Resolve "Unable to contact an LPD service on the Pharos print server." Error

Introduction

Sometimes a user trying to print to a OneCard printer will have their job fail and receive the error "Unable to contact an LPD service on the Pharos print server."

The Line Printer Daemon (LPD) protocol / Line Printer Remote (LPR) protocol is a network protocol for submitting print jobs to a remote printer.

Applicability

This article is written for any user experiencing the problem described in the Introduction or any analyst assisting a user experiencing this problem.

Procedure

Confirm that the ports that LPD communicates on are open in the Windows firewall and confirm that the LPD printing feature is enabled

Allow LPD ports through Windows Firewall

Press Windows Key + Run to open the Run dialog box and type firewall.cpl.
Click on the Advanced Settings link on the left pane. The Windows Firewall with Advanced security window opens.
Click on the Inbound Rules option.
On the right pane, click on New rule.
Under Rule Type select the option Port and click next.
Select TCP and specific local ports options.
Key in the port numbers 515, 28203
Click Next.
Select the option Allow the connection.
Click Next, do not change any option here and click Next again.
Specify a name for this rule.
Click Finish.

Enable LPD Service

Press Windows Key + Run to open the Run dialog box and type appwiz.cpl.
In the left pane, select Turn Windows features on or off.
In the Windows Features window, click the plus (+) sign next to Print and Document Services.
Place a check mark next to the LPD Print Service item.
Click OK.
Restart the computer.

Additional Considerations (Notes)

If the above recommendations do not work you will need to print from a public computer lab.

Keywords: OneCard, printing, LPD, Pharos, Windows