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I'm setting up a Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 print server. I'm able to add printers, install them on workstations, I can print, all the plumbing seems to be in place.

What I don't understand is what purpose the "Share name" on the Sharing tab of an installed (on the server) printer is for. When I add the printer to a Windows 7 workstation, the printer is installed as "the_printer_name on the_print_server". For example, "LaserJet 4100 on PRNTSRVR". If I change the "Share name" of the printer on the server there appears to be no effect on the workstation, no effect on searching (in the Add Printer dialog, "Select a shared printer by name" dropdown), the printer mapping is not lost.

What purpose does the "Share name" serve in this context?

kleefaj
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  • When you browse \\printserver\ don't you see the printers by their share names? I never noticed what you described but I always just use the same name anyway for simplicity. – ETL Feb 06 '14 at 18:31

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Ah, I do see the printer listed by its share name when I browse the print server from Windows Explorer. And when I "Connect..." it it's installed as its Printer Name, not its Share name.

kleefaj
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