Effective December 15, 2005, Arkansas Public School Computer Network (APSCN) is no longer providing print servers to the school districts. The cost of purchasing print servers will be the responsibility of the district.
APSCN recommends purchasing the print servers through the Department of Information Systems (DIS) by calling the HELP Desk at 800-435-7985. The current cost is $202.50. DIS will require a Master Service Agreement (MSA) from the district before providing the print server. The MSA is similar to setting up an account with DIS so the district can be billed for services or products provided by DIS.
DIS has provided the following list of “best practices” to follow, to avoid virus infections and other exploitations of the devices, for districts that elect to purchase, configure, and support the print servers:
1. Compatibility – The Print server must support LPD printing. Print servers that are for USB printers (Laser or DeskJet) usually do not work, and should be avoided. Multi-Function printers may or may not be compatible with Pentamation printing, depending on the vendor.
2. Security – By default most print servers are accessible via telnet or a web interface for configuration. It is highly recommended that the passwords to access both be changed from the defaults. Also, on most print servers the default web administration port is set to either 80 or 8080. It is recommended that the port be changed to something other than either of these, such as 8081. There have been incidences of virus and spy-ware attacks on these ports in the past, which have caused printing from Pentamation to cease on the attacked print server.
3. Firewalls – If the school district is running a Firewall or is performing One-to-One NAT, ports 515 and 9100 must be opened up/forwarded for the incoming traffic. It is recommended port 23 (telnet) be closed; however, it will need to be opened temporarily in the event that the DIS Help Desk needs to support or troubleshoot a problem.