Installing Printers with Group Policy Preferences
Hello,
I am attempting to install printers for the first time using Group Policy Preferences and Item Level Targeting in a Windows 2008 environment with Win 7 clients. I have created a GPO linked to the Users OU. Under User Configuration/Preferences/
Thanks,
Cheese
I am attempting to install printers for the first time using Group Policy Preferences and Item Level Targeting in a Windows 2008 environment with Win 7 clients. I have created a GPO linked to the Users OU. Under User Configuration/Preferences/
Thanks,
Cheese
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ASKER
I wonder if it is possible to delete some "stale" printers using this process? There are printers on one of my test PC's that has grayed out printers that are no longer connected.
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I would think if you set a group policy preference with the Delete option it should removed those printers. You'd have to be sure you have the right path, settings, etc., of course, to match that printer. I've never tried to do this, though, but as an experiment I would try it now on a test PC in case you need it in the future.
ASKER
hypercat,
I meant on the computer side, not the user side. Whoops, my bad. As far as loopback is concerned, yes I want to assign certain printers to certain computers regardless of who logs onto them. We have roamers here and this has been a mess so far as the printers follow them sometimes, sometimes they don't. Sometimes their local printers are there, sometimes they aren't. This is going to be fun!
Thanks
I meant on the computer side, not the user side. Whoops, my bad. As far as loopback is concerned, yes I want to assign certain printers to certain computers regardless of who logs onto them. We have roamers here and this has been a mess so far as the printers follow them sometimes, sometimes they don't. Sometimes their local printers are there, sometimes they aren't. This is going to be fun!
Thanks
Sounds like it should work well for you - good luck!!
ASKER
Thank you. I'm sure I will have more questions as this transpires. For instance, if you deploy a local printer, where do the drivers come from? How does the computer know where to look for the drivers? And if there is a certain spot for them, where would that be?
ASKER
Okay this is weird. I was testing this last week and seemed to be working fine. I was getting the printers I assigned through GPP with the ITL set to a group with certain computers in the group. I enabled loopback. So, I tried to get cute and changed the name of the group the computers are in and now it is not working? So, I scrapped the group and created a new one and added my test computers in there and redirected the ITL targeting. It is still not working? What the heck did I do? Any ideas?
Thanks,
Thanks,
ASKER
I was thinking loopback might be the culprit. I disabled it and I am still not able to create the shared printers through the GPP anymore? This is really weird.
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ASKER
Okay, this isn't working at all anymore. I am getting no printers being installed whatsoever? This is so frustrating. I guess I'm just going to have to dig a little deeper into GP to see if something else is going on? Ah...when the simplest things turn into hours and hours of banging your head against the wall. I just love my job. :)
Perhaps you want to look into the traditional Printer Management console way to deploying the shared network printers. Then at least you'd only have to deal with the local printers via group policy preferences. I've found the Print Management Console deployment to work very smoothly. You can install local printers using that console, but you can't "deploy" them like with group policy preferences, as far as I know. IOW, you can install them but only one by one to each workstation.
ASKER
Does anyone know how to turn on GPO logging? Maybe I can sort this out through the log files.
ASKER
I am attempting to add 32 bit drivers to my print server, but the "Add" button is grayed out? Does anyone know why it would be grayed out?
Here is the path I am taking to get to this location on my Windows 2008 print server.
Control Panel\Printers\Server Properties\Drivers
Thanks,
Here is the path I am taking to get to this location on my Windows 2008 print server.
Control Panel\Printers\Server Properties\Drivers
Thanks,
ASKER
Okay, I figured that piece out. You need to click on File\Run as administrator to afford the Add button.
For basic group policy event logging, look in the Event Viewer here: Applications and Services Logs/Microsoft/Windows/Gro
For verbose logging, here's the registry entry:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWAR
“GPSvcDebugLevel”=dword:00
I think you have to add the Diagnostics hive first, and then add the GPSvcDebugLevel value.
The debug log file path will be: “%systemroot%debugUserMode
For verbose logging, here's the registry entry:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWAR
“GPSvcDebugLevel”=dword:00
I think you have to add the Diagnostics hive first, and then add the GPSvcDebugLevel value.
The debug log file path will be: “%systemroot%debugUserMode
ASKER
Together the suggested solutions work well with deploying printers via GPP.
Thanks
Thanks
ASKER
I found the issue with the unexpected behavior. There were some conflicting GP's. I have cleaned it up and it appears to be functioning as expected now. I am going to continue testing. I have read a lot on this subject and think I understand it except for the loopback portion. If I am configuring a printer on the computer side, I should use loopback. If I am configuring a printer on the user side I don't need it? Would that be right? Also, when I configure a printer on the user side, the option for a shared printer is not present? Only TCP/IP and Local printer are my choices?
Thanks,
Mike