Installing And Configuring Legacy J4169A and J6057A JetDirect Network Cards On HP Laser Printers
Updated: Jun 14, 2019
Installing And Configuring Legacy J4169A and J6057A JetDirect Network Cards On HP Laser Printers
If you have recently ordered a refurbished 610N or 615N EIO JetDirect card (part numbers J4169A and J6057A) from Metrofuser, you may have noticed a change in the instructions that are included with every card.
You will now find a document titled “Setup Instructions for Printer Network Cards.” These are instructions that help you install the JetDirect card and allow the printer to be shared by a whole network of users.
To supplement this document—and give you a more in-depth understanding of the process—we have put together this article that goes into the detail of the installation and configuration of a JetDirect card, as well as trouble-shooting in case anything goes wrong.
Before we start, however, it is extremely important to note two things. First, this procedure can be extremely complex, and will vary depending on the model printer you are working with or the specifics of the network that the printer is on. This article will focus solely on Ethernet networks, which make up the majority of the networks you will see.
We’ve tried to be as descriptive as possible in explaining these installation and configuration procedures, but for some sections there are simply too many exceptions or differences to give anything other than a general rule to follow.
Second, we cannot stress enough that you consult with your customer’s IT department or network administrator before installing a network card. After all, it’s their network,
and they’ll probably want to know if some one else is doing work on it.
Installing And Configuring Legacy J4169A and J6057A JetDirect Network Cards On HP Laser Printers
When a JetDirect card malfunctions, the printer may exhibit several different symptoms. A “40 EIO” or “80 EIO” error will commonly be displayed, or the printer may hang on power up and never properly initialize. If you come across any of these situations or if you’re either replacing an HP printer already on a network or installing a new HP printer on a network, you’ll need to know how to properly install a JetDirect card.
Before installing the JetDirect card, print a Configuration Page, which will be followed by a page or pages that will likely be titled EIO, JetDirect, or Network Configuration Page. These pages will contain all settings for the card you are replacing, settings that will include things like IP address, subnet mask, logical gate, and default gateway.
If the JetDirect card you are changing is malfunctioning and you cannot print a Configuration Page, you have two options.
First, talk to the network administrator to obtain all of the proper settings. These settings are very important, because if they are entered incorrectly the printer will still work, but the network will not recognize the printer and you won’t be able to send print jobs via the network.
If you cannot talk to the network administrator, you might be able to get the proper
settings from the print driver on the PC you are working with. If you are working in a Windows environment, click on the “Start” button in the lower left hand portion of the screen, choose “Settings” and then “Printer and Faxes” (note: If you have a different version of Windows, this name of this option may be slightly different.). A new window will open with a list of printers.
Find the printer you are working on, right click on it, then select “Properties.” Click on the “Ports” tab of the window that opens, then the “Configure Port” button.
This section may contain the settings you The “Ports” tab of the “Printers and Faxes” screen (left) and the “Configure Port” screen (right), where the network settings may be found.
It is important to note that print drivers can be different depending on the operating system or version of the driver. Also, network security settings may prevent you from changing or even accessing these settings. If you cannot get the required information off the computer, your only option is to contact the network administrator.
Once you obtain the network settings for the printer that is being worked on, follow these steps to install the replacement JetDirect card:
Power the printer off and disconnect the Ethernet / Network cable from the card.
Unscrew the two small thumbscrews on the JetDirect card, grab hold of the plastic face plate, and pull the card out of the printer.
Install the new JetDirect card by sliding it into the same slot, pushing it in firmly, and tightening the thumbscrews.
Plug in the network cable and power on the printer.
Once the printer is powered on and the network cable plugged in, the green light near the Ethernet connection of the JetDirect card should light up. If the light on the card does not come on, try printing a Configuration Page. The JetDirect card should appear as an installed option on the Configuration Page. If it does, but the light near the Ethernet connection is not on, the problem could be an issue with the cable. The cable may not be plugged in all the way or the cable could be bad. If you’re installing a printer that hasn’t been on the network before, you also could be using the wrong cable make sure it is a straight-through network cable.
