Print server migration made easy.

In many companies there will be a print server migration in connection with migrating to Windows Server 2008 R2. This is usually not only complicated, but above all very labor-intensive and time-consuming. For this reason we developed a tool that will do the work for you: the steadyPRINT Migrator.

Challenges of a migration.


A print server migration is associated with specific challenges.
With steadyPRINT Migrator it will be just a piece of cake.

Following tasks are done for you by steadyPRINT Migrator:

Create printers
- Printer name
- Driver*
- Port
- Share
- Settings**
- Advanced Settings**

Take over users to the new server

*During the migration from a 32-bit to a 64-bit platform it is eventually necessary to choose an alternative
driver.
** While migrating from a 32-bit platform to a 64-bit platform it is possible that, in certain circumstances
it will come to incompatibility between drivers and thus with the settings.

steadyPRINT Agent: Profiles.

With the Agent-Profiles it is possible to define user-, group- and computer-specific settings for the
behavior of the steadyPRINT Agent. Initially, there is a “Default”-profile providing a basic configuration
for the Agent. It is adjustable but cannot be deleted or disabled. To restrict this function for
special users, a new safety profile can for instance be defined for a group.
For example, create a profile for certain users who are not allowed to assign new printers to
themselves or to set default printers or define that all possible functions should be made available to
the management.

This is what happens during a print server loss.

Before:
A service running on the backup server monitors the print queue of the master server and is responsible
for replication of print shares and drivers.



After:
As soon as the master print server fails, this service notifies all user sessions and the printer
connections are switched over to the backup server in real-time. This process takes place without
any need for the user to re-login. The administrator can decide centralized, if there will be shown an
info window to the user in which he is informed about the re-mapping.



The mapping-back to the master print server is done by the administrator by simply clicking one button in
the steadyPRINT Center.

The use of a backup print server is not required if you just want to have a centralized management of your
printer environment.

Reliability: Backup print server & Settings.




With steadyPRINTs reliability, all users are able to keep on printing even during a print server loss and
therefore can work effective and efficient.

1. Provide a reliable printing environment through redundant print server.

2. Replicate all printers, ports, drivers, shares and settings to a backup print server and get a 1:1 copy
of your print server. In the case of a failure, steadyPRINT switches all printer connections directly
and completely without any delay from the master print server to the backup print server.

You benefit from steadyPRINTs reliability even with virtual print server.

3. Use the maintenance mode to make changes at the print server without interrupting the workflow.

4. steadyPRINT is also able to run a script in the case of a print server loss , so that even applications
are supported, that are not based on Windows printer standards.

5. Generate automatic e-mail notifications to let all responsible persons be informed in the case of a
print server failure.

Monitoring: Displaying the status information.

Through the permanent monitoring of the print servers by steadyPRINT, you are always up to date and can
become active in the case of possible errors, or problems.



Via the symbolic presentation in red (error) and orange (warning), as well as the display of the latest
status information of printers in the steadyPRINT Center and steadyPRINT Agent, administrators and
users can immediately recognize problems in the printing environment.

Monitoring: Dashboard & Filter selection.




1. At the dashboard overview you see all errors and warnings of all printers and print server at a glance.
You can choose between different views,  e.g. tile, or detailed view.

2. By a detailed filter selection for errors and warnings you can delimit troubleshooting and design it
more effectively.

With this, you can keep an overall overview even in huge printing environments with a lot of printers.

Printer connections: Organization & Assignment of printer connections.




1. Organize your printers in a recursive directory structure, so you’ll always keep the  overall view.

2. Assign your printers based on users, groups, or computers (even thin clients).

3. steadyPRINT enables the separated assignment of printers for terminal servers and workstations.

4. Restrict unwanted printer assignments.

5. Integrate one or more Active Directories and assign printers across different domains.

6. Integrate one or more Active Directories and assign printers across different domains.

New connected printers are available directly and without any restart (real-time mapping).

Export all printer assignments and information as a CSV-File, if necessary.



