Environment
Novell iPrint for Linux
Novell NDPS for NetWare
Situation
Workstations have NDPS printers installed to workstations. You plan to migrate those NDPS printers to iPrint printers on an OES Linux system. Question: How can you automate the process of removing the NDPS printers from the workstations to install iPrint printers in their place?
Resolution
This migration has two main phases:
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Phase 1: Server migration
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Phase 2: Workstation migration
Server Migration:
This phase of the migration is the same whether the workstations install the Printer Agents as NDPS printers or iPrint printers.
Use the iPrint migration tool to migrate the printer agents from the NetWare server to the OES iPrint server. Resources to familiarize yourself with the iPrint migration tool are found in TIDs 7004455 and 7008684.
The Server migration (because it is not really a migration tool, but a duplication tool) can be performed at any time. When the migration is complete, end users will continue to print using the NDPS printers installed to their workstations, and printing to the NetWare server. The end user printing experience does not change as a result of running the migration.
Workstation Migration:
This section documents two methods to migrate workstations from NDPS printing to iPrint printing. Before starting either of these methods, understand the Additional Information section of this TID.
This section documents two methods to migrate workstations from NDPS printing to iPrint printing. Before starting either of these methods, understand the Additional Information section of this TID.
Method 1: Manual
Ask end users to-
Ask end users to-
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Remove the printers installed to the workstation from the Printers and Faxes window
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Go to the iPrint install web page on the Linux server (http://<IPorDNSofLinuxiPrintServer>/ipp)
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Click the link to install the needed iPrint printer
Method 2: Automated
The administrator can decide whether the end user is required to click OK to the automated uninstall and re-install of the printers. To cause this process to be silent to the end user:
The administrator can decide whether the end user is required to click OK to the automated uninstall and re-install of the printers. To cause this process to be silent to the end user:
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Go to the Linux server's /var/opt/novell/iprint/htdocs/iprint.ini
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Change the InformUserOfUpdates from 1 to 0
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Note:
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0 = Do not inform the user of changes.
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1 = Inform user of changes via message box (DEFAULT).
Steps to automate NDPS printers installed to workstations to be replace by the iPrint Linux equivelant printers:
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Go to the NetWare server's sys:\apache2\htdocs\ippdocs\iprint.ini
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Change the InformUserOfUpdates from 1 to 0
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Configure NetWare NDPS printers to redirect to the Linux printers.
Note: Do not do this step prior to the iPrint server migration. Doing so would cause this redirection configuration to be migrated to the Linux configuration, which will result in printer install loops.-
Go to iManager -> iPrint (NetWare) -> Manage Print Manager -> Printer Agent Redirection
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Click the Browse button next to each NDPS printer. Browse to and select the equivalent Linux iPrint printer.
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Click Apply.
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Ensure each printer agent is iPrint enabled
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Go to iManager -> → iPrint (NetWare) → Manage Print Manager -> Printer Agents -> ensure the iPrint check box is checked for each printer agent.
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Printer agents created using NWAdmin, by default, will NOT have this enabled.
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Install the iPrint Client to each workstation which you wish to have NDPS printers upgrade to NDPS.
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Change the UpgradeNDPSPrinters value within the iprint.ini to 1 or 2
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Location:
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sys:\apache2\htdocs\ippdocs\iprint.ini
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Explanation of values:
0 = Leave NDPS installed printers alone (DEFAULT).
1 = Prompt the user to upgrade the printer to an iPrint printer.
2 = Silently upgrade the printer to an iPrint printer.
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After step 5, end user workstations will automatically have their installed NDPS printers removed, and replaced by the iPrint printers on the Linux server. The change may require a restart of the workstation.
Note: You can control which NDPS printers are upgraded and/or which workstations receive the update.
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Control which Printer Agents update by checking or not checking the 'iPrint" check box in the iManager NetWare Printer Agents page.
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Control which workstations update by choosing to or not to install the iPrint client.
After all three conditions have been met (iPrint client installed, iPrint setting enabled, UpgradeNDPSPrinters value), workstations will see the NDPS printer auto-removed, then the printer which you configured for redirection will auto-install in its place.
Additional Information
It is important to understand a key difference in printer driver management between NDPS and iPrint. NDPS allows the administrator to upload printer drivers to the Windows 2000 driver repository, associate that Windows 2000 driver to printer agents, and that is sufficient for both Windows 2000 and XP. However, iPrint requires printer drivers to be specifically uploaded to the Windows XP repository and associated to the printer agents. Therefore, you cannot assume that because the NDPS printers successfully installed to XP workstations with their printer drivers that iPrint installations will likewise succeed. Furthermore, NDPS allows printers to install to workstations without any printer driver associated. In that situation, end users are prompted to browse to find their own printer drivers. iPrint, again, doesn't allow this.
For the above stated reasons:
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generate a report to ensure every printer agent has an XP printer driver associated by going to this URL:
https://<IPorDNSofNetWareServer>:8009/PsmStatus/GenerateReport?fileAction=Append&driverXP=on-
Replace <IPorDNSofNetWareServer> with the IP address or DNS of the NetWare server hosting NDPS.
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- If printer agents show no XP driver associated, be sure to associate drivers. iPrint will not allow printers to be installed to XP workstations if a driver is not associated.