This may be a no brainer for advanced types, but since I found no succinct help on this otherwise, here you go. I recently struggled with setting up a BuffaloTech LinkStation on my home network, which consists of a DSL modem / wireless access point, my iBook, my girlfriend's Sony Vaio notebook, and a shared inkjet. The notebooks are wireless, and the LinkStation plugs into the one ethernet port on the DSL / wifi base.
The LinkStation supports a USB printserver. The queue for this server is called lp. Set this printer up as an 'IP printer,' uncheck the 'Use default queue' and type lp into the text field. The LinkStation supports PostScript printing, so if you are running OS 10.2 (or earlier), you'll need to install Ghostprint and GimpPrint software to successfully print to a non-postscript (ie inkjet) printer.
When mounting as a network drive, the LinkStation works fine using SMB. Read and write are no problem from the Finder. But backup software (I'm using Softobe Folder Synchronizer) got all sorts of permission errors. I also couldn't mount a disk image either. The LinkStation does support AFP, so use this protocol. You may have to manually type it in. This sorts out all the permission problems and disk the disk image mounted fine.
This is the basic version, as everything else I learned doesn't directly solve this problem. The LinkStation seems to be running a version of embedded Linux and uses the EXT3 filing system. All told, the LinkStation has been working well, but documentation is poor, especially for Macs.
Author's Update, December 2004:
Backing up a Mac using AFP protocol to the LinkStation works fine with one exception. The LinkStation limits the file name length of Mac compatible shares to 32 characters for compatibility with OS 9 and earlier. There is no way around this limitation even if you update to the latest firmware (1.45 as of this writing). The official workaround to long file names is to use a Windows share via SMB protocol. I cannot get a successful backup with this setup using Folders Synchronizer X, even with no "security" or login required to the share. The Mac file name length limitation is documented pretty widely on the web, but I'm still trying to sort out the SMB permissions problem.
I have run diff from the terminal to compare my backup against the original files on my iBook, and it appears that the only files not copying over (AFP to a Mac share) are those with over-32-character file names (no problems with special characters). It seems Folders Synchronizer X is doing a fine job. A better job than RsyncX, which had many more files missing from the backup based on running diff again.
Mac OS X Hints
http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=20040816160318830