Network Program Sharing?

I have a question about sharing a program on my work network. We have a network of around 25 people, with a T1 to another office. At my workstation I have a label printer (a datamax something; its a thermal printer) anyways, there is a program that is used to print labels to this perticular printer. We have shared this printer with the rest of the network but the program is only installed on my computer (which of course we cannot find the disk). I don't get to play around with our network at all (my boss will think I am breaking something) so I am not able to try unless I can tell our network guy how to do it. Isn't that some crap?? Anyways, I wanted to know if there was any way to let other users print labels with the program on my computer? Couldn't I allow access on my computer? Put the folder on the company drive with access to all or something?

It wouldn't take me long to try this and figure it out on my own but like I said I can't. Only the network admin can.

Sounds like your network admin should do his job.;) You have a need and he/she/they should meet that need, that's what makes their job so much fun.

I'm quite sure it's possible, not sure about the licesing aspect of it, (sounds dubious). You might want to check with the manufacturer of the printer and make sure it's kosher to do that, and on top of that they might have a program that you can use for that. (I can share an HP scanner with the entire network utilizing just such a program.)

Well hopefully I will be taking his job when I finish school. Thats the plan anyways.

This program does not come with the printer. It is called Bartender I'm not sure how popular it is but we use it for our thermal printer. I don't think it would be a licensing issue but it may be. Good point.

You could create a folder with the program in it and share that folder with the rest of the network. I would guess that the program is quite old and was designed to be used in a one PC, one printer, one program environment.

:)

Seagull offers an enterprise version of the software that should, without a doubt, do what you want. No fiddling, no messing about, just show them the money and they will show you the love.

check it out.
http://www.seagullscientific.com/aspx/pricelist.aspx

You say to create a folder and allow everyone permission but do I just copy that folder from my computer to the network drive ( we no longer have the disk )

Yes this is a older program but it is not our choice to use it. We need this program to open attachments given by certain customers.

I don't see how they will be able to open if the necessary registry edits are not on their machine.

I am guessing, but I would expect the programs related to this application to be in something like:

C:\program files\seagull\BarTender\

Just allow sharing for that. I guess it is legitimate as you have one printer and one installation of the client software. You will need to check the licence agreement. It will probably be a text file in that folder.

:)

I don't mean to change the subject, but this seems pretty close. Can you do the same thing with Office 2003? Volume licenses are extremely expensive and this would solve a lot of issues.

Hmmmm,

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Can you do the same thing with Office 2003? Volume licenses are extremely expensive and this would solve a lot of issues.

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I very much doubt it. This is rather different, it is software that prints labels, and is loaded onto a desktop. Now it is probably OK to let people share that one desktop installation, but I would be very surprised if that was not restricted to one user at a time ;)

As the company seem to have managed with this software for some time, that may well be OK, otherwise they will have to fork out for the enterprise version, which allows unlimited users.

With stuff like Office you need an applications server and go thin client. I am not sure about pricing for server installations, nor how many clients each installation would support.

:)

It's funny because I just picked up a book today about companies that tried to save money and thought that they were being smart by sharing or installing programs that were only licensed for only 1 computer and ended up catching hell in the long run.

My question would be... have you talked with support?

Here's the website:http://www.seagullscientific.com/aspx/techsupport.aspx

Here's the phone number: 1 425 641 1408

And Here's the fax number: 425 641 1599 ("Attn: Tech Support")

See what they have to say and then, if you still want to risk it, you can try and hack it out.


as for this...

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Can you do the same thing with Office 2003? Volume licenses are extremely expensive and this would solve a lot of issues.

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... I think that you spend as much on TS licensing and server software and load balancing hardware than it cost for a volume license agreement for Office?

Well i think you need to install it on other computers too, cause we have been using a program labels unlimited and had the same issue thanks to the backup we have dump on a system we manage to run it over the network.

Coming back to your issue well the program only works if you install it on the system even if you copy the installed program from one system it will not work. So i think you need the installer disk, without that i doubt it might not work.

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Originally posted here by FanacooL
Well i think you need to install it on other computers too, cause we have been using a program labels unlimited and had the same issue thanks to the backup we have dump on a system we manage to run it over the network.

Coming back to your issue well the program only works if you install it on the system even if you copy the installed program from one system it will not work. So i think you need the installer disk, without that i doubt it might not work.

