1. A method for specifically identifying a failed network interface card (NIC) in a system having at least three NICs configured as a team, the method comprising:
transmitting a first keep-alive data packet from a first NIC to a second NIC;
determining whether the second NIC receives the first keep-alive data packet from the first NIC;
if the second NIC does not receive the first keep-alive data packet from the first NIC, then transmitting a second keep-alive data packet from a third NIC to the second NIC, or
if the second NIC does receive the first keep-alive data packet from the first NIC, then transmitting the second data keep-alive data packet from the second NIC to the third NIC; and
after transmitting the second keep-alive data packet from the third NIC to the second NIC or after transmitting the second keep-alive data packet from the second NIC to the third NIC, transmitting a third keep-alive data packet between the first NIC and the third NIC,
wherein, based on the ability of each of the first NIC, second NIC and third NIC to transmit and receive the different keep-alive data packets, a failure of any of the first NIC, second NIC or third NIC can be determined.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the third NIC receives the second data packet from the second NIC, and the step of transmitting the third keep-alive data packet between the first NIC and the third NIC comprises transmitting the third keep alive data packet from the third NIC to the first NIC.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first NIC does not receive the third keep-alive data packet from the third NIC, and further comprising the step of transmitting a fourth keep-alive data packet from the second NIC to the first NIC.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second NIC does not receive the second keep-alive data packet from the third NIC, and the step of transmitting the third keep-alive data packet between the first NIC and the third NIC comprises transmitting the third keep-alive data packet from the first NIC to the third NIC.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the third NIC does not receive the second keep-alive data packet from the second NIC, and the step of transmitting the third keep-alive data packet between the first NIC and the third NIC comprises transmitting the third keep-alive data packet from the first NIC to the third NIC.
6. A computer-readable medium storing instructions for causing a computing device having at least three network interface cards (NICs) configured as a team to specifically identify a failed NIC by performing the steps of:
directing a first NIC to transmit a first keep-alive data packet to a second NIC;
determining whether the second NIC receives the first keep-alive data packet from the first NIC;
if the second NIC does not receive the first keep-alive data packet from the first NIC, then directing the third NIC to transmit the second data keep-alive packet to the second NIC, or
if the second NIC does receive the first keep-alive data packet from the first NIC, then directing the second NIC to transmit the second data keep-alive data packet to the third NIC; and
after transmitting the second keep-alive data packet from the third NIC to the second NIC or after transmitting the second keep-alive data packet from the second NIC to the third NIC, directing a third keep-alive data packet to be transmitted between the first NIC and the third NIC,
wherein, based on the ability of each of the first NIC, second NIC and third NIC to transmit and receive the different keep-alive data packets, a failure of any of the first NIC, second NIC or third NIC can be determined.
7. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the third NIC receives the second data packet from the second NIC, and the step of directing the third keep-alive data packet to be transmitted between the first NIC and the third NIC comprises directing the third NIC to transmit the third keep alive data packet to the first NIC.
8. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the first NIC does not receive the third keep-alive data packet from the third NIC, and further comprising the step of directing the second NIC to transmit a fourth keep-alive data packet to the first NIC.
9. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the second NIC does not receive the second keep-alive data packet from the third NIC, and the step of transmitting the third keep-alive data packet between the first NIC and the third NIC comprises transmitting the third keep-alive data packet from the first NIC to the third NIC.
10. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the third NIC does not receive the second keep-alive data packet from the second NIC, and the step of transmitting the third keep-alive data packet between the first NIC and the third NIC comprises transmitting the third keep-alive data packet from the first NIC to the third NIC.
