Print Server Operational Guide
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Print Service Product Operations Guide
The information contained in this document represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation on the issues discussed as of the date of publication. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information presented after the date of publication.
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Print Service Product Operations Guide
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Contents Introduction to Product Operations Guide........................................................................... ............1 Document Purpose................................................................................................................. .....1 Intended Audience.................................................................................................................. .....1 How to Use This Guide............................................................................................................. ...1 Background.............................................................................................................. ...................2 High-Level Tasks for Maintaining Windows Server 2003 Print Service........................................................................................... .....5 Overview............................................................................................................. ........................5 Technology Required.............................................................................................................. .....6 Maintenance Processes Checklist........................................................................................... ....8 Operating Quadrant................................................................................................ .................8 Supporting Quadrant............................................................................................................. .12 Optimizing Quadrant.................................................................................................. ............14 Changing Quadrant............................................................................................................... .16 Detailed Maintenance Actions............................................................................................... ........18 Overview.......................................................................................................... .........................18 Process: Data backup, restore, and recovery operations............................................. .............19 Task: Back up printer configuration............................................................................ ............19 Process: Data backup, restore, and recovery operations............................................. .............21 Task: Run weekly normal backup.............................................................. ............................21 Process: Designing for recovery............................................................................................ ....23 Task: Update automated system recovery backup.................................... ............................23 Process: Designing for recovery............................................................................................ ....25 Task: Validate automated system recovery backup....................................... ........................25 Process: Print and output maintenance support activities—print queues..................................27 Task: Monitor print queue for performance................................................... .........................27 Process: Managing resources and service performance.................................................... .......30 Task: Capture service-performance statistics.............................................. ..........................30 Task: Capture service-usage statistics............................................................................ .......35 Process: Managing resources and service performance.................................................... .......38 Task: Create service performance and utilization report..................................... ...................38 Task: Create system load and utility report........................................................ ....................39 Process: Reviewing configuration items....................................................................... .............40 Task: Capture configuration snapshot............................................................................. .......40 Process: Maintenance and support activities................................................... .........................43 Task: Compliance check—enumerate unused printer ports........................................... ........43 Process: Reviewing configuration items....................................................................... .............45 Task: Compliance check—verify installed print drivers.................................. ........................45 Task: Compliance check—verify printers published in Active Directory.................................46 Process: Incident closure.................................................................................. ........................48 Task: Roll up activity report into monthly metric..................................................... ................48 Process: Investigation and diagnosis................................................................. .......................49 Task: Respond to daily service request................................................................................ ..49 Task: Create weekly service request activity report........................................ .......................50 Process: Problem recording and classification............................................................ ..............52 Task: Review daily problem-management reports........................................... ......................52 Process: Change classification and authorization................................................ .....................54 Task: Attend CAB meeting................................................................................. ....................54 Task: Review emergency change request.................................................... .........................55 Process: Print and output configuration activities—managing printers......................................58 Task: Transfer documents to another printer...................................................................... ....58 Process: Maintaining the directory................................................................. ...........................60 Task: Publish printers to Active Directory................................................................. ..............60
