How to move an iPrint/NDPS Manager to a new server

Situation:
Need to move an NDPS/iPrint Manager from one server to another, when the servers in question have different IP addresses and the Administrator wants to minimize user impact.

Preparation:

If the current server is Not being decommissioned it is recommended that you create a New DNS entry specifically for your print environment. In other words, add a second DNS name entry to the IP address of the server currently hosting your iPrint/NDPS manager. This DNS name will need to be moved later in the process, and therefore should Not simply be the current DNS/hostname of the server its running on if the current server will remain in the environment once the iPrint/NDPS manager is moved.

e.g. Servername is FS01 and manager object is iPrintMrgr
create DNS entry for iPrintMrgr..com

*There are many varying DNS/DHCP administration products. If you have questions regarding how to make the appropriate DNS changes for your environment please consult your product documentation or network administrator.

**If the NDPS Manager is currently be loaded using an acceptable DNS name (i.e. one that can be moved from the existing server to the target server), then skip to Step 1 below.

***If you are not currently loading the NDPS Manager with the '/dnsname=..' switch, as noted above, then you will want to create a DNS entry that can be moved, then load the iPrint/NDPS manager using the newly created DNS entry.

****One caveat to this procedure is: When you load the NDPS/iPrint Manager with the '/dnsname..' switch for the first time, your users will receive the following message: "The Administrator has renamed or modified printer \\ipp://\. Please wait while this printer is updated." Users will then see the Novell iPrint printer Installation dialog box which is identical to the box that is displayed when a printer is installed from the iPrint web-page or custom map. Once the Printer update is complete, the following message is displayed: "Printer \\ipp://\ has been updated and its name changed to \\ipp://\" In the case of both messages, the only option available to the user is'OK'

Or, the administrator can configure the pop-up message to be hidden from the user. See TID 3476106.

Once you (the Administrator) are reasonably certain that users' printers have been updated (over some period of time determined by the administrator), then it is time to proceed with the move.

*****If there are workstations that did not get updated during the time period you allowed, they will be deleted from the workstation the next time the user logs in. This will be preceded by a message indicating that the printer has been removed by the administrator and will now be deleted. In this case, the user(s) affected will need to manually re-install their printer(s).


Resolution:

With the NDPS/iPrint manager loaded with the'/dnsname=' switch and with users' workstations updated with the new printer name (printer names inside the Printers and Faxes window should look something like this: Printer_Name on ipp:// (e.g. HPLJ5 on ipp://iprint.novell.com)), do the following:

1. Verify that iPrint/NDPS is installed on the new/target server (this can be done most easily through NWConfig | Product Options | View/Configure/Remove installed products. The product will show up as 'NDPS' followed by a version number with 'iPrint' listed in the column to the right).

2. Unload your iPrint/NDPS Manager.

3. With the iPrint/NDPS Manager Unloaded, change your DNS table so that the DNS name that you use while loading the NDPS manager resolves to the IP address of the New/Target server.

4. Once the DNS change is complete and the name is now resolving to the New/Target IP address, simply load the iPrint/NDPS manager as you would on your former server.

5. Select Yes to the prompt informing you that the NDPS database does not reside on this server, and asking if you would like to move it.

6. Select the Volume on the Target server that you would like the iPrint/NDPS database to run from, and hit Enter.

**The iPrint/NDPS Manager should load, and the Manager move is complete.

To move the Broker:

1. Copy the :\NDPS\Resdir directory (by default SYS:\NDPS\Resdir) to the:\NDPS\Resdir directory.
2. Open Console1 and go to the Properties of the Broker Object
3. Go to the 'Other' tab
4. Expand the 'Attributes' list (if it is not already).
5. Modify the 'Host Device' and 'Resource Mgr Database Volume' attributes to reflect the change to the new/target server and volume.
6. Load the Broker on the new/target server.

OR - You can create an entirely new broker and then do the following

1. Copy the:\NDPS\Resdir directory (by default SYS:\NDPS\Resdir) to the:\NDPS\Resdir directory.
2. Create the broker object with the new name and load it on the new server,
the manager when loaded should use this broker if it can;t find the old one, or you can redirect it to it by using the /rmsserver=.newbroker.context switch on the ndpsm manager load line