GPO Printer allocation

[SteveB_NI]

I was wondering could anyone give me some advice with regard to deploying printers using GPO? Windows Server 2008R2 with Win7 clients.

 

I have been able to add the printer (via IP) to GPO & it applies to the workstation - so it appears whenever people log in. The problem is however that we use Print Manager to manage our printing costs / credits, and as the GPO applies it currently it's not tracking it. It appears to be installing the printer "locally" as it were rather than using the network.

 

When I browse on the Win7 client to the server & double click on the actual printer it adds it fine & is chargeable whenever I go to print through this one, but the printer that's allocated via GPO whilst being the same printer is not chargeable. Does that make sense? Sorry if it doesn't!

 

Can you give me some advice here please?

 

Thanks!

[enjay]

I think your mistake is in adding the printer by IP, as that means that the PCs are going directly to the printer, rather than via the server where you print manager is running.

 

Set the printers up on the network with IP addresses (which you've already done) and then go to the server, open Control Panel > Printers and then "Add a local printer". Create a new TCP/IP port on the server which has the IP address of the printer, add it with the relevant Server 2008 drivers, and then share that printer; add the Windows 7 drivers as additional drivers and configure preferences/defaults, etc. Then in the GPO, assign \\servername\printer1 to the PCs.

[SteveB_NI]

Thanks Enjay - I can follow that right until the GPO assignment step... I don't fully understand what you mean here unfortunately.

 

In GPO Computer Configuration > Preferences > Printers I have chosen new TCP/IP printer... I get the options to create / update / replace etc.

 

I think this is where I'm going wrong - I put in the printer IP address at this stage, and give it a "friendly" local name, and the printer path.

 

The printer applies ok when the workstation is restarted, but again it seems to be adding the pc via IP address instead.

 

Thanks!

[enjay]

I think this is where I'm going wrong - I put in the printer IP address at this stage, and give it a "friendly" local name, and the printer path.

 

Correct, that is where you're going wrong. Rather than the printer's IP address, specify \\server\printer_name instead.

[SteveB_NI]

I'm still stuck here unfortunately... I tried to put \\wb-mm01\HP602-Study into the DNS field & it's not applied. When I found out the actual DNS name from the server it applied ok but again treated it like printing direct from the client to the printer IP / DNS.

 

Yet when I'm at the client & I browse to \\wb-mm01\HP602-Study it applies perfectly & also goes via the server to be chargeable... but not for any other users.

[sonofsanta]

You need to use User Configuration > Preferences to add a shared printer; computer config only lets you add local & IP printers.

[SteveB_NI]

You need to use User Configuration > Preferences to add a shared printer; computer config only lets you add local & IP printers.

 

Ah ok - thanks.

 

I went into the User Configuration on the OU I have the workstation in & I have added the printer share name but it doesn't seem to be applying when a user logs into that workstation. Does the user configuration have no affect if it's applied to a workstation OU? I thought that when I make a user configuration group policy it would affect anyone that logs onto that station?

[enjay]

You can't have User Config and Computer Config settings in the same GPO, so create a new one for the printers, which you then apply to the OU which contains the computers.

[enjay]

One gotcha to be aware of here. The scenario is this:

* Teacher logs in to computer in Classroom A for registration

* Teacher forgets to log out and goes to Classroom B

* When teacher logs in to the computer in Classroom B, they will still have the printers associated with Classroom A

 

This could be a problem if they log in to Classroom A and then go back to their office or the Staff Room, at which point any confidential files they print will go to Classroom A's printer.

 

I've got a method around this, which I will test when I get a chance - if it works, I'll let you know...

[sonofsanta]

Ah ok - thanks.

 

I went into the User Configuration on the OU I have the workstation in & I have added the printer share name but it doesn't seem to be applying when a user logs into that workstation. Does the user configuration have no affect if it's applied to a workstation OU? I thought that when I make a user configuration group policy it would affect anyone that logs onto that station?

 

Loopback policy processing (Computer > Policies > Admin templates > Group Policy > Loopback policy processing mode = merge) should work. That way you can have it tied to a workstation OU and have it apply to users.

 

Perhaps best to have a GPO for each printer, and a separate GPO for having a printer as default... then set the Default printers to remove all shared printer connections, so that existing connections are cleared out. Otherwise users will end up gathering every printer as they move around school. Just need to be careful with the ordering of your GPOs so that the default one applies first, and any additional printers are added after the connections have been cleared out.

 

You can't have User Config and Computer Config settings in the same GPO, so create a new one for the printers, which you then apply to the OU which contains the computers.

 

Course you can, so long as loopback processing is set. I've got GPOs that do different work in both sections - e.g. folder security settings in computer > windows settings, and HKCU registry keys in the user area. In fact, by defitinion, any loopback policy has to work in both areas, as loopback is a computer policy, and if you're using it it's to set a user setting

[sonofsanta]

I should point out - I had no end of grief with pushing printers out by GPP as 2% of the time, the printer wouldn't connect. Don't know why. I suspect it was a driver issue, but it drove me insane as it would work ten times in a row then fail at the next logon. I ended up going to logon scripts (with loopback policy processing, so printers could be set by computer OU) which worked out to be quicker and more reliable. Edited February 15, 2013 by sonofsanta
spleling

[Rydenza]

THANK YOU SO MUUUUCHHHHHH sonofsanta!! you are my HERO!!!!!

the loopback was my last piece of the puzzle that got printers working.

 

For all that are battling this is my setup and how I got it working.

Server 2008 R2 print server

Server 2008 R2 TerminalServer

1. Install the printer on the print server (enable "List in the directory" under sharing)

2. in your GPO create a new GPO for your printer

3. go to Computer Config>> Polies >> Admin Template >> System >> Group Policy >> "Enable" User Group Policy loopback processing mode and make it "merge" (THANK YOU SONOFSANTA)

4. Very important (this is probably why SteveB_Ni was batteling) under Computer Config>>Policies >> Admin Templates >> Printers >> "Disable" Point and Print Restrictions

5. Do the same under User Config >> Policies >> Admin Templates >> Control Panel >> Printers

6. now go to User Config >> Prefrences >> Control Panel >> Printers >> right click add shared printer

7. under action i used "Create" then navigated to print server and added the printer

8. (I am not sure this step in neccesary but enable it anyway) on the "Common" tab enable "Run in logged-on users security context"

9. on your server run gpupdate /force

10. log the user on and boom printer created!

 

hope this helps

[SteveB_NI]

Thank you all so much for your help - I followed your instructions Rydenza & it worked perfectly.

 

One job off the list anyway!