Tech Tips / Windows NT / Printing
The Windows NT Server Resource Kit's Supplement 3 includes one of the best utilities for moving print queues from one server to another, a task that once required a great deal of manual reconfiguration.
Printer Migrator (Printmig.exe) lets you back up a print server by copying data such as the defined NT Server print queues, the print monitor ports, the print drivers (e.g., x86, Alpha, MIPS), and all share point information to a file called Pm.cab. The utility also lets you log the copying process' status in a file called Pm.log, stored in the \%Systemroot%\System32\Spool\Pm directory.
Printer Migrator backs up the following ports: HP network ports, Lexmark MarkVision port monitor (IP/Data Link Control—DLC), HP Jet Admin, Line Print Remote (LPR) ports, local ports, Digital network ports, and the Macintosh AppleTalk port monitor.
Before running Printmig.exe, install the appropriate protocol for your print monitors (e.g., TCP/IP for LPR ports, DLC for HP network ports). When you run the utility, it prompts you for the name of the server you want to back up and for a location for the Pm.cab file. This file can grow rather large, so plan carefully.
Printer Migrator lets you back up and restore over the network. Thus, you can back up print servers at remote locations and restore them to the new print server on your network. To restore a print server to the new server, select Restore under the Actions menu and enter the server name and the location of the Pm.cab file. The Pm.log file records the outcome of the backup and restore procedures. The real-time status window also displays this information.
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