Sanity check: Print Server upgrade
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@dafyre said:
@Dashrender said:
@Carnival-Boy said:
So will the Windows 7 clients install the 2012R2 driver? Or if I install additional drivers on the server, will the client know which one to install?
Generally - yes, Windows 7 will install the 2012R2 driver because they are typically the same.
As long as you are using the same bit-ness versions, if I understand right... (IE: Win7 x64 will work with Server 2012 x64 print drivers)?
This is really the important thing. It's printing via the server, so as long as you have the x64 drivers for your x64 systems and the x86 drivers for your x86 systems, you're good. You can print with the Server 2012 x86 driver from an XP machine because it renders it through the server.
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@Carnival-Boy said:
Next question. Should I just be installing the driver and keeping things simple - largely let Windows handle everything. Or should I be looking at using more specific HP tools, such as installing the HP Printer Administrator Resource Kit (PARK):
http://h20564.www2.hp.com/hpsc/swd/public/detail?sp4ts.oid=4072932&swItemId=ds_99433_13&swEnvOid=4168Obviously, the HP software will be more powerful and offer more flexibility, but is it a case of HP software being more trouble than it's worth?
Let Windows handle it all. Too many fingers in the pie and all that. If your driver packages are .exe files, use 7-zip to extract the file (most are self-extracting archives anyways) and install just the driver without all the software. The software won't do you any good anyways, as clients can access it.
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@handsofqwerty said:
@Carnival-Boy said:
Next question. Should I just be installing the driver and keeping things simple - largely let Windows handle everything. Or should I be looking at using more specific HP tools, such as installing the HP Printer Administrator Resource Kit (PARK):
http://h20564.www2.hp.com/hpsc/swd/public/detail?sp4ts.oid=4072932&swItemId=ds_99433_13&swEnvOid=4168Obviously, the HP software will be more powerful and offer more flexibility, but is it a case of HP software being more trouble than it's worth?
Let Windows handle it all. Too many fingers in the pie and all that. If your driver packages are .exe files, use 7-zip to extract the file (most are self-extracting archives anyways) and install just the driver without all the software. The software won't do you any good anyways, as clients can access it.
...as a rule...
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@Carnival-Boy said:
Yes, I've always been familiar with adding 32 bit and 64 bit versions to the server (our current print server is 32-bit but all our clients are 64-bit), but I'm not familiar with adding different 64 bit versions (where printer manufacturers are offering different versions for Windows 7 and 8.1/2012R2).
Are they really different though? There's a good chance they aren't. The manufacturer could be listing them separately for consumer convenience/piece of mind, when in reality there is no difference. Of course, I have seen rare cases where they are different.
All I can suggest is try, what's the worst that will happen? You'll find a solution that won't work?
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@handsofqwerty said:
Let Windows handle it all.
Cool, thanks. That's what I'll do. I guess this means that the clients won't get little HP popups telling them the toner is low when they print though? I'm not fussed by that, but I don't know if the users appreciate them.
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@Carnival-Boy said:
@handsofqwerty said:
Let Windows handle it all.
Cool, thanks. That's what I'll do. I guess this means that the clients won't get little HP popups telling them the toner is low when they print though? I'm not fussed by that, but I don't know if the users appreciate them.
Do you really want 20+ people calling you because the supplies are low when it pops up on their screen?
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@Dashrender said:
Are they really different though? There's a good chance they aren't. The manufacturer could be listing them separately for consumer convenience/piece of mind, when in reality there is no difference.
Yes, I think you are right. I've checked a few and the version number and the date is identical, so that indicates they are the same driver, just listed separately.
The only one I'm not sure about is our Oce plotter, which only lists a Windows 7 PCL driver but has an 2012R2 postscript driver. Is that because they've had issues with the PCL driver on 2012R2? Or are they just slack in updating their website? In this case, I will attempt to install the Windows 7 driver on the server.
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@Dashrender said:
Do you really want 20+ people calling you because the supplies are low when it pops up on their screen?
I'm not responsible for toner luckily. But in theory, the message should prompt them to order new toner from our stationary department. I don't think it does in practice, because I've heard them complain that they've run out and can't print, even though the printer has been telling them for 2 weeks that they're running low and need to order some more. So I believe the stationary department now keeps them in stock.
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Could be any number of reason. Normally you can install Windows 7 x64 drivers on a Server 2012R2 box though.
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@Carnival-Boy said:
@Dashrender said:
Do you really want 20+ people calling you because the supplies are low when it pops up on their screen?
I'm not responsible for toner luckily. But in theory, the message should prompt them to order new toner from our stationary department. I don't think it does in practice, because I've heard them complain that they've run out and can't print, even though the printer has been telling them for 2 weeks that they're running low and need to order some more. So I believe the stationary department now keeps them in stock.
To help the stationary department, you could install the HP full drivers directly onto their machines so they get the notices. Hopefully they would then take this information and use it to make their lives better.
Like you, we keep an extra toner on hand for each printer, then order a replacement once we pull the one off the shelf.
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Update:
I've setup a print server and installed two printers and pushed them out to myself via group policy. It's taken me 2 hours, from installing the VM to sending a print from my workstation. Not bad for a relative newbie on Server 2012R2, print serving and group policy.
However, I've hit a snag already
A Konica Minolta MFP seems fine, but an HP Laserjet P3011 has a couple of critical problems. Firstly, it takes about 6 seconds to connect to the printer, compared with the Konica which is pretty much instaneous. Secondly, when I change any of the properties (eg changing the paper size or the number of copies), it doesn't throw an error but it doesn't save my changes. So I change the number of copies to 2, hit print, and then only one copy is actually printed. This is using the universal print driver. This driver works fine when using the old print server.
On the plus side, it does still display a popup to say that the toner is low.
Any ideas? It was going so well
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I'm not sure what you mean by it takes 6 seconds to connect? Are you saying it takes 6 seconds for the GPO to push the printer?
Or each time you try to print it takes 6 seconds before the printer starts to do anything?
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I mean if I select the printer in Word (for example), it takes 6 seconds to connect to. Whilst it's connecting, it displays a message "connecting to printer..." as per screenshot:
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@Carnival-Boy said:
I mean if I select the printer in Word (for example), it takes 6 seconds to connect to. Whilst it's connecting, it displays a message "connecting to printer..." as per screenshot:
Are you spooling on the local machine or on the print server?
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I've chosen "render print jobs on client computers", if that's what you mean.
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@Carnival-Boy said:
I've chosen "render print jobs on client computers", if that's what you mean.
Ok.
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@Carnival-Boy said:
I mean if I select the printer in Word (for example), it takes 6 seconds to connect to. Whilst it's connecting, it displays a message "connecting to printer..." as per screenshot:
That's normal. It's connecting directly to the printer to get data about it's status, ink/toner levels. if there's a jam or something etc. All of ours do that. It doesn't stop you from printing before that just means it won't show "Ready" under it until it checks.
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@Carnival-Boy when users used the old print server, did the users get low supplies messages?
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@Dashrender said:
@Carnival-Boy when users used the old print server, did the users get low supplies messages?
Yes.
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Interesting - seems like there has been a change, but I can't tell you what it is.
What happens if you hit the print button while it says connecting? Does the print job seem to have any delay in actually being printed?