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Task: Manually publish printers to Active Directory............................................... .................61 Process: Managing resources and service performance.................................................... .......62 Task: Move spooler to another disk to optimize performance................................................62 Processes by MOF Role Clusters.................................................................................. ...............63 Operations Role Cluster....................................................................................................... ..63 Support Role Cluster............................................................................................................. .64 Release Role Cluster................................................................................................. ............65 Infrastructure Role Cluster....................................................................................... ..............65 Security Role Cluster........................................................................................... ..................66 Partner Role Cluster....................................................................................... .......................66 Troubleshooting.................................................................................................... ........................67 Overview.......................................................................................................... .........................67 Problem #1: Cannot print to a network printer............................................ ...........................67 Problem #2: Cannot print from a program............................................................................ ..68 Problem #3: Spooler retries old print job........................................................................ ........68 Problem #4: Print server modifies print jobs................................................ ..........................69 Problem #5: Spooler and “Out of resource” messages.............................................. ............71 Problem #6: “Could not connect to printer”........................................................ ....................72 Problem #7: Application error, Spoolsv.exe, access violation message.................................73 Problem #8: Spoolsv.exe or “print subsystem is unavailable” message.............................. ...73 Problem #9: Cannot create or select a print monitor........................................................ ......74 Problem #10: PrintQueue objects are deleted.................................................. .....................74
Print Service Product Operations Guide
Contributors Program Manager Jeff Yuhas, Microsoft Corporation
Lead Writers Michael Sarabosing, Covestic Inc, USA Akil Washington, Covestic Inc., USA
Other Contributors Steve Barnard, Microsoft Consulting Services Trung Huynh, Microsoft Corporation
Test Manager Greg Gicewicz, Microsoft Corporation
QA Manager Jim Ptaszynski, Microsoft Corporation
Lead Technical Writer Jerry Dyer, Microsoft Corporation
Lead Technical Editor Laurie Dunham, Microsoft Corporation
Editor Susan Joly, Volt Technical Services
Production Editor Kevin Klein, Microsoft Corporation
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1 Introduction to Product Operations Guide Document Purpose This guide describes processes and procedures for improving the management of Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 Print Service in an information technology (IT) infrastructure.
Intended Audience This material should be useful for anyone planning to deploy this product into an existing IT infrastructure, especially one based on the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) —a comprehensive set of best practices for IT service management—and Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF). It is aimed primarily at two main groups: IT managers and IT support staff (including analysts and service-desk specialists).
How to Use This Guide This guide is divided into five main chapters. The first chapter provides basic background information. The second chapter provides a high-level checklist of the tasks required for maintaining this product. The third chapter takes a more detailed look at the tasks described in the maintenance chapter. The fourth chapter organizes tasks by the MOF role cluster responsible for each task. The fifth chapter provides information about common troubleshooting techniques for Windows Server 2003 Print Service. The guide may be read as a single volume, including the detailed maintenance and troubleshooting sections. Reading the document this way will provide the necessary context so that later material can be understood more readily. However, some people will prefer to use the document as a reference, only looking up information as they need it.
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Background This guide is based on Microsoft Solutions for Management (MSM). MSM provides a combination of best practices, best-practice implementation services, and bestpractice automation, all of which help customers achieve operational excellence as demonstrated by high quality of service, industry reliability, availability, and security, and low total cost of ownership (TCO). These MSM best practices are based on MOF, a structured, yet flexible approach centered around ITIL. MOF includes guidelines on how to plan, deploy, and maintain IT operational processes in support of mission-critical service solutions. Central to MOF—and to understanding the structure of this guide—are the MOF Process and Team Models. The Process Model and its underlying service management functions (SMFs) are the foundation for the process-based approach that this guide recommends for maintaining a product. The Team Model and its role clusters offer guidance for ensuring the proper people are assigned to operational roles. Figure 1 shows the MOF Process Model combined with the SMFs that make up each quadrant of the Process Model.
Figure 1 MOF Process Model and SMFs
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Figure 2 shows the MOF Team Model, along with some of the many functional roles or function teams that might exist in service management organizations. These roles and function teams are shown mapped to the MOF role cluster to which they would likely belong.
Change management Release/systems engineering Configuration control/asset management Software distribution/licensing Intellectual property protection Quality assurance Network and system security Intrusion detection Virus protection Release Audit and compliance admin Contingency planning
Enterprise architecture Infrastructure engineering Capacity management Cost/IT budget management Resource and long-range planning
Security
Infrastructure
Partner
Support
Maintenance vendors Environment support Managed services, outsourcers, trading partners Software/hardware suppliers
Operations
Messaging operations Database operations Network administration Monitoring/metrics Availability management
Figure 2 MOF Team Model and examples of functional roles or teams
Service desk/help desk Production/production support Problem management Service level management
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
The MOF Team Model is built on six quality goals, which are described and matched with the applicable team role cluster in Table 1. Table 1. MOF Team Model Quality Goals and Role Clusters Quality Goal
Team Role Cluster
Effective release and change management. Accurate inventory tracking of all IT services and systems.