The light on the JetDirect card not turning on could also be caused by a bad or disabled port on the network’s switch or hub, depending on which is being used. Switches and hubs are used for connecting multiple computers to each other to make a network, allowing data to be transferred from one computer to another, as well as allowing a printer to be shared by everyone on that network.
When connecting a printer to a hub—which is older technology—or an old switch, a straight-through cable must be used, or the network will not recognize the printer. Newer switches will work with a straight-through cable or a crossover cable, but if you are not sure what technology your customer has, be safe and use a straight-through cable.
Configuring JetDirect cards will be slightly different depending on the printer you are working on. The basics are the same, but there will be slight variations on menu names and locations, as well as the names of the buttons you must press to enter the data. Keep this in mind as you read the following section, which was written specifically for the HP Color LaserJet 4600.
To actually load the required information into the printer, you’ll have to find the EIO X menu (where X is the number of the slot the card is installed in). If you cannot find this menu, try printing a Menu Map, which lists the menu structure of the printer. Once you have located the EIO X menu, select “TCP/IP,”
then “Manual Settings.” This will be the most common location for the information you will need to input, but it will depend on the settings for the network that the printer is on (Figure 6). The menu structure can also change depending on what firmware version is installed on the JetDirect card.
Once you have entered the proper settings, send a print job from the computer and check to verify that the printer will print.
Trouble-shooting
If you’ve installed and configured the new JetDirect card, but the printer is still not working, don’t despair. There are several things you can try that we’ve listed below.
Verify that all of the settings have been entered into the printer correctly. If one of the IP numbers is wrong or there is a duplicate IP address on the network, you could see a problem or have an IP conflict.
If there are multiple EIO slots on the printer, try installing the JetDirect card in to a different EIO slot.
If a printer is having a chronic problem, one effective tool is a factory defaults reset, also known as a cold reset. However, before performing a cold reset, make sure the JetDirect card is installed and you have printed out the Configuration Page and a Menu Map. You’ll need these, since a cold reset will return all printer settings and the settings on the JetDirect card to their factory defaults, and you will want a reference as to what changes the customer made in the settings. Then, follow the instructions below to perform a cold reset.
For older HP printers with a “Go” button (LJ 4000, 4100, 5000, 8000, 8100, and CLJ
8500, for example), turn the printer off press and hold the “Go” button, then power the machine back on. Wait until you see 8 “Cold Reset” in the display.
For the following HP printers (LJ 4200, 4300, 9000, for example), power the printer off and press and hold the blue “check mark” button while powering on the machine. Hold that button until all the lights come on and the printer’s display is blank, then release. The display will read “Select Language.” Press the “up arrow” button until you see “Cold Reset,” then press the “check mark” button.
On all color printers you will first have to power the printer on. Wait until the display lights up, then push the blue “check mark” button while powering on the machine. Hold the button until the printer counts through the memory, all the lights come on, and the printer’s display is blank.
Release the button and the display will read “Select Language.” Press the “up arrow” button until you see “Cold Reset,” then press the “check mark” button.
If the green light next to the Ethernet port on the JetDirect card does not light up, there are several options. First, check to make sure the Ethernet port on the network hub or switch is working properly.
The best way to test this is to hook up a laptop or another working printer in the Ethernet port in question. If the laptop or printer works, then the port is good. If that is the case, check the network cable with a cable tester.
If you or the network administrator does not have a cable tester, replace the network cable with a new or known working cable. Since it works with all types of network hubs and switches, use a straight-through cable to be safe.
If the customer is using Windows, or if there is a software firewall running on the computers, there could be a communication problem. To get around this firewall, you will need to either contact the network administrator or talk directly to Microsoft.
Other Helpful HP LaserJet Printer Support Resources
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