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That is what I was thinking also.

Because we cannot find the disk I would assume we are going to pay for a new version and run it off the server. I know I can share the folder but I was not too sure how I would let another desktop run off my installation or if this was even possible. I guess I have ran into another reason for me to start building my own little network to experiment with. Thanks for the advice all. :D

AFAIK...

You cannot run programs such as word, excel off of another machine.....unless you are running it off a CD...and a mapped drive.

MS used to have a network version of office....but doesnt anymore.

But with some older DOS 16 bit apps...you can usually just transfer\copy the whole file which the program exists....and run it through the exe......

This folder ...being a dos base will usually reside at the root of C:\ instead of program files..

On the current install...right click the exe and find the path to the exe filename (write this down...note any other settings also)....copy the folder it resides in (and all contents) to the other WS...............try and run the exe you noted above from your copy.

If it works add the shortcut to the desktop.....done

Some older programs..can also run through mapped drives...

The other way would be to use a Remote desktop application....

MLF

Remote Desktop would get ugly after a while. Funny thing about Volume licensing, it only helps if you're licensing 250+. I called up TigerDirect for some quotes for volume licenses, "50" and it almost came to $400 a license!! Whoa, that's more than it would cost me to just buy 50 copies. Ok, enough getting OT.

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I would assume we are going to pay for a new version and run it off the server.

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No, you need the "enterprise" version. That will let you legally install it on as many workstations as you like. You are limited to three printers, but as you only have one, that doesn't matter.

You really need to look in the software folder for the licence agreement. I would expect it to be single user. So, if you have it on one machine and 500 people use that machine that is legal, as only one person is using it at a time. If they use remote access to get onto that machine, it is still legal because you are still single user (unless it allows multiple sessions).

I suspect that if you put it on another machine, you may well violate the licence, so you need to check it. Maybe there is a "help about" that will tell you which version you have got?

:)

warriorfan808

dont trust resellers or vars on licensing....cause they dont know what they are talking about most of the time....and you will end up over licensed

Go to the horse's mouth...........you need MS office..go to MS.......wordperfect go to corel .........directly

Ask them about the licensing and what they reccomend based on what you need to do

Get the SKUs................. then shop around

Remote desktop is available on all xp machines.........

no extra licensing involved

Call MS...go for open license retail licensing...............

as for office......there are many other soultions.....

50 percent of our ms office users dont use the programs...or most of the features........they just read ........use viewers....or PDF......or open office........we are seperating out the readers...
and the writers......

and we are using share point databases for internal use.......

Has cut down on the office licensing significantly.

Seperate your users.....some know how to use it...some just need it to read what other people do. ;)

MLF

just a little point you will need to check also. If your printer is one of the small old syle label printers then it may only be visiable from the software bundled with it as it does not use a windows reconisable printer driver.
Also the printing software may look only on the serial port of the local computer for the printer, this may mean that even it is possiable to copy the software it will never find your shared printer. This is often the case with older 16 software or even the low end terminal printers.

Good points MURACU ,

A solution that I have seen work is take a lower tech machine out of service and dedicate it as a controller. Allow remote access and sharing, and let the local machine handle the device/software.

I have used it for licence management (concurrent users) and for a FAX machine, but never for an old label printer :)

At the last place we lived I had the wife's and my computer connected through a null modem cable ( hey, I still have two or three physical data switching boxes somewhere........bit to hi-tech for me :D ) We shared a B&W laser printer and a colour inkjet.

If possible I would suggest that JRUMJ sees if he can find a couple of obsolete boxes hidden away somewhere that he can experiment with.

;)

Or get yourself a new computer and give them your current one with the printer... then they can do whatever they want with it not have to worry about copying anything or whatever they are trying to do. Take Nihil's suggestion and dedicate your current box just to that and get yourself a new one.

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Originally posted here by nihil
Good points MURACU ,

If possible I would suggest that JRUMJ sees if he can find a couple of obsolete boxes hidden away somewhere that he can experiment with.

;)

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Very true about needing some boxes to experiment with. Great advice guys! I didn't even think about dedicating one box to this printer (via RDC) which would be cheaper for the company to do than buying a enterprise version for everyone. :)

Thanks again everyone!!!!!

JRUMJ