Windows – Unable to Access Print Shares via IP Address But Can Via Netbios Name

netbiosnetwork-sharewindowswindows-server-2003

Strange problem….

I have a W2003 DC also running file and print sharing. Since a reboot a couple of days ago, legacy devices that used mapped printers to this server are no longer able to connect. These legacy devices all connect via IP – \192.0.0.2\printersharename.

On closer inspection, I notice that if browse to \192.0.0.2 I can see all shares but if I double click any of the printers I get "Operation could not be completed. Either the printer name was typed incorrectly, or the specified printer has lost connection to the network." However, if I browse to the netbios or FQDN of the same server, I am able to connect to the printers without any problem. It may also be relevent that I can access the shared folders using any method without error.

The behaviour described above is evident whether I try connecting from another LAN member or from the server in question itself.

Unfortunatley the legacy devices that connect via IP cannot be changed to use the netbios or FQDN.

Any ideas?

Best Answer

Did the IP address change for some reason and the hostname is resolving to the new, correct IP while the hardcoded devices are no going to the right place?

Related Solutions

Windows Server 2003 Terminal server Printing issues

There is no built-in mechanism to disable printer redirection for only specific printers.

I'd consider doing the following (it's convoluted as all get out, but it should give you what you want):

"Share" the printers on each client computer that should be available to the Terminal Server.
Add the "TCP/IP Print Server" service to each client computer (marking the service for automatic startup and opening port 515 in the local Windows Firewall on each client computer, if applicable).
Create local printers on the Terminal Server (or other server computer) corresponding to each printer attached to client computers. These printers should use "Standard TCP/IP" ports configured for LPR, with the "Queue Name" set to the share name specified on the client comptuer for each given printer, and with the "LPR Byte Counting Enabled" check-box checked.

You have control of the print queue name using this method such that you can make the name appear as you'd like. You can set permissions on the queues to prevent users from sending jobs to the wrong printers if you so desire. You can completely disable client printer redirection, as well.

(I do the whole "TCP/IP Print Server" dance, as described above, rather than using "Local Ports" naming UNCs. Some people do the "Local Ports" but I've found throughout the years that I have severe reliability problems doing it that way. My method basically makes the PC act like a really expensive "JetDirect" box...)

Does NetBIOS name resolution maps NetBIOS names to IP address or to MAC address

It maps names to ip-addresses. ARP is used to map ip-addresses to MAC addresses.

The output of NBTSTAT -c lists the local cache if you want some direct evidence:

Node IpAddress: [192.168.1.6] Scope Id: []

                  NetBIOS Remote Cache Name Table

        Name              Type       Host Address    Life [sec]
    ------------------------------------------------------------
    MUNNIN         <20>  UNIQUE          192.168.1.9         535

Edited to add:
Theo's answer made me realize that while the above answer is probably what you are looking for since almost all NetBIOS today is NetBIOS over TCP (NBT), there are other NetBIOS implementations. For Microsoft's NetBEUI (more correctly NBF) the name resolution service returned MAC addresses and with NetBIOS over IPX\SPX (NBX) name resolution would return an IPX address.

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