摘要 |
Network cluster printing without external services, additional hardware or unique printer drivers is described. Cluster agents are installed on each printer of the cluster and configured to perform processes which, in one aspect, comprises receiving a print job at a master printer that is configured with a virtual network address. The virtual network address is associated with a plurality of networked printers, including the master printer. The received print job is addressed to the virtual network address, which is bound to a network interface of the master printer. The master printer determines to which printer the print job should be sent, and sends the print job to the appropriate printer according to the determination. Print jobs that are addressed to a real network address associated with a particular printer instead of the virtual network address are simply processed and printed at the particular printer.
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