HP J6039C - JetDirect 200M Print Server User Manual page 34

NETWORK PRINTING
Client/server
topology
The second standard layout for
network printing is the
client/server topology. In this
topology, a computer sends its
print jobs to a network server,
and the server sends the print
jobs to the printer.
In client/server printing, the
network server manages the print
jobs from several computers (the
clients). As soon as a client
computer has sent a print job to
the server, it is finished with that
print job. The server keeps track
of all print jobs from there on --
figuring out the print order for
the various jobs that have been
submitted to it, checking the
printer's availability, and sending
the next job to the printer when it
is free.
Client/server printing works well
on networks with heavy printing
traffic. It is typically used in large
offices that have extensive
networking facilities.
Choosing a topology -- If you
don't know whether to use a peer-
to-peer or a client/server
topology, you may want to start
with peer-to-peer printing. It
generally takes a substantial
amount of printing traffic, or
large print jobs, to slow down
printing significantly. If your
print jobs start to take noticeably
longer to complete, you may want
to try using multiple printers,
dividing your network into
subnetworks, or switching your
office to client/server printing (in
that order).