[cups.general] Moving a working Suse Linux CUPS &SAMBAprintserver

[Kurt Pfeifle]

Peer-Joachim Koch wrote:

> how can I esaily move the samba print drivers
> from an old to anew print server ?

It would be nice if you mentioned which differences between "old" and
"new" are there (like software versions of CUPS and Samba, OS, ...)

> A little bit different, but ...

The "easily" seems to be your keyword; so as a task, it's a tough one. :-)

I can think of 3 different ways (but haven't had to use one in the last
2 years), which I have played with in the past:

 (a) use the (rather scarcely documented) "net rpc migrate printer all"
     command (or some variation thereof) from the Samba suite. I'm not
     sure if someone with only little familiarity with all the inerts
     of printing (CUPS as well as Samba as well as Windows) will be
     able to do it.... [This is not intended to suggest anything about
     *your* own

 (b) have a look at my "VampireDriverFunctions" script that ships with
     Samba sources in the "examples/printing" subdirectory. It may no
     longer work, due to the fact that it heavily used non-public "rpc-
     client" parameters which may have changed meanwhile; but if you
     are into shell scripting, you may be able to understand its ideas
     (it is not very elegant, but it has some "self-documenting"
     features and should allow you to fix parts that do not work with
     current Samba [or *your* Samba] easily...

 (c) google for "MS Print Migrator". That tool is designed to migrate all
     printqueues, drivers, forms, ports, printprocessors (including all
     files and registry settings from a Windows to another Windows print
     server. But it also works for Samba.... and Samba's support for it
     was partly inspired by me showing VampireDriverFunctions at one of
     the SambaXP conferences a few years ago :-)
     (See also the Samba release notes for version 3.0.20 from two years
     ago, where it first appeared IIRC).

Probably (c) is the easiest and most reliable way to go. I'd try this
first.... (but if someone paid me for it, I'd look into my old script
and see if it still works with current Samba/rpcclient versions, and
fix it if need be :-)   BTW, it used to ship with some earlier version
of Knoppix, and it also worked from the Live CD, which you could boot
to migrate drivers from "Samba/Windows Server A" to "Samba/Windows
Server B"...   Not sure if it's still on the current Knoppix.).

-- 
Kurt Pfeifle
System & Network Printing Consultant ---- Linux/Unix/Windows/Samba/CUPS
Infotec Deutschland GmbH  .....................  Hedelfinger Strasse 58
A RICOH Company  ...........................  D-70327 Stuttgart/Germany