Using System 9.2.2 . One G-4 is a 533 MHz, the newer one is a 1GHz. I
need to know exactly, step by step, how to get two G4's to print to
the same printer using ethernet. Is it necessary for them both to have
an IP address?

We had one G-4 connected to a Xerox Tektronix Phaser 1235 color laser
printer via ethernet. That machine was called "Linda's hard drive". We
got a new G-4 which became Linda's hard drive and the other one became
"Christie's hard drive". Every time I go into what is now Christie's
hard drive,I get the following message "Your computer name could not
be registered on the Appletalk network" -  I am confused where this
name needs to be changed at,  it  was changed by highlighting the hard
drive icon on the desk top and "Christie's hard drive" typed in. Is
there some place else that is still reading it as " Linda's hard
drive"? Also the 1GHz G-4 which is Linda's hard drive now, prints
perfectly to the color laser printer. We just can't get the other G-4
to print to it. When you go into the chooser you are able to choose
the correct printer, it just won't print to it.

Hello Lkogc,

From your description, it sounds like a file sharing setting is
incorrect on the machine you want to call "Christie's hard drive". It
is important with Macintosh systems that the "computer name" is
different on each machine connected to your Ethernet. This may have
been set incorrectly with the network setup utility but I can't be
sure.

On both machines, select...
Apple menu -> Control Panels -> File Sharing

The first section has title "Network Identity". The third entry in
this section is the "Computer Name". I suggest using names such as
  "Christie's G4"
or
  "Linda's Machine"
or any suitable name - but please make them different on the two
machines. You should also set the owner name and password settings as
well.

At this point, if file sharing is enabled, you may need to stop and
start file sharing to make the change to take effect. If file sharing
is not enabled, go ahead and turn it on and do the following steps.

Close the File Sharing control panel.
[a reboot may be necessary here - do that only if the following steps
do not work]

Apple Menu -> Chooser

Select Appleshare

When you do this on "Linda's Machine", you should see "Christie's G4"
and vice versa.

Select the printer icon in the chooser and select the name of your
printer.

Close the chooser.

From the finder, open a window and use File -> Print to print a test
page.

At this point, both machines should be able to print on the printer
and both can access the other machine's hard disk by using the owner
name and password (to exchange files).

I was going to provide a link to Apple's Knowledge Base on this topic,
but I could not find one relevant to OS 9. There is a good one for OS
X (http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106260), but for
some reason I could not find an older reference.

If this does not work, please provide the following information in a
clarification request:
 - the "Computer Name" for each machine
 - what you see in the chooser with Appleshare and the printer
 - the complete message for any errors you get doing the steps above
so I can focus on a more specific problem.

  --Maniac

very helpful, thank you.

I've found the answers for a similar question at
http://www.atpm.com/8.01/networking.shtml
and
http://macos.about.com/library/bltips021501.htm


They helped me get my printer online!

This is from the latest online issue of MacWorld Weekly. Hope it helps

Despite Help Center's claim to the contrary, it appears that you
can't initiate USB Printer Sharing from the Classic environment.
Instead, you must boot the Mac directly connected to the printer
(the "host" Mac) into Mac OS 9. On this Mac, select USP Printer
Sharing from the Control Panels submenu, then click the Start/Stop
tab and turn printer sharing on. Next, click the My Printers tab and
click the checkbox next to the name of the USB printer you want
to share. Click and drag the name of that printer to the Desktop,
where it becomes an address clipping.

Now move to the Macs running Mac OS 9 that will be sharing this
printer. On each Mac, install the printer software for the USB
printer. After copying the address clipping to these Macs, open
the USB Printer Sharing control panel on each one and start
printer sharing. Click the Network Printers tab and drag the
address clipping into the main window. After a short delay, the
networked printer will appear among the networked printers.
Verify that printer sharing really works by printing a test page
from each Mac.

Boot the host Mac into Mac OS X and launch the Classic
environment. You should now be able to share printers between the
host Mac running Mac OS X and networked Macs running Mac OS 9.