11. A computing device having at least three network interface cards (NICs) configured as a team, the computing device configured to specifically identify a failed NIC within the team, the computing device comprising:
a memory;
a central processing unit; and
a management processing unit configured to:
direct a first NIC to transmit a first keep-alive data packet to a second NIC,
determine whether the second NIC receives the first keep-alive data packet from the first NIC,
if the second NIC does not receive the first keep-alive data packet from the first NIC, then direct the third NIC to transmit the second data keep-alive packet to the second NIC, or
if the second NIC does receive the first keep-alive data packet from the first NIC, then direct the second NIC to transmit the second data keep-alive data packet to the third NIC, and
after transmitting the second keep-alive data packet from the third NIC to the second NIC or after transmitting the second keep-alive data packet from the second NIC to the third NIC, direct a third keep-alive data packet to be transmitted between the first NIC and the third NIC,
wherein, based on the ability of each of the first NIC, second NIC and third NIC to transmit and receive the different keep-alive data packets, a failure of any of the first NIC, second NIC or third NIC can be determined.
12. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the third NIC receives the second data packet from the second NIC, and the management processing unit is further configured to direct the third keep-alive data packet to be transmitted between the first NIC and the third NIC by directing the third NIC to transmit the third keep-alive data packet to the first NIC.
13. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the first NIC does not receive the third keep-alive data packet from the third NIC, and the management processing unit is further configured to direct the second NIC to transmit a fourth keep-alive data packet to the first NIC.
14. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the second NIC does not receive the second keep-alive data packet from the third NIC, and the management processing unit is configured to direct the third keep-alive data packet to be transmitted between the first NIC and the third NIC by directing the first NIC to transmit the third keep-alive data packet to the third NIC.
15. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the third NIC does not receive the second keep-alive data packet from the second NIC, and the management processing unit is configured to direct the third keep-alive data packet to be transmitted between the first NIC and the third NIC by directing the first NIC to transmit the third keep-alive data packet to the third NIC.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
What is claimed is:
1. A printer, comprising a control system operable in a selectable one of: a normal mode in which contents of a print job are downloaded from a remote site on-demand; and a schedule mode in which contents of the printable document are downloaded from the remote site at a scheduled time.
2. The printer as recited in claim 1, wherein the control system is embodied in a processor of host computer system operating in conjunction with the printer.
3. The printer as recited in claim 1, wherein the scheduled time is an off-peak time when data bandwidth over a network connecting the printer to one or more remote sites is higher than during other times when there is a lower data bandwidth availability over the network.
4. The printer as recited in claim 1, wherein the contents are print job elements referenced by a print job ticket received by the printer.
5. The printer as recited in claim 1, wherein a graphical user interface on the printer selects between the normal mode and the schedule mode.
6. The printer as recited in claim 1, wherein when the normal mode is selected contents are downloaded immediately from the remote site as the contents are needed by the printer to complete the print job.
7. The printer as recited in claim 1, further comprising a local memory configured to store the contents downloaded during the scheduled mode.
8. One or more computer-readable media comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed, direct a host device for a printer to: execute in a normal mode in which contents of a printable document are downloaded from a remote site on-demand; and alternatively execute in a schedule mode in which the contents of the printable document are downloaded from the remote site at a scheduled time.
9. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 8, wherein the scheduled time is an off-peak time when data bandwidth over a network connecting the printer to one or more remote sites is higher than during other times when there is a lower data bandwidth availability over the network.
10. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 8, wherein the contents are print job elements referenced by a print job ticket received by the host device.
11. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 8, wherein a graphical user interface on the printer selects between the normal mode and the schedule mode.
12. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 8, wherein when the normal mode is selected the contents are downloaded immediately from the remote site as the contents are needed by the host device to complete the print job.
13. A system, comprising:
means for downloading print data from a remote site; and
means for scheduling the downloading of the print data from the remote at a particular time.
14. The system as recited in claim 13, wherein the means for scheduling the downloading of the print data is a control system of a printer.
15. The system as recited in claim 13, wherein the means for downloading the data from a remote site is a network interface of a printer.
16. The system as recited in claim 13, wherein the means for scheduling the downloading includes a graphical user interface to select a time to download the downloading the data.
17. The system as recited in claim 13, wherein the downloading the data is scheduled for off-peak hours associated with a network interface used to transmit and send information between the system and a remote site.