How to point workstation installed iPrint printers to newly migrated print manager

  • Document ID:7005255
  • Creation Date:29-Jan-2010
  • Modified Date:26-Apr-2012
    • Micro Focus Products:
      iPrint

Environment

Novell NetWare
Novell iPrint for Linux

Situation

iPrint printers installed to workstations point to the NetWare Print Manager.  How do I configure those workstation installed iPrint printers to point to the print agents now hosted by a Linux Print Manager?   
This question is commonly asked while preparing to do an iPrint migration from NetWare to Linux or after the iPrint migration has been executed.

Resolution

The communication of a workstation installed iPrint printer to an iPrint server (NetWare or Linux) relies on two elements: 
  • Printer Agent name
  • Server Address

For example, the name of an iPrint printer installed to a workstation looks like on the 3 examples:

  • PrinterName on ipp://myprintmanager.company.com
  • PrinterName on ipp://192.168.52.151
  • PrinterName on SomeShortName (See KB 7003076)

The printer installed to the workstation does not know about the printer agent eDirectory object name, the eDirectory context, or the Print Manager name.  It simply knows the printer agent name (as it shows in the Print Manager database - psmdb.dat) and the address to which the Print Manager is bound. 

On NetWare, the Print Manager is bound to an address through the /dnsname switch.
  • NDPSM  /DNSNAME=myprintmanager.company.com
    • If this switch is not used, the default is the server IP address.

On Linux, the Print Manager is bound to an address defined in the PSMHostAddress value within the /etc/opt/novell/iprint/conf/ipsmd.conf
  • PSMHostAddress myprintmanager.company.com
Prior to the iPrint Consolidate migration, the Linux Print Manager can be bound to any address valid for the Linux destination server.  After completing the migration:
  1. change DNS to resolve myprintmanager.company.com to the Linux server. (See *Note below)
  2. update the Linux server's /etc/hosts file to resolve myprintmanager.company.com to the IP address.
  3. update the PSMHostAddress value to match what existed in the NetWare Print Manager configuration.  To determine that value:
    1. see the printer installed to the workstation to find that NetWare Print Manager address binding.
    2. or, go to http://[netwareIP]/ipp within a browser
      1. hover your mouse over a printer link
      2. view the printer install URL (bottom of the brower, in the status bar)
      4. The address shown in place of the YYY is the address to which the NetWare Print Manager is bound.
  4. Restart the Print Manager (rcnovell-ipsmd restart )

The iPrint printers installed to the workstation will now point to the Linux iPrint server.  A re-install of the iPrint printer will not be required.

*NOTE:  If the NetWare Print Manager was bound to the server's IP address or server's DNS name, and adding that IP address or DNS name to the Linux server is not an option, then
  1. update the NetWare iprint.ini to suppress information messages to clients (see KB 7000054)
  2. create a new DNS name for the iPrint service to point to the NetWare server's IP address. 
  3. load the NetWare Print Manager with the new DNS name (NDPSM /newprintservicename.company.com)
  4. observe the workstations auto re-install themselves to the workstations to reflect the new address binding.