7. As of version 4.3 you will find many search buttons in the steadyPRINT Center. With this, objects can
be quickly and effectively selected from their Active Directory Structure and print environment. You can
simply search for terms or perform a wildcard-, positive or negative search.

Printer connections: Location-based assignment of printer connections.




1. Define IP address ranges for different departments, locations, etc.
An IP-filter can be created on print server, folder, or printer level.

During a change of location, all printer connections and default printers are automatically adapted to
each IP-range.

If an employee commutes between different branches, he doesn`t have to worry about if he has chosen
the right printer, or if his documents accidentally will be printed out at a different branch office.

By defining an IP address range, the selection of available printers is reduced to those, which actually are
nearby. This makes it possible to find the right printer real quick, even in huge printing environments.

Which effect an IP filter has on the work of a user is described closer in the section about the steadyPRINT
Agent.

Default Printer: Behaviour & Location-based default printers.




1. By creating a priority list, you can define which default printer will be set for a user.

2. If the default printer shall only be valid for session run-time, the default printer, defined by the
administrator will be set again after a restart of the steadyPRINT Agent.

Set the default printer on computer, users and groups.

3. Set any number of default printers in different IP address ranges.

4. Set any number of default printers in one IP address range. In this case, the user will be prompted
for location selection at the login. This setting can be saved, so the selection hasn`t to be done
again and again.

Default printers set by users are saved in steadyPRINT.

Local printers: Administrating local printers




1. Administrate local printers, too, centrally from steadyPRINT Center.

steadyPRINT takes an inventory of all, locally, at workstations configured printers and presents all
available information. This includes e.g. name, ports,x86- and x64-bit drivers and versions, locations and
comments.

By this you receive an overview over your whole printing environment.

Local printers: Administrating local printers.




With steadyPRINT we haven`t just the standard to get an overview over the whole printer infrastructure,
but also an overview of at what time, for which user which printer is available.

But how to manage this, when local printers are tied to computers and not to users, like it is for network
printer connections?

steadyPRINT analyzes when an user logs in to a computer with a local printer connected and shows
this in the steadyPRINT Center.

How long a user appears in this list can be defined in the settings. As default, the user will be removed
from that view after 30 days without a logon to that particular computer. You can even remove him
manually.

With the view filter, you can restrict the view in steadyPRINT Center, so that you e.g. only see physical
printers and no PDF printers.

Connect Citrix UPD‐printer via Agent.




Citrix offers the possibility and technology to take a client‐printer into the terminal server session without
having to install any additional drivers from the manufacturer on the terminal server itself resulting at
the same time in a compression of the print data stream.

steadyPRINT is now able to automatically provide the functionality via the Agent. It is no longer
necessary to create guidelines or to use Citrix‐own tools.

1. Select a printer in the published steadyPRINT Agent in the terminal server session.

2. steadyPRINT notifies the local steadyPRINT Agent on the Client.

3. A printer connection is created on the Client..

4. The published steadyPRINT Agent is notified by the Client of the printer connection.

5. A printer is created on the XenApp Server.

Maintenance mode: Set printers into maintenance mode.




1. Set printers into maintenance mode, e.g. to be able to perform maintenance tasks at the printer.

The printer assignment will be removed for all users, so that there are no accidentally print outs possible.

2. Furthermore, the users are informed by a pop-up window about the maintenance status. The status
is also shown in steadyPRINT Center as in steadyPRINT Agent. If the printer is available again, it will
be automatically reconnected to all users and they will get notified about it.

More Features: Inventory, driver installation & context menu.




1. Let manually added printer connections of the users be overtaken by steadyPRINT. Through this, a
quick and easy implementation of all printer connections is guaranteed.

2. Clean up your printer connections. Just let steadyPRINT delete any unnecessary network printers
during the start.

3. Use the full-automatic installation of printer drivers with administrative privileges on clients, as on
terminal servers. Messages like “do you trust this driver”, or “error during installation” are a thing of
the past.

4. The most important functions for print servers and printers are available to you, directly in steadyPRINT
Center. Through a right click on a print server, or one of your printers, you get into the respective
context menu and can make your settings, without time wasting search.