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AssigneeHewlett-Packard Company
InventorsAthena Christodoulou, Richard Taylor, Christopher Tofts
Estimating the term…
An information technology network includes a plurality of printers, at least two of which run a distributed print management programme. The programme operates to monitor all network traffic by snooping, and on the basis of monitored network traffic maintains a log of network printers, their capabilities and status. In addition the programme repeatedly checks for print job notices placed on a spooler, determines on the basis of the updated log which printer under its management is most appropriate to perform the outstanding job, and that printer to retrieve the outstanding job notice and perform the job. Conflicts between different printers retrieving the same job are either resolved by leader election, or preventing conflict by invoking the use within the spooler of a processor instruction known as TEST/SET.
An information technology network including a plurality of printers, at least two of which are adapted to run a distributed print management programme for the network, the programme being adapted to:
A method of operating an information technology network having a plurality of printers comprising the steps of:
A printer for use in an information technology network, the printer having a programme adapted to:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.