Print Server Consolidation
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Transcript of Print Server Consolidation
8/3/2019 Print Server Consolidation
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Microsoft Corporation
Published: April 2005
Abstract
Consolidating servers in corporate and enterprise environments offers many benefits to both the end users and
system administrators. This paper presents the system administrator with several methods for performing print
server consolidations, offering a range of automation and flexibility.
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Microsoft ® Windows Server ™ 2003 White Paper
Contents
Contents ........................................................................................................................................3
Introduction ...................................................................................................................................1
Server Migration ............................................................................................................................2
Client Migration ...................................................................................................................... .....2
Print Server Migration Tools ........................................................................................................2
Print Migrator ...........................................................................................................................3
Scripted Copy and Restore ......................................................................................................3
Manual Printer Creation ...........................................................................................................4
Client Impact Mitigation ...............................................................................................................4
Point and Print.................................................................................................................... .....4
DNS Name Aliases ..................................................................................................................5
Using Microsoft Cluster Services and NetNames ....................................................................5
Login Script..............................................................................................................................6
Client Email..............................................................................................................................7
Summary ........................................................................................................................................8
Related Links .................................................................................................................................9
Overview and Technical Reference .............................................................................................9
Automated Tools ....................................................................................................................... ..9
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Server Migration
A server consolidation effort is an excellent time to also migrate servers from one operating system to
another. In one transition period, server functions may be consolidated into fewer, newer server
computers and migrated to the current version of Microsoft Windows from another operating system or from an earlier version of Microsoft Windows.
To plan the best migration strategy, the system administrator should understand how the end-users are
currently using the existing printers and servers as well as become familiar with the new features and
tools provided by the new version of the operating system. A range of print server migration tools is
available for Microsoft Windows Server 2003; however which tool, or tools, will work best in a specific
migration depends on the environment and the migration strategy.
This section describes some of the available print server migration tools and methods that may be used
during a print server migration and consolidation.
Client MigrationPrint system reliability was improved in Windows 2000 when user-mode print drivers became
supported. In Windows NT 4.0 and earlier versions of Windows, print drivers ran in kernel-mode which,
at the time offered better driver performance than running in user-mode; however this advantage came
at some risk to system reliability. If a kernel-mode driver fails, it can halt the entire operating system. If a
user-mode print driver fails, in Windows 2000 and later versions of Windows, only the print spooler
process is affected. In the more recent versions of Windows, however, the performance advantage of a
print driver running in kernel mode is no longer as dramatic; however the risk of the driver running in
kernel mode remains the same. For this reason, administrators are encouraged to upgrade their client
computers to Windows 2000 or a later version of Windows.
Migrating client computers to newer versions of Windows and creating an environment that does nothave any Windows NT 4.0 clients makes it possible to use only the newer, user-mode, printer drivers.
This improves overall server reliability by eliminating the system crashes that can result from a problem
occurring in a kernel-mode print driver.
The Choosing the Right Printer Drivers paper describes the details of the different print driver
technologies as well as how the driver on the print client interacts with the driver on the print server.
Print Server Migration Tools
This section reviews the following print server migration tools:
• Print Migrator
• Scripted Copy/Restore
• Manual Printer Creation
The tools listed above are shown in order from the most automated to the least automated. This order is
also from the least flexible to the most flexible. In most cases, a combination of these tools will be
applied to facilitate the consolidation or migration; using the best tool for each specific situation. The
system administrator will need to evaluate the need for automation with the need for flexibility when
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determining the best mix of tools for a particular environment and migration strategy with the goal being
be to choose the most automated tool possible for each specific task.
Print Migrator
Print Migrator 3.1 is available for Windows Server 2003 and is used to automatically backup and restore
print servers. Print Migrator 3.1 is not shipped with Windows; however it is available for download fromMicrosoft. A link to the download site for this tool may be found in the References section of this
document.
Print Migrator 3.1 has the following improvements over Print Migrator 2.0:
• Cross-OS Support – Print Migrator 3.1 can migrate printers from one version of Windows to
another, such as Windows NT 4 to Windows 2000 or Windows Server 2003.