Release
Management of physical environments and infrastructure tools.
Infrastructure
Quality customer support and a service culture.
Support
Predictable, repeatable, and automated system management.
Operations
Mutually beneficial relationships with service and supply partners.
Partner
Protected corporate assets, controlled authorization, and proactive security planning.
Security
Further information about MSM and MOF is available at http://www.microsoft.com/solutions/msm/techinfo/default.asp, or search for the topic on TechNet at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/default.asp. You can also contact your local Microsoft or partner representative.
2 High-Level Tasks for Maintaining Windows Server 2003 Print Service Overview Every company consists of employees (people), activities that those employees perform (processes), and tools that help them perform those activities (technology). No matter what the business, it most likely consists of people, processes, and technology working together to achieve a common goal. Table 2 illustrates this point. Table 2. People, Processes, and Technology Working Together Area
People
Process
Technology
Auto repair industry
Mechanic
Repair manual
Socket set
Software development industry
Programmer
Project plan
Compiler; debugger
IT operations
IT technician
Microsoft Operations Framework
Windows Server 2003 Print Service
Windows Server 2003 includes intelligent print services—fault tolerant, discoverable, server-based printing that improves printer reliability, manageability, and security. In addition, both IT administrators and end users benefit from simplified common printing tasks, such as sharing, finding, and connecting to network printers. This guide offers assistance in managing all of these print services on Windows Server 2003.
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Technology Required Table 3 lists the tools or technologies that are required for the procedures described in this guide. All tools should be accessed from a Windows Server 2003 console. Table 3. Technology Required for Procedures Described Technology Required
Description
Location
Printers and Faxes
Tool used to create and manage printers on a server.
Start > Printers and Faxes
System Monitor
Tool used to collect data on server health and performance.
Start > All Programs > Administrative Tools > Performance
(formerly known in Windows® 2000 as Performance Monitor)
Or to open System Monitor using the command line: Start > Run. In the Open box, type perfmon, and then click OK.
Event Viewer
Tool used to monitor and gather information on system, security, and application events.
Start > All Programs > Administrative Tools > Event Viewer Or to open Event Viewer using the command line: Start >Run. In the Open box, type eventvwr.msc, and then click OK.
Quota Entries window
Tool used to view and configure quotas on a volume.
On the properties page of an NTFS file system volume.
Distributed File System (DFS) MMC
Tool used to monitor DFS namespace including roots, links, and targets.
Start > All Programs > Administrative Tools > Distributed File System
Disk Cleanup
Tool used to remove unused temporary files, Internet cache files, and unnecessary program files.
Start >All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Cleanup
Print Service Product Operations Guide
Backup
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Tool used to perform backup and restore operations.
Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Backup Or to open the Backup tool using the command line: Start > Run. In the Open box, type ntbackup, and then click OK.
Table 4 lists the tools or technologies that are recommended for the procedures described in this guide. Once again, all tools should be accessed from a Windows Server 2003 console, except in those cases where a link or other resource is listed. Table 4. Technology Recommended For Procedures Described Recommended Technology
Description
Location
Microsoft Print Migrator 3.0
Tool used to back up printer configuration on the print server. It can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/win dows2000/technologies/fileand print/print/download.asp.
Print Migrator download
SplInfo.exe
Command-line tool that collects information from the print spooler and displays it.
Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit
SetPrinter.exe
Command-line tool that is used to set configurations or states of local and remote printers, for an individual printer or for all printers on a print server.
Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit
SrvInfo.exe
Tool used to gather system information from servers.
Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit
PubPrn.vbs
Tool used to publish printers from a server that is not running Windows Server 2003 into a server that is running Windows Server 2003.
\winnt\system32
Microsoft Excel
Application used to format reports and analyze data.
Microsoft Office
PrnPort.vbs
Script used to manage printer ports.
\winnt\system32
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI)
Tool used to access management information in an enterprise environment. It can be found at http://msdn.microsoft.com/libr ary/default.asp?url=/library/enus/wmisdk/wmi/wmi_start_pa ge.asp
Start > Run. In the Open box, type wmimgmt.msc and then click OK.
Maintenance Processes Checklist The following checklists provide a quick reference for product maintenance processes that need to be performed on a regular basis. These processes offer a highlevel view of the processes described in subsequent sections of this guide. They are limited to those processes required for maintaining the product.
Operating Quadrant The processes for this section are based on the SMFs that make up the MOF Operating Quadrant. Further information about the MOF Process Model and the MOF SMFs is available at http://www.microsoft.com/solutions/msm/techinfo/default.asp, or search for “MOF Executive Overview,” or the name of the SMF, on TechNet ath http://www.microsoft.com/technet/default.asp.
Print and Output Management Daily Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
MOF Role Cluster
There are no weekly processes for this SMF. Weekly Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
MOF Role Cluster
There are no weekly processes for this SMF. Monthly Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
Maintenance and support activities
MOF Role Cluster Operations
As-Needed Processes Process Name Print and output
Related SMFs
MOF Role Cluster Support
Print Service Product Operations Guide
configuration activities— managing printers
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Directory Services Administration Daily Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
MOF Role Cluster
There are no daily processes for this SMF. Weekly Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
MOF Role Cluster
There are no weekly processes for this SMF. Monthly Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
MOF Role Cluster
There are no monthly processes for this SMF. As-Needed Processes Process Name Maintaining the directory
MOF Role Cluster Support
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Storage Management Daily Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
Data backup, restore, and recovery operations
MOF Role Cluster Support
Weekly Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
Data backup, restore, and recovery operations
MOF Role Cluster Support
Monthly Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
MOF Role Cluster
There are no monthly processes for this SMF. As-Needed Processes Process Name There are no as-needed processes for this SMF.
Related SMFs
MOF Role Cluster
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Supporting Quadrant The processes for this section are based on the SMFs that make up the MOF Supporting Quadrant.
Incident Management Daily Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
Investigation and diagnosis
MOF Role Cluster Support and Operations
Weekly Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
Investigation and diagnosis
MOF Role Cluster Support and Operations
Monthly Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
Incident closure
MOF Role Cluster Operations
As-Needed Processes Process Name There are no as-needed processes for this SMF.
Related SMFs
MOF Role Cluster
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Problem Management Daily Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
Problem recording and classification
MOF Role Cluster Operations
Weekly Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
MOF Role Cluster
There are no weekly processes for this SMF. Monthly Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
MOF Role Cluster
There are no monthly processes for this SMF. As-Needed Processes Process Name There are no as-needed processes for this SMF.
Related SMFs
MOF Role Cluster
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Optimizing Quadrant The tasks for this section are based on the SMFs that make up the MOF Optimizing Quadrant.
Capacity Management Daily Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
Managing resources and service performance
MOF Role Cluster Operations
Weekly Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
MOF Role Cluster
There are no weekly processes for this SMF. Monthly Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
Managing resources and service performance
MOF Role Cluster Infrastructure
As-Needed Processes Process Name There are no as-needed processes for this SMF.
Related SMFs
MOF Role Cluster
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Availability Management Daily Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
MOF Role Cluster
There are no daily processes for this SMF. Weekly Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
Designing for recovery
MOF Role Cluster Operations
Monthly Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
MOF Role Cluster
There are no monthly processes for this SMF. Quarterly Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
Designing for recovery
MOF Role Cluster Operations
As-Needed Processes Process Name There are no as-needed processes for this SMF.
