname to ip addy.

[Jamo]

Why don't you reserve that IP for the mac address in DHCP so that even if it fallls back to DHCP it automatically gets the right address? That way you are covered from both angles.

[srochford]

I would configure the printer to use DHCP and reserve an address.

 

choose a hostname for it - set that if necessary on the printer - and then enter that in your DNS

 

Unless something goes very wrong you should always be able to print to it by name (which is normally easier to remember than a Mac or IP - particularly when you go IPv6!)