*help* Print Server on the cheap cheap ;)

[Naterr]

Got a friend who owns a small business and have several (5+) printers that each user (10+) could use the access to each printer.

Instead of installing each printer on each machine by way of IP address, I've been looking a central PC (server-ish) that I install all the printers on, and share each one. Noting the PC name and printer names.

 

That way doesn't sound like a "better" way rather installing each printer individually.

 

What benefit is that way, rather than purchasing a Windows server license, or installing a CUPS - or other open source server software?

 

What I mean by benefit, is that I'm already upgrading all of their data and phone networks, and don't want to impose a $2K+ server build.

 

Also, there are several label printers that are USB only. What would you recommend on getting them on the network? TP link, I know, makes a "print server" that can add those to the network.

[clinkydoodle]

I did a similar thing for my parents small business. I actually went and got them to buy a cheapo second hand workstation (about £100) from a pretty reputable second hand server/workstation hardware supplier here in the UK. You could probably find some decent 2nd hand hardware on eBay, but I'd definitely go with one of the larger sellers who do it as a business rather than the "small company who's selling their old hardware"

 

i made sure the CPU was compatible with ESXI and got a quad port (ESXI compatible) PCIE NIC to put in it as well. I installed the free version of ESXI and now I've got them set up now with a Virtual PF Sense instance (they didn't have a router anyways, and i can now VPN into their network to provide remote support), a virtual server (could run whatever OS you want but I got them set up with a trial licence for Windows server 2019). You could likely go down the Linux route and use CUPS like you mentioned above as well. That way (depending on what HDD's you put in it and RAID config etc) You could even set it up as a File server too, or even set up another VM as well to act as Domain controller (if you went down the windows route)

 

You could also go down the FreeNAS or Unraid route for the hypervisor if you don't have a RAID card and use software rather than hardware to provide your disk redundancy. You can achieve all the same thins as above with those OS's as well (along with cheaper/free software costs)

[Windows7ge]

5 hours ago, clinkydoodle said:

You could also go down the FreeNAS or Unraid route for the hypervisor if you don't have a RAID card

FreeNAS uses Bhyve as a hypervisor and it's garbage. The extent of functionality is terrible and it chugs as badly as VB on Windows.

 

I'd recommend PROXMOX in substitution to FreeNAS as a hypervisor. It supports ZFS and can do just about everything you want that you'd get out of FreeNAS except it uses QEMU/KVM which is much much better with much more advanced functionality for VMs like hardware pass-though and just generally lower overhead.