win2k3 transition to new print server...best practice

[blueswitch]

So, I'm wanting to transition our print server to a new box as easily as possible. Whats the best way to do this? It would be nice to be able to somehow replicate the print server across two servers and then just shut the old one down. Or just add all the printers to the new server and then shut the old one down, although I don't know if the clients will know to send print jobs to the new server if just the printers are added. I've never rotated a print server before.

 

[imposter]

No reason in having two... printing doesnt take that much resorces at all. So i am going to ask you whats the point of another server. are you going to host something? If so just put it all under one box. And if you change computers, your going to have to point all other computers to the new box unless it has the same name on the network, and same local ip.

 

[blueswitch]

imposter....we're not running two we're upgrading to a new box (a VMware actually) and I Just want the best way of transitioning so that I don;t have to run around to all client computers and re-add all the printers.

It's odd though, I setup the new machine as a print server, added a printer from the domain...and the two print servers seem to mirror each other....ie..I pause a printer on one and it pauses the other. So I'll have to try adding all printers and then shutting down the old one to see if I can still print....will have to be end of the day though.....that just seems too easy if thats the case.

EDIT: I'll report back but adding the printers from the domain they all say PRINTER_NAME on PRINT_SERVER_NAME so I have a feeling it's not going to work that easy.

Nope that didn;t work.

 

[Mr.Guvernment]

if you dont want to run around, as said, nam the box with the same name and same ip - install all printers, share, done.

 

[imposter]

if you dont want to run around, as said, nam the box with the same name and same ip - install all printers, share, done.

Yep.

Posting full details would help us to help you faster


But that covers it .

 

[terran2k]

there a program that'll export printers from one server to another, I'd bring up the new print server, name it whatever and transfer the printers to the new server. bring down the old one and rename the new one to match the old and give it the same IP. the printer utility is from Microsoft. its command line prog.

 

[Jon]

there a program that'll export printers from one server to another, I'd bring up the new print server, name it whatever and transfer the printers to the new server. bring down the old one and rename the new one to match the old and give it the same IP. the printer utility is from Microsoft. its command line prog.

Yes, it's called Print Migrator. I've used it a couple of times at work as we're a print shop and there was no way I was manually migrating 50 printers or more.

Works pretty well and is even more flexible if you know some scripting and can use SysInternal's PSTools.

 

[terran2k]

yeah thats the name, couldnt think of it

 

[blueswitch]

cool I'll have to check it out....yeah I don;t want to rename the new server the same as the old, we've changed naming conventions. I also read somewhere about win2k3 R2 having a printer management console...but that means I'd have to update both servers to a new 2003 edition just to move printers...seems silly. I wonder if sharing out the printers on the new machine with a new name...but same IP would keep the clients in sync? Because DNS would reflect that the IP goes with the new name?

EDIT: I think I'm going to solve this problem by adding printers using login scripts. I can both delete the old and add the new in a single script...thanks for your help guys.

 

[zPacKRat]

linkafied
http://www.microsoft.com/WindowsServer2003/techinfo/overview/printmigrator3.1.mspx

Easy as pie, but you will have to reconfigure your clients to point to the new server

 

[terran2k]

you can try leaving the old server's host record in DNS pointing to the new server's ip. also I believe there is a way to give a windows machine two netbios names. I'd try the DNS method 1st, I personally never tried it, but it could work in theory.