How do you map yours?

[mrbios]

...Printers, i've decided to do a poll to try and get some statistics towards how other people are doing theirs as i currently do not know how i want to do mine and i have 2 months to make a final decision on how it will most likely stay for a few years

 

Currently we're using batch files for XP machines and im trying out Group policy assigned ones via the Server 2008 printer management route

 

If you don't know what i mean by the first two:

On server 2008 with the print server role installed you can right click a printer and say Deploy via group policy but you can also manually create a GPO, add a shared printer to the user section of group policy preferences and set "loopback processing" (or whatever it was called) so that it applies to the machine OU rather than the user

 

If your applying printers directly to the users then your lucky, sadly i cannot do it that way

Edited April 20, 2010 by mrbios

[john]

I now use Group Policy Preferences to map them based on the PCs OU Location works great Although we seem to be starting with some of them not applying right, they stay in the room they should but there randomly appearing on the network elsewhere!? Such as SLT PCs and they hit print not checking and bang goes a confidential document to an IT Room

[glennda]

We have a legacy program from the days when the school had tulip pc's actually works quite well by matching the pc's location set in ad to the printers location - aslong as they match it adds the printer - when we move to 2008 i will return back to using group policy like at my last place

[mrbios]

Which method of group policy did/do you both use?

[sparkeh]

Currently I have both 2008R2 print console and Group Policy prefs in action to compare them.

 

Gotta say that GP prefs works really well and I would say its quicker than using the startup if you are using XP. Going to move everything to prefs.

[Soulfish]

Also using GPP's to deploy printers here. Like john we deploy mainly based on computer OU and it works great for us

[mrbios]

I don't think i explained my poll very well, the second one is meant to be the GPP way, at least how i assumed you did it the GPP way... (policy with the shared printer set in GPP on user configuration but with loopback processing set so that it applies to the computer OU?) am i actually doing it wrong or is everyone selecting other because i didn't set it as GPP in the second one?

[powdarrmonkey]

We use some middleware from Burconix.

[john]

Its the 2008 Group Policy Preferences I use where you set a printer as you describe as a Preference in Group Policy and set loop-back on it to force it to apply to users of that machine rather than just a user on its own.

[MatthewL]

At the moment all printers are setup locally, i.e. via a TCP/IP port, got some sites that will be going over to group policy soon with a combination of a web page where users can select the printer from a list.

[john]

I don't think i explained my poll very well, the second one is meant to be the GPP way, at least how i assumed you did it the GPP way... (policy with the shared printer set in GPP on user configuration but with loopback processing set so that it applies to the computer OU?) am i actually doing it wrong or is everyone selecting other because i didn't set it as GPP in the second one?

 

I've edited your poll so option 2 may make a bit more sense for people I hope

[rh91uk]

I now use Group Policy Preferences to map them based on the PCs OU Location works great Although we seem to be starting with some of them not applying right, they stay in the room they should but there randomly appearing on the network elsewhere!? Such as SLT PCs and they hit print not checking and bang goes a confidential document to an IT Room

 

You tried doing a "delete" all printers in GPP to delete any legacy printers - the printers could be carrying in the profile?

[john]

You tried doing a "delete" all printers in GPP to delete any legacy printers - the printers could be carrying in the profile?

 

Shouldn't be a problem, its literally just randomly started on Monday for no apparent reason ! I'm thinking Windows update as I set a load free over Easter..... Before we moved to GPP we wiped all profiles, re-built mandatorys and wiped all PCs. We are shifting the profiles of affected users and it seems to stay fine for a day or two then it just magically apears , RSOP is not showing it applying either so very werid!

[mjs_mjs]

rm cc4 here....

[accura2000]

I actually use the 2003 R2 print managerment/Group policy

[Fuzzz]

I use a KiX-script with the CON2PRT utility

[CraigM]

Group Policy Preferences, which works quite well. The only problem we have so far is getting correct print drivers for some our MFP's for Windows 7. Apart from that, it works well.

[Seker]

We used to use ScriptLogic, but now we do it with Group Policy Preferences by User security group (no machine loopback). For students, we use GPP to set the default printer based on the location of the machine or cart, which is set by using item-level targeting on the OU of the machine (created some sub OUs by location to separate them out).

[PiqueABoo]

Server 2008 Group Policy Preferences but I don't do anything with loopback (ughh) because you can target a GPP at users on certain machines, or groups of users and groups ofmachines, or OUs that they're in etc.

[sted]

I am starting to use the 2003 R2 print management/Group policy assigning all printers to a printers gpo then creating gpos for ou/groups that add a vbs script to all user startup to set the default. Most current systems are a straight vbs run via all user startup. cant get gpp to work on a per pc basis and per user to me is pointless

[sparkeh]

cant get gpp to work on a per pc basis and per user to me is pointless

 

How about item level targeting and loopback processing?