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.



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




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

Migrating and Consolidating Print Servers 2




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.





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.





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.





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.


http://smb//machine/printer

http://smb//machine/printer




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.





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.


http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=41172

















http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003
















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