Choosing a Print Server Migration Method

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

If you decide that a clean installation of Windows Server 2003 is best for your organization, you must also decide if moving some of your existing printers from other print servers makes sense. Migrating a print server is a method of moving existing printers onto your new server. If you intend to add new print servers to your existing environment, consider migrating some of your existing print servers to these new, typically more powerful servers to take full advantage of your improved hardware resources.

Three approaches are available for migrating existing print server configurations:

  • Manual migration

  • Automated migration

  • Partially automated migration

Manual Print Server Migration

A manual print server migration requires that you document the current printing environment on your existing Windows print servers (including ports, printer names, share names, and driver models and versions). Then, using the Add Printer Wizard, recreate each printer on your new Windows Server 2003 print servers. The advantage of this method is that you can create all of the queues by using the most recent corporate standard and the newest available driver versions. The disadvantage is that this method can be very time consuming for large print environments — and it is more error-prone than the automated method.

Automated Print Server Migration with Print Migrator

Microsoft has developed a printer migration utility called Print Migrator, which can back up and restore print server configurations with minimal user intervention. Print Migrator handles the migration of print queues, drivers, and printer ports. You can also use Print Migrator to consolidate print servers.

Print Migrator does not change the driver versions when moving printers to the Windows Server 2003. For example, Print Migrator copies any Version 2 drivers used on a Windows NT 4.0 print server and recreates them on the new Windows Server 2003 print server. This process provides a much higher level of interoperability with any Windows NT 4.0 clients that might still be using print services from that server. To download Print Migrator, see the Print Services link on the Web Resources page at https://www.microsoft.com/windows/reskits/webresources.

Note

  • Print Migrator ships with documentation about its operation and use. Review the material carefully for more details about this tool’s capabilities and limitations.

The newest version of Print Migrator, Print Migrator 3.0, provides the following functionalities:

  • Version support across operating systems

  • Cluster support

  • Port conversion from Line Printer Remote (LPR)-to-standard port monitor (standard TCP/IP port monitor)

Version support across operating systems

Differences in the way that Version 3 and Version 2 drivers work present interoperability issues when you migrate printers across versions of the Windows operating system. Cross-version support in Print Migrator 3.0 ensures successful migration from Windows NT 4.0 to Windows 2000 or Windows Server 2003.

Cluster support

Print Migrator 3.0 also supports migrating your print cluster from a server running Windows NT 4.0 or Windows 2000 to a print server running Windows Server 2003.

LPR to standard TCP/IP port conversion

If your print servers currently have LPR ports, consider converting the ports to standard TCP/IP ports. The standard TCP/IP port is the preferred printer port in Windows Server 2003. You can use other printer ports with Windows Server 2003, but they offer limited functionality.

Partially Automated Print Server Migration

Administrators can migrate printers by using a combination of manual and automated methods. Scripts supported by Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 can perform most of the necessary tasks. For more information about using scripts to partially automate your migration, see "Managing printing from the command line" in Help and Support Center for Windows Server 2003.