Understanding the NDPS Manager

A NDPS Manager provides a platform for Printer Agents that reside on the server. An NDPS Manager must be created as an object in the eDirectory tree before you can create server-based Printer Agents.

The NDPS Manager object stores information used by the NetWare Loadable Module^TM (NLM^TM), NDPSM.NLM. You can manually load this NLM at the server console.

A single NDPS Manager can control multiple Printer Agents. (There is no hard limit.)

A specific NDPS Manager can be loaded only on one server. If it controls a local printer, it must be loaded on the server that the local printer is attached to.

While you can perform some configuration and management tasks directly through the NDPS Manager console interface, iManage is the main tool for performing these tasks.

For information about other major NDPS components, see the following:

• Understanding Printer Agents
• Understanding Printer Gateways
• Understanding the Broker

Where to Place NDPS Managers

Use the following guidelines to determine where and when to place an NDPS Manager.

• Only one NDPS Manager can be loaded per server. Load this resource only on servers configured to service print jobs. The only exception to this rule is any server which has a printer connected directly to it. In that case, the NDPS Manager must be loaded on that server as well.
• Whenever possible, place the NDPS Manager and the printers it controls on the same LAN segment for optimal performance.
• Whenever possible, consider assigning your Printer Agents to more than one NDPS Manager so that the print load will be spread over multiple servers. This will facilitate load balancing and reduce the possibility of a single point of failure which would disable all printing on your network.