Related SMFs
MOF Role Cluster
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Changing Quadrant The processes for this section are based on the SMFs that make up the MOF Changing Quadrant.
Change Management Daily Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
Change classification and authorization
MOF Role Cluster Infrastructure
Weekly Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
MOF Role Cluster
There are no weekly processes for this SMF. Monthly Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
Reviewing configuration items
MOF Role Cluster Infrastructure
As-Needed Processes Process Name There are no as-needed processes for this SMF.
Related SMFs
MOF Role Cluster
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Configuration Management Daily Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
MOF Role Cluster
There are no daily processes for this SMF. Weekly Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
MOF Role Cluster
There are no weekly processes for this SMF. Monthly Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
MOF Role Cluster
Maintenance and support activities
Infrastructure
Reviewing configuration items
Infrastructure As-Needed Processes
Process Name There are no as-needed processes for this SMF.
Related SMFs
MOF Role Cluster
3 Detailed Maintenance Actions Overview This chapter provides detailed information about the processes that must be performed in order to maintain Windows Server 2003 Print Service. These processes are arranged according to the MOF quadrant to which they belong and, within each quadrant, by the MOF SMF guides that make up that quadrant. Those quadrants are: ●
Operating Quadrant
●
Supporting Quadrant
●
Optimizing Quadrant
●
Changing Quadrant
Also included are the associated role cluster and the frequency with which a process must be performed—daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or as-needed. Further information about the MOF Process Model and the MOF SMFs is available at http://www.microsoft.com/solutions/msm/techinfo/default.asp, or search for “MOF Executive Overview,” or the name of the SMF, on TechNet at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/default.asp.
Print Service Product Operations Guide
Operating Quadrant
Storage Management SMF
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Support Role Cluster
Daily
Process: Data backup, restore, and recovery operations Description Storing, restoring, and recovering data are key storage-management activities for maintaining company data. Data should be classified by type, and a strategy should be developed to ensure that operations fulfill business requirements and service level objectives.
Task: Back up printer configuration Purpose The objective of this task is to provide support for maintaining printer configuration in the printing environment. Backup of printer configuration provides a reliable method of maintaining data print queues, ports, and print drivers from an existing Windows server in a cabinet (.cab) file. The data can be used to migrate the printer to another server or restore printer configuration information to the local server. To achieve this objective, Print Migrator 3.0 provides a backup of printer configuration and print monitor attributes (including third party), print queues, print processors, print drivers, and print shares on various server types, which include Windows NT® 4.0 Service Pack (SP) 6a, Windows 2000 SP2, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003. Print Migrator is scriptable, so it can be run from the command line, and it supports scheduling. Further information about this printer migration tool is contained in “Print Migrator 3.0 Download,” available at http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/technologies/fileandprint/print/download. asp.
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Procedure 1: Back up printer configuration on a server 1. Browse to <path>\PrintMig3 and start PrintMig3.exe. 2. Click the Actions menu and select Backup. 3. Browse to the location where the backup files will be located, and type in the file name. To back up printer configuration on remote servers, type the remote server’s name in the Target Server dialog box. 4. Click the Open button to start the backup operation. 5. When the backup operation is complete, verify that the file FileName.cab exists in the backup location in Step 3.
Procedure 2: Automate printer configuration backup Print Migrator can be automated using Windows Script Host to run the printer configuration backup. The following is a simple script that can read an input file. Each line of the input file lists the universal naming convention (UNC) name of a print server. The script is saved as a .vbs file and executed from the command line. For /F %%i IN (input.txt) Do printmig –b “\\servername\sharename\filename.cab” %%i
To execute the script directly from the command line, change ”%%i” to “%i”. Dependencies Operator must have administrative privileges on print server. Technology Required ●
Print Migrator
●
Windows Script Host
Print Service Product Operations Guide
Operating Quadrant
Storage Management SMF
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Support Role Cluster
Weekly
Process: Data backup, restore, and recovery operations Description Backing up, restoring, and recovering data are key storage-management activities for maintaining company data. Data should be classified by type, and a strategy should be developed to ensure that operations fulfill business requirements and service level objectives.
