Windows 2000 Print Redundancy

[jsbarone]

Hi,

I have a Windows 2000 Print Server that serves roughly 100 Printers, 24
hours a day at the hospital I work at. I noticed that there is
absolutely no redundancy associated with this print server, so in an
attempt to avoid certain disaster should said print server fail, I've
been researching into how to make it redundant.

I've come across a few solutions---the most attractive being making it
a print server cluster. I've done my digging, but can't seem to find a
comprehensive step by step guide to taking my single non-clustered
windows 2000 server box and making it a windows 2000 server box with
redundancy should it fail *without having to rebuild the box or take it
down for more than an hour or two.*

It would be very complicated for us, and a whole ton of work to go
through the process of rebuilding said print server, readding print
server printers and drivers, and then supporting all of our 1200 users
the next day when (undoubtedly) something would go wrong.

So, reiterating and summarizing this long winded post...

We need to take Windows 2000 Print Server A, make it a cluster with new
Windows 2000 Print Server B, without having to change anything drastic
or rebuild Print Server A, and also without taking Print Server A down
for a long period of time.

Thank you very much for your help in advance.

J


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[Mathieu CHATEAU]

hello,

you may consider another solution:
have two servers with same driver/printer declared.
Put half of people on each.
Prepare a vbscript, that will change the printer server of connected printer
by user. This script may be executed on logged on or let on computer so
users can launch it.

PrintMigrator will be more than helpful:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...25-cbc9-44da-b2c9-ffdbc46b0b17&displaylang=en

We have a print cluster server. First, drivers are often a problem (not
cluster compatible). We just had an issue with an hp mfp. Printers that
include a fancy user interface leads to problem.
Moreover, you will need a shared SCSI storage to store the qorum & printer
spooler/drivers. Your two servers will need scsi card with external port.

If nobody complained about it, you would consider my first proposal, to be
protected from the biggest problem.

--
Cordialement,
Mathieu CHATEAU
http://lordoftheping.blogspot.com


"jsbarone" <jsbarone.2voxzf@DoNotSpam.com> wrote in message
news:jsbarone.2voxzf@DoNotSpam.com...
>
> Hi,
>
> I have a Windows 2000 Print Server that serves roughly 100 Printers, 24
> hours a day at the hospital I work at. I noticed that there is
> absolutely no redundancy associated with this print server, so in an
> attempt to avoid certain disaster should said print server fail, I've
> been researching into how to make it redundant.
>
> I've come across a few solutions---the most attractive being making it
> a print server cluster. I've done my digging, but can't seem to find a
> comprehensive step by step guide to taking my single non-clustered
> windows 2000 server box and making it a windows 2000 server box with
> redundancy should it fail *without having to rebuild the box or take it
> down for more than an hour or two.*
>
> It would be very complicated for us, and a whole ton of work to go
> through the process of rebuilding said print server, readding print
> server printers and drivers, and then supporting all of our 1200 users
> the next day when (undoubtedly) something would go wrong.
>
> So, reiterating and summarizing this long winded post...
>
> We need to take Windows 2000 Print Server A, make it a cluster with new
> Windows 2000 Print Server B, without having to change anything drastic
> or rebuild Print Server A, and also without taking Print Server A down
> for a long period of time.
>
> Thank you very much for your help in advance.
>
> J
>
>
> --
> jsbarone
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> jsbarone's Profile: http://forums.techarena.in/member.php?userid=29748
> View this thread: http://forums.techarena.in/showthread.php?t=805521
>
> http://forums.techarena.in
>

 

[Curious_user]

On Aug 22, 11:48 am, jsbarone <jsbarone.2vo...@DoNotSpam.com> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I have a Windows 2000 Print Server that serves roughly 100 Printers, 24
> hours a day at the hospital I work at. I noticed that there is
> absolutely no redundancy associated with this print server, so in an
> attempt to avoid certain disaster should said print server fail, I've
> been researching into how to make it redundant.
>
> I've come across a few solutions---the most attractive being making it
> a print server cluster. I've done my digging, but can't seem to find a
> comprehensive step by step guide to taking my single non-clustered
> windows 2000 server box and making it a windows 2000 server box with
> redundancy should it fail *without having to rebuild the box or take it
> down for more than an hour or two.*
>
> It would be very complicated for us, and a whole ton of work to go
> through the process of rebuilding said print server, readding print
> server printers and drivers, and then supporting all of our 1200 users
> the next day when (undoubtedly) something would go wrong.
>
> So, reiterating and summarizing this long winded post...
>
> We need to take Windows 2000 Print Server A, make it a cluster with new
> Windows 2000 Print Server B, without having to change anything drastic
> or rebuild Print Server A, and also without taking Print Server A down
> for a long period of time.
>
> Thank you very much for your help in advance.
>
> J
>
> --
> jsbarone
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> jsbarone's Profile:http://forums.techarena.in/member.php?userid=29748
> View this thread:http://forums.techarena.in/showthread.php?t=805521
>
> http://forums.techarena.in

Hi J,
I too work in a hospital, in New Zealand, and had Just finished a
contract in an NHS Hospital in the south of england, where we had to
cluster print servers.
what is your current situation, have you got a SAN there? if so you
already have the first part of the battle solved,
If, like in the hospitals I've worked in, there are HP san solutions
already in place then the Custer solution is for you.
check out this link for step by step set up instructions:
http://www.itcontractors.org/servers-data-center/windows-clustering/index.php

If your environment is less 'tooled up' consider 'round robin'
clustering (which was used prior to windows clustering) and for those
less fortunate (absence of 2003 enterprise licences)
all that is two servers with different ip's set up in excatly the same
way with the same DNS addresses, then when assigning print servers
give the DNS address and bobs your mothers brother. cheapest custer
you can get!

hope this helps, It did me on many occasions!

and if I can help further drop me a line at www.ITcontractors.org, I
will be glad to help.!

David
http://www.itcontractors.org
Knowledge....shared