Often you'll find that you must replace an existing print server with a new machine. Sometimes this happens because the current hardware doesn't perform well enough to handle the current load. Other times this happens because you are moving from one operating system to another.
When you deploy a new print server to replace an existing server, you can use the migration techniques discussed in Part 3, to do the following:
As with standard operating system migration, you can migrate print servers manually, automatically, or using a combination of the techniques.
The manual migration process starts with documentation. Document the print server's configuration. Note the printers that are set up on the server and write down the details of their configuration, making sure to include the following information:
Printer names and models
Printer drivers and the additional types of drivers made available to clients
Printer ports and the configuration used
Advanced printer settings, such as priority and availability schedule
Printer security settings and the users and groups with access
After you thoroughly document the existing print server configuration, you can install the new print server and configure its print services in the same way as the server you are replacing. By migrating a print server by hand, you can ensure that the latest drivers are used and can use the opportunity to standardize the printer information. The obvious disadvantage is that manual migration can take a lot of time and is prone to errors.
Microsoft provides a utility for migrating print services called Printer Migrator. Using Printer Migrator version 3.1 or later, you can
Migrate print services from a print server running Windows NT 4, Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows Server 2003 to a print server running Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows Server 2003
Migrate print services from a stand-alone Windows NT 4 or Windows 2000 printer server to a clustered print server running Windows 2000 or Windows Server 2003
Printer Migrator is available as a download from the Microsoft Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/printserver/. After you obtain and install the Printer Migrator, don't run it until you consider how you want to handle printer drivers. Printer Migrator migrates the current print environment from an existing source server to a target server exactly as the environment exists on the source server, which includes printers, printer drivers, printer ports, print processors, and print monitors that are configured, as well as the associated Registry settings and files. It won't, however, update driver versions. Because of this, if you are migrating from Windows NT 4, you might first want to upgrade printer drivers using FixPrnSv as discussed in the section entitled "Upgrading Windows NT 4 Print Servers to Windows Server 2003" earlier in this chapter.
When you work with Printer Migrator, you use it to back up the print services configuration of a target server and restore it on another target server. This allows you to migrate print services to and from multiple systems from a central location, which can be your desktop system. To allow you to consolidate the print services of multiple servers to a single server, Printer Migrator doesn't delete the existing printer configurations when you perform restore operations. Instead, it performs a merge operation, which replaces any existing settings with this defined in the configuration you backed up and adding any additional configuration settings.
When you are ready to migrate print services, follow these steps:
Log on to the print server that you want to migrate using an account that is a member of the Administrators or Print Operators group. Then start Printer Migrator by double-clicking the executable you obtained. This should be PrintMig.exe.
When Printer Migrator starts, it will examine the current print environment. As shown in Figure 29-5, this means Printer Migrator enumerates all printers, printer drivers, printer ports, print processors, and print monitors and stores their configuration information. You can examine this information by expanding the related entries.
Create a backup of the print server's configuration. Select Backup from the Actions menu. In the Printer Configuration Backup dialog box, shown in Figure 29-6, you can now select a save location for the printer configuration using the Look In selection list. Once you find a save location, type a name for the backup file.
When you click Open, Printer Migrator will save the printer configuration to the named file as a compressed .cab file. This process can take a few minutes, depending on the number of printers configured, and each step in the backup operation is displayed, as shown in Figure 29-7. Scroll back through the logged text and check for any critical error, such as the inability to save a configuration file in the cabinet. If there are no substantive errors, continue with the migration process.
When the .cab file creation process is completed, select Restore from the Actions menu. In the Printer Configuration Restore dialog box, shown in Figure 29-8, select the previously saved .cab file.
In the Target Server field, type the name or IP address of the print server to which you want to migrate the print services.
If you don't want to see popups showing errors, select Suppress Warning Popups. Errors will still be recorded in the logged text.
Printer Migrator can attempt to convert legacy Line Printer Remote (LPR) printer ports to Standard TCP/IP Port Monitor ports. If you want to do this, select Attempt LPR To SPM Conversion.
With LPR, a port is used in conjunction with a line printer daemon (LPD) print queue. Most current printers use Standard TCP/IP Port Monitor ports and the RAW protocol. With RAW, data is sent unmodified over the port to the printer using a designated port number. In most cases, this is port 9100.
When you are ready to begin the restore, click Open. Printer Migration will then use the .cab file to configure print services on the target server. Again this process can take a few minutes, depending on the number of printers configured. Each step in the restore operation is displayed and you can scroll back through the logged text to check for any critical errors.
If you are consolidating print servers, repeat steps 1 through 9 to migrate other print services to the print server.