This venerable print server has been stuck in a drawer for the best part of a decade, after I updated my laser printer; I hope someone can find a use for it.

I have verified that I am able to communicate with the inbuilt web server from my Windows 11 laptop and it is loaded with the latest available firmware, V.36.12.  It will come with the original HP power supply (BPA-202-12U) which takes 100-240V 50/60Hz electricity.

HP still maintains a support page for the server and it contains a list of the printers that are explicitly supported.  I assume, in reality, that a broader range of printers is supported but, obviously, caveat emptor.




HP Jetdirect en1700 IPv4/IPv6 Print Server (model J7988G) detailed specifications (according to the HP website):

Network types: Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, 802.3
Ports:1 USB 2.0
Print server type: External
Security management: Password-protected configuration; Secure Sockets Layer (SSL); Transport Layer Security (TLS); and Simple Network Management Protocol, version 3 (SNMPv3)
Network upgradeable firmware: Yes
Flash memory: 8 MB
Compatible Operating Systems: Windows 2000; Windows XP Professional; Windows XP Professional x64; Windows Server 2003 (32/64 bit); Windows Vista(R); Windows Vista(R) x64; Mac OS X v 10.2; Mac OS X v 10.3; Mac OS X v 10.4 or higher; Novell NetWare 5.1 or higher; Red Hat Linux 7.x or higher; SuSE Linux 8.x or higher; Citrix MetaFrame; Terminal Services
Printer Management: HP Web Jetadmin, HP Easy Printer Care Software
Embedded web server: Yes
EPP and ECP supported: Yes
Print job buffering supported: Yes
IPP supported: No
Network protocols, supported: IPv4/IPv6: Apple Bonjour Compatible (Mac OS 10.2.4 or higher), SNMPv1/v2c/v3, HTTP, HTTPS, Port 9100, LPD, WS Discovery; IPv6: DHCPv6, MLDv1, ICMPv6; IPv4: Auto-IP, SLP, IGMPv2, BOOTP/DHCP, WINS, IP Direct Mode, WS Print
Browser supported: Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.x and higher, Mozilla 1.x and higher, Firefox 1.x and higher, Safari
Printer supported: USB-based LaserJet and Business Inkjet peripherals
Dimensions (W x D x H): 102 x 131 x 35 mm 4.08 x 5.25 x 1.40 in



HP blurb (from over a decade ago):
The HP Jetdirect en1700 external print server is designed to fit seamlessly into your existing network:
It supports most network features of HP printers and networkable HP MFPs.
It supports both Microsoft® and Apple operating systems.

The HP Embedded Web Server enables one-to-one network configuration, management, and diagnostics as well as some useful printer information—all from any standard Web browser.