ĪppSocket is a very similar implementation by Tektronix for Phaser printers, later sold to Xerox.
Port would reject connections if printer is busy. Information about the printer and job is simply send to the client while the TCP connection is active. PostScript, PCL) to the appropriate TCP port on the printer (default port is 9100). Submitting a print job can be done by netcating a file containing the page description language (e.g. It is an extremely simple network printing protocol. However, the protocol that ended up being associated with it, the JetDirect protocol, is its raw TCP/IP protocol sometimes referred to as Socket API or RAW. More advanced versions of JetDirect supported a number of network printing protocols. This was followed in 2000 by the Jetdirect 70x home print server.
In 1999, the Jetdirect autoswitch was introduced.ġ998 also saw the release of 170x, the first value-line print server aimed at smaller companies that did not necessarily need full networking - only TCP/IP or IPX/SPX support. An Ethernet version of the 600n was released in 1998.
Internals began the 6xx series with the release of the 600n, multi-protocol card that supported TCP/IP, IPX/SPX, DLC/LLC, and AppleTalk over a Token Ring network along with the 1760x series external print server - also multi-protocol.
In 1995, the Ex plus 3 was released, with 3 parallel ports on one network interface, allowing 3 printers to share 1 network address.ġ997 saw the new numbering format for both internal and external Jetdirect servers. This enabled Jetdirect cards to connect to almost any printer, making that printer network-capable. In 1992, a card with both 8P8C modular telephone and BNC connectors for Ethernet was released, and in 1993, the first external Jetdirects were introduced with a parallel interface. The next development releases added connection interfaces. Not until 1994 would MIO interface cards be released that could support more than one protocol per card.Įxternal print server JetDirect 170X with LAN and parallel printer ports These included unusual network connection types such as HPs I-Net which was used as an interconnect between various pieces of hardware that controlled the 58xx and 68xx series gas chromatographs. MIO type Jetdirect cards were also used for network connectivity on some HP/Agilent laboratory equipment such as the 6890A and 6890 Plus series of gas chromatographs. The following year the team applied the technology to the legacy accessory slot on the LaserJetIIs and IIIs XIO (Extended Input/Output). Initially, a printer needed a separate card for each protocol, such as TCP/IP, IPX/SPX, AppleTalk, or DLC/ LLC. The initial MIO interface card had Ethernet and Token Ring physical layer variants and used various networking protocols over an AUI/ BNC connection. Jetdirect is based on HP's MIO (Modular Input/Output) interface, which was designed from the ground up with the IIIsi to create a mainstream full function high performance networked printer. HP Jetdirect was first introduced in March 1991 (code named QuickSilver) with the LaserJet IIIsi network printer (code named Eli).