• Cluster Support – Print Migrator 3.1 fully supports backing-up and restoring print servers running
Microsoft Cluster Services. Print Migrator 3.1 enables the migration to or from a standalone print
server and a clustered server.
•LPR-to-SPM Port Conversion – Microsoft introduced the standard TCP/IP port monitor (SPM) inWindows 2000. This port type has many advantages over the older LPR port monitor. The Print
Server Connectivity Technical Overview paper provides more information how to choose the
right connectivity option.
Using Print Migrator 3.1 is the fastest way to backup and restore printers on a server; however, it is also
the least flexible. Print Migrator 3.1 works by saving the original print server environment and then
replicating it on the destination server. This is an excellent tool for the migration of a server to a newer
operating system as well as to perform straightforward server consolidations. This tool may not be the
best to use in cases where the administrator would like to change aspects of the original print server
configuration such as reconfigure print queues or remove unused or obsolete print drivers.
Microsoft does not recommend using the Print Migrator when migrating from an environment withWindows NT 4.0 workstation clients to an environment with no Windows NT 4.0 workstations clients.
Rather, Microsoft recommends using either a scripted copy and restore or the manual printer creation
method.
Scripted Copy and Restore
The scripted copy and restore process uses an automated method for collecting information about a
print server configuration, saves that information, and then recreates the configuration on another
computer using that information. This method is not as automatic as the Print Migrator, however, unlike
the Print Migrator tool, the configuration information collected may be edited prior to creating the new
environment.
To start the print server migration and consolidation, the original printer and print server configuration
must first be captured. On systems running Windows NT 4.0 Server or Windows 2000 Server,
configuration data must be collected by scripts that use prnadmin.dll. The Windows Management
Interface (WMI) provider in those versions of Windows does not provide sufficient functionality to collect
the information required. On systems running Windows XP or Windows Server 2003, however, the
system administrator can choose to use scripts for either prnadmin.dll or the enhanced WMI provider to
collect information about the print server environment.
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The captured configuration information from the original print server configurations may be edited as
necessary to reflect the new, consolidated or migrated print server configuration. The edited
configuration is then be loaded onto the new servers using prnadmin.dll or the WMI Print Provider, if
migrating to Windows Server 2003. Using prnadmin.dll for the collection and installation of the print
server configurations in environments running different versions of Windows eliminates the need to
learn and use two different tools. Several papers describing this process are available on microsoft.comand are listed at the end of this document.
Manual Printer Creation
The most labor intensive option available is to simply create each printer entry manually. This option
offers the most flexibility in that each entry can be configured differently. This method is best used in the
exceptional cases that cannot be handled by the other tools.
Client Impact Mitigation
Client computers may lose their connection to remote printers during a server migration or consolidation
depending on how they were connected to the remote printers or print servers prior to the migration or
consolidation. This section outlines several ways to minimize the client impact during a migration or
consolidation
Point and Print
The Point and Print feature of Windows network printing allows a user to create a connection to a
remote printer or print server without the need to manually install the print driver on the client. Windows
Point and Print technology automatically configures the client with the correct software to use the
remote printer. This greatly simplifies the end-user’s ability to re-connect to the new printers; however,
if the name or IP address of the print server changes, this connection will be broken as a result and will
need to be recreated before the end-user can use that print server.
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DNS Name Aliases
DNS aliases can be created to hide the change in server configuration. By changing the Internet
Protocol (IP) address of the DNS entries for the old servers to those of the new servers, the client will
not lose the connection to the printer. To the client, the same printer will appear to be available from the
same server name after the consolidation as before the consolidation. This process is shown in the
following illustration.
Fig. 1 – Print Server Consolidation Using DNS Aliases
Care must be taken during a print server consolidation to avoid printer name conflicts. Printer paths that
may have been unique when the printers were hosted by separate servers may conflict if hosted by a
common server.
