Migrating Windows Print Server – Part 2 of 2

Now that I have copy all the printers from the old print server to the new print server, I have another problem to solve.  We have more than a thousand users mapped to their printers via the old print server.  Going around the building to remap for the 1000+ users is no fun and we will miss people who are out of town.  Leaving this manual remapping option out, we are left with 3 other options.

1. The big bang approach – Disjoin the old print server from the AD domain.  Rename the new print server with the old print server name.  It is a work or die approach and no way to do testing.
2. Scripting -  Using logon script to alter the mapping on the clients’ computer.  People who are out of town will not receive the logon script.  Need to have the script active for sometime to get most people remap to the new print server and therefore cannot shutdown the old print server.  Allow testing.
3. Optional name – Add the old print server name as an optional name for the new print server.  Testing can only be done during off working hours because the old print server must be stop and requires deleting/recreating of DNS records.  If it works, we can shutdown the old print server.

So we took the option 3 which is the optional name.  I conducted a test using Windows 7 and Windows XP clients this evening.  The test result is positive and we are preparing to make the big swing this coming weekend.

Here is how I did the test.

1. The Windows 7 and Windows XP clients mapped to a few sample printers via the old print server.
2. Make sure that the clients can print to those printers.
3. Shutdown the old print server.
4. On the new print server, use regedit and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanServer\Parameters.
5. Add a “Multi-String” value with the name “OptionalNames” and enter the old print server name.
6. Restart the new print server.
7. Go to the DNS zone, delete the HOST record for the old print server.  Add a CNAME for the old print server name to point to the new print server name.
8. On the clients, run ipconfig /flushdns to clear the name resolution cache.  PING the old server name to make sure that it resolves to the new print server IP address.  Restart the print spooler service on both the clients.  Enter the UNC path of the old print server name (e.g. \\oldserver) and make sure I can see all the shared printers.
9. Finally, do some test printing on both the clients.

After the test, I will need to reverse what I had done.

1. Remove the optional name
2. Restart the new print server.
3. Delete the CNAME and the HOST record for the old print server with the old print server’s IP address.
4. Power on the old print server.

Keeping my finger-cross for this weekend migration.

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