File server migration with DFS and FSMT: Printers and mapped drives
I have two file servers that handle all the shares and printers in one building. I'll call them FILE1 and FILE2 (both are Server 2003). I have a new server that I want to use to consolidate these two servers. It is Server 2008 R2 and it is running DFS and I have installed the File Server Migration Tool. In planning the migration I installed all the printers on the new server using print manager and they have the identical share names as the printers on FILE1 and FILE2.
I ran a test of the migration steps using a spare file server with some mock data and shared printers to see if it would work (we'll call the test server "FileTest'. The DFS consolidation root wizard ran fine, and I then used the migration tool to bring over all the shares and data to the new file server. I logged in from a test client on the network which had its desktop and My Docs redirected to "FileTest", and everything remapped to the new server properly. So far so good!
The problem occurred when I tried to use the printer. It says it could not connect. The printer was originally targeted to \\FILETEST\PRINTER. I assumed that since DFS root consolidation preserves the UNC paths that this would automatically redirect the printer connection to the new server's shared printer of the same name but it did not. So my first question is: in a migration of this sort, how do I get the client's mapped printer to redirect automatically?
Secondly, I had set up a manually mapped drive on the client, Z:, pointing to \\FILETEST\DATA. After the migration this no longer works. When I click it I get the error "Microsoft Windows Network: The local device name is already is use." If I go to START --> RUN and type \\FILETEST the list of shares on the new server is displayed, so I know the UNC paths have been preserved. If I disconnect the mapped drive and then map a new one with the same target, \\FILETEST\DATA, it works perfectly fine. Will all mapped drives need to be disconnected and reconnected? This is less of an issue in my environment, but still good to know if I have to alert people.
Thanks for any help.
I ran a test of the migration steps using a spare file server with some mock data and shared printers to see if it would work (we'll call the test server "FileTest'. The DFS consolidation root wizard ran fine, and I then used the migration tool to bring over all the shares and data to the new file server. I logged in from a test client on the network which had its desktop and My Docs redirected to "FileTest", and everything remapped to the new server properly. So far so good!
The problem occurred when I tried to use the printer. It says it could not connect. The printer was originally targeted to \\FILETEST\PRINTER. I assumed that since DFS root consolidation preserves the UNC paths that this would automatically redirect the printer connection to the new server's shared printer of the same name but it did not. So my first question is: in a migration of this sort, how do I get the client's mapped printer to redirect automatically?
Secondly, I had set up a manually mapped drive on the client, Z:, pointing to \\FILETEST\DATA. After the migration this no longer works. When I click it I get the error "Microsoft Windows Network: The local device name is already is use." If I go to START --> RUN and type \\FILETEST the list of shares on the new server is displayed, so I know the UNC paths have been preserved. If I disconnect the mapped drive and then map a new one with the same target, \\FILETEST\DATA, it works perfectly fine. Will all mapped drives need to be disconnected and reconnected? This is less of an issue in my environment, but still good to know if I have to alert people.
Thanks for any help.
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