HP LaserJet 4200 and 4300 printing-system release notes The Hewlett-Packard LaserJet 4200 and 4300 Printing System Release notes, late-breaking information, and other technical assistance, are available at the following Web sites: http://www.hp.com/support/lj4200 http://www.hp.com/support/lj4300 Bidirectional communication Bidirectional communication is the printer's ability to respond to data inquiries from the computer and report back information, such as what type of print media is available or what accessories are connected to the printer.
If a printer does not have this capability (that is, if it has no bidirectional mode), it can only accept commands from the host and cannot report information back. Driver Autoconfiguration and Printer Status and Alerts use bidirectional communications software. The Typical Installation installs Driver Autoconfiguration in supported environments that contain the bidirectional communication software. Use Custom Installation when you do not want these features. Bidirectional communication depends on the operating system on which your network runs and on the type of connection you have between your computer and your printer.
The following table provides information about the operating systems and network environments that support bidirectional communication. Table 2:
Bidirectional communication support in various operating systems Software Technical Reference Software description 23 Connection type Windows 95 Windows 98 Windows Me Windows NT 4.0 Windows 2000 Windows XP (32- bit only) Macintosh Direct connect1 Network port Jetdirect TCP/IP X X X X X X X IPX/ SPX X X X X X X Standard TCP/IP (HP) X X X X X X TCP/IP (MS2) X X X IPX/ SPX (HP) X X X X X X LPR X X X X AppleTalk X Novell4 NetWare 4.x Bindery queue X X X X X X NDS3 queue X X X X X X NetWare 5.x Bindery queue X X X X X X NDS queue X X X X X X Microsoft Share Windows 95, 98, or Me host TCP/IP X X X X X X X IPX/ SPX X X X X X X Windows NT 4.0, 2000, or XP4 host TCP/IP X X X X X X X IPX/ SPX X X X X X X LPR X X X X X X