Technical Tip: Extending AirPlay and AirPrint communication

[Andy_G]

Description

This article describes how to use AirPlay and AirPrint when a FortiWiFi unit separates client and server AirPlay and AirPrint devices.

Solution

To configure the FortiWiFi unit to allow printing to an AirPrint-compatible printer, the network topology determines the solution. For example, if an iPhone and an AirPrint-compatible printer both use WiFi to connect to the same FortiWiFi wireless access point on the same subnet, no FortiWiFi configuration changes are required as long as intra-SSID traffic is not blocked. The iPhone and the printer can communicate directly.

If the iPhone and the AirPrint-compatible printer are on different networks separated by a FortiWiFi unit, use the information below to set all AirPrint communication through the FortiWiFi unit.

Check the following if issues are encountered:

• Check if multicast routing is enabled or not.

config router multicast
    set multicast-routing disable
end

• If multicast routing is enabled, the traffic is received on the incoming interface but not forwarded via the outgoing interface.
• The reason is that the destination IP, with the packets received on FortiGate, is part of the 'Local Network Control Block', and by default, it is not forwarded out of the L3 interface.

• It is also necessary to have a regular IPv4 firewall policy (already explained in the attached document) between 2 different interfaces, as once the device is detected, the traffic becomes unicast traffic.

[Andy_G]

It is also necessary to have a regular IPv4 firewall policy (already explained in the attached document) between 2 different interfaces, as once the device is detected, the traffic becomes unicast traffic.