samba - Feb 2008 - windows printer config management

Hello,

I sent this request to my local linux user group:
<http://lists.luv.asn.au/wws/arc/luv-talk/2008-02/msg00000.html>
Unfortunately it looks like nobody is able to answer, so I will try
here:

Does anybody know of any sane solution for (globally) managing the
configuration of printers on a large number of Windows computers?

My current solution is

1. create samba server with printer shares

2. install windows printer drivers to samba server to allow automatic
installation

3. on windows computer, drivers have to be installed from the samba server,
   * installation of drivers as non-administrator won't work
   * log in as administrator, install printer, which tries to install driver.
   * first time, windows complains that the server doesn't have the drivers.
   * retry, it works perfectly on second try.
   * log as administrator, log it as user, printer doesn't exit.
   * install printer again as user, this time it uses the existing drivers.

4. if any changes required, e.g. printer is replaced, repeat then on
every computer for every user.

This is insane. Ok, so maybe I should be able to fix the problem with
the driver installation not working the first time (any ideas?), but
this is only a small step in the entire process.

cups makes this so much easier :-(.

Any ideas?

Thanks.
-- 
Brian May <bam@snoopy.apana.org.au>

On Tue, 05 Feb 2008 14:39:39 +1100 Brian May <bam@snoopy.apana.org.au>
wrote:

BM> Hello,

BM> I sent this request to my local linux user group:
BM> <http://lists.luv.asn.au/wws/arc/luv-talk/2008-02/msg00000.html>
BM> Unfortunately it looks like nobody is able to answer, so I will try
BM> here:

BM> Does anybody know of any sane solution for (globally) managing the
BM> configuration of printers on a large number of Windows computers?

BM> My current solution is

BM> 1. create samba server with printer shares

BM> 2. install windows printer drivers to samba server to allow automatic
BM> installation

BM> 3. on windows computer, drivers have to be installed from the samba
server,
BM>    * installation of drivers as non-administrator won't work
BM>    * log in as administrator, install printer, which tries to install
driver.
BM>    * first time, windows complains that the server doesn't have the
drivers.
BM>    * retry, it works perfectly on second try.
BM>    * log as administrator, log it as user, printer doesn't exit.
BM>    * install printer again as user, this time it uses the existing
drivers.

BM> 4. if any changes required, e.g. printer is replaced, repeat then on
BM> every computer for every user.

BM> This is insane. Ok, so maybe I should be able to fix the problem with
BM> the driver installation not working the first time (any ideas?), but
BM> this is only a small step in the entire process.

BM> cups makes this so much easier :-(.

BM> Any ideas?

BM> Thanks.
BM> -- 
BM> Brian May <bam@snoopy.apana.org.au>

-If your computers and the samba printserv are domain members of the same
domain,
even ordinary users can install drivers from the samba server.
(This is default)

-You can allow installation from others domain (some tweaks on clients)

-You can run start scripts on every clients to install drivers (and many others
things).


Put your clients on a domain (why not a samba one)
use wpkg www.wpkg.org . it's a great help in managing clients!


cups is the most troublesome part of our print system, not samba, not windows
:-(

Regards!

-- 
Jean-Jacques   Moulis                              Tel:  (013) 281684
ISY                                                Fax:  (013) 139282
Link?ping University                            E-mail: jj@isy.liu.se
581 83 Link?ping