print servers and device servers

After reading the reviews posted by other users I was a little nervous about whether or not this would work OK with Windows XP, so I called Linksys prior to purchasing to find out if my three printers would work. They confirmed they would, although they didn't sound too sure about it. I have the following printers:
1. HP LaserJet 6P
2. HP LaserJet 5P
3. HP DeskJet 722C.

I connected the hardware, as per the Quick Set-up guide, and then ran the Configuration Wizard from the CD on my three machines:
1. Server running Windows Server 2000
2. Desktop running Windows 2000 Pro
3. Desktop running Windows XP Pro

The print server was quickly detected on my PC running Windows Server and the printers were added quickly and easily. On the other two PC's I had to install the three printers I wished to use as local printers, but this is also covered in the Quick Set-up guide.

All-in-all it was a quick and easy set-up, probably about forty minutes from start-to-finish. One thing I must mention though is that I do not have Windows XP's Internet Connection Firewall enabled as I am using a Linksys WRT54G Wireless router as a firewall. Once I had the system up and running I turned on the Internet Connection Firewall and could no longer connect to my printers. So if you are a Windows XP user you MUST turn off the Internet Connection Firewall in order to use this product.

This print server took less than 10 minutes to set up, and it works like a charm. There's only 4 steps to the whole process:
1. Connect the print server to your network.
2. Connect the printer to the print server and turn the printer on.
3. Connect the power cord to the print server.
4. Install the software on your computer.

It worked right out of the box for me. It detected my Epson Stylus color 600 printer correctly immediately, and setting it up to print on my computer was very straight-forward. I did make some changes to the configuration although that is not necessary. I just like to run a thight ship, so I gave it a static IP address (by default, the DHCP client is enabled), and disabled the protocols that I don't need.

The print server supports AppleTalk, so it should work with Macs as well as Windows computers. However, there are no drivers for Linux, but it supports IPP, so it should be possible to print to it from Linux boxes as well.

Update: Here's one minor issue I've found: I'm printing out pictures that I've taken with my digital camera. These pictures are fairly large, and when printing out several images at the same time, you'll get a warning saying the print server is busy. The message does go away, and the image will print... As I said, minor nuisance.

I have used the old version (flat box) of this for over two years and it works just fine. The installation of this two-year-old software was straight-forward but I am sure some will find it a challange. It took some knowledge but it worked fine. I upgraded from Win98 to Win2K to WinXP and had to reinstall the software each time so it got easier. Customer service was needed once and it was superb: the rep was competent and patient. I have a Linksys cable router and a switch and I recommend the Linksys products without reservation.