Using Microsoft Cluster Services and NetNames
Microsoft Cluster Services provides for a resource component known as a NetName that allows the
cluster to be referenced by multiple names. Defining NetNames on a cluster that match the names of
the servers used before the print server consolidation enables the cluster to support the printer paths
that existed prior to the consolidation.
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The following illustration shows how, by creating a NetName for CorpSvr01 and CorpSvr02 on the new
cluster server, those two servers may now be retired without impact to clients connected to them. The
clients will see the same printer paths after the consolidation as they did prior to the consolidation.
Fig. 2 – Print Server Consolidation Using Cluster NetNames
Login Script
Login Scripts are run on a client when the client computer logs on to the network. A login script will
perform the scripted actions automatically and not require any user interaction. Login scripts can be
written in VisualBasic Scripting (VBS), or other system-recognized languages.
Printui.dll contains functions that perform printer configuration operations. Printui.dll functions are
documented in the PrintUI.DLL User’s Guide and Reference paper referenced at the end of this
paper. A sample command line is shown below as an example of how to add a new printer connection:
rundll32 printui.dll,PrintUIEntry /in /n\\machine\printer
The \\machine\printer string, however, must be substituted with the desired server and printer names.
After the print server migration, a login script could be written to find printers installed on the client
computer that have changed and replace the old printer connection with the new printer connection.
With the correct logic, a login script could detect the user’s default printer, remove the old printer entry,
replace it with the corresponding new printer entry, and finally set the new printer definition to be the
default printer for the user.
The How to Add Printers with No User Interaction in Windows XP and How to Add Printers with
No User Interaction in Windows papers, referenced at the end of this paper, describe this process in
greater detail.
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Client Email
After a migration or consolidation has been completed, end-users are often notified by an e-mail
message informing them of what has changed. In the message body, the administrator can provide
links to the new printers making it very easy for the end-user to update their computer. This is a very
inexpensive way to update the configurations of the end-users’ client computers. While this method
requires the end-user to make the changes to their system, it may eliminate the need for a support
technician to travel to the computer in order to make the changes,
In addition to requiring user interaction, another disadvantage of this method is that it does not remove
the old, invalid printer connections from the client workstation. It also requires additional effort, such the
use of a customized login script or additional user action, to set the new printer connection as the
default. In other words, the default printer will continue to be the old, invalid printer connection until it is
changed by the user or by a login script.
A sample e-mail message is shown in the following example:
The printers listed in the left column below have been replaced by the
corresponding printers in the right column. Click on the new printer link in the righthand column to install the new printer.
Old Printer Connections New Printer Connection
\\CorpSrvr01\Printer_860DX \\Corp-PRN01\Prn860DX
If a printer in the left column was your default printer, you will need to open the
Printers and Faxes window and set the corresponding new printer to be your default
printer. Failure to do this may result in your print jobs being lost.
The example above displays only the new printer path name as a link to reduce the possibility the user
might accidentally click on the incorrect printer connection.
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Related Links
See the following resources for further information on this topic.
Overview and Technical Reference• Windows Server 2003 Print Services at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=41172.
• Print Server Upgrade, Migration, and Interoperability at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?
LinkId=41173
• Print Server Connectivity Technical Overview at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=41175
• Windows Point and Print Technical Overview at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=41176
• Choosing the Right Printer Drivers at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=41177
Automated Tools
• How to Programmatically Create a Printer and Printer Port by Using Printer Admin(prnadmin.dll) with a Visual Basic Script in Microsoft Windows 2000 at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?
LinkId=41178
• How to Add Printers with No User Interaction in Windows XP at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?
LinkId=41179
• How to add printers with no user interaction in Windows at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?
LinkId=41180
• Print Migrator 3.1 at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=41181
• PrintUI.DLL User’s Guide and Reference at
http://download.microsoft.com/download/8/2/C/82CFFCFA-56F6-4FC3-BFA5-80CD84793871/PrintUIUsersGuide.doc
For the latest information about Windows Server 2003, see the Windows Server 2003 Web site at
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003.
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