Task: Run weekly normal backup Purpose Performing regularly scheduled backups is an integral part of any print-service operation environment. A weekly backup of the print server is necessary to facilitate data recovery and system recovery.
Procedure 1: Configure normal backup job 1. Start Backup. 2. Click the Backup tab. 3. Select the drives, folders, and files that will be included in the backup job. It is a good idea to include the system state information as part of the backup operation. 4. From the Tools menu, click Options. In the Options dialog box, click the Backup Log tab, select Detailed, and click OK. Backup logs can be vital to troubleshooting and recording status of the backup operation. The default setting in Windows Server 2003 is for backup logs to contain summary information, such as loading a tape, starting the backup, viewing the number of files backed up or bytes backed up, or failing to open a file. Some operation environments require more detailed information— specifically, what files are being backed up for a particular backup job. 5. From the Tools menu, click Options. In the Options dialog box, click the Backup Type tab. In the Default Backup Type drop-down list, select Normal, and click OK. 6. In Backup Destination, select one of the following: ●
Click File to back up files and folders to a file. This is the default setting.
●
Choose a tape device if you want to back up files and folders to a tape.
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
7. In Backup media or file name, select one of the following: ●
If you are backing up files and folders to a file, enter the path and file name of the backup (.bkf) file.
●
If you are backing up files and folders to a tape, choose the tape you want to use.
8. Click Start Backup. 9. Click Advanced, select Data Verification, and click OK. 10. Click Schedule, enter the logon name and password that the backup job will run as, and then click OK. 11. Click yes on the Backup Utility window to save the current selections. 12. Choose a location to save the sections file and click Save. 13. In the Set Account Information window, enter the appropriate account information. 14. In the Schedule Job Options window, enter the name for the backup job, such as “Increment Backup” and click OK. 15. In the Schedule Job window, confirm that the Schedule tab has been clicked. Under Schedule Task, select Weekly, and click the days of the week you want the incremental job to run. In Start Time, enter the time you want the backup job to start, and click OK. 16. Enter the logon name and password that the backup job will run as, and click OK. 17. Click OK. The weekly normal job is now scheduled to run. Dependencies None Technology Required Backup
Print Service Product Operations Guide
Optimizing Quadrant
Availability Management SMF
23
Operations Role Cluster
Weekly
Process: Designing for recovery Description No matter how well designed and managed, problems with the delivery of an IT service can still occur. A major design consideration for high availability is a reactive one charged with recovering service as quickly and efficiently as possible. The incident being dealt with may be the result of unexpected events or even the failure of a countermeasure to protect the service. Rapid recovery may also be the appropriate design choice for a particular availability risk if an effective countermeasure proves to be too expensive for the customer to justify.
Task: Update automated system recovery backup Purpose During the lifetime of a print server there is the potential for a system failure. In the startup options of the printer there are several ways to recover from system failure, such as Safe Mode and Last Known Good Configuration. However, it is also a good idea to include automated system recovery (ASR) backups in the regular maintenance of your print server as another form of system recovery. ASR will back up the system files necessary for starting the print server. Other data should be included as part of the daily and weekly backup jobs for the server. ASR backups are performed using Backup in interactive mode. They cannot be scheduled.
Procedure 1: Get media for ASR backup ASR backup requires a blank 1.44 megabyte (MB) disk to save system settings and media where the backup files will be written. 1. A separate media set is recommended for ASR backups. The media set should be stored in a secure location, separate from data backup files. 2. Store the 1.44-MB disk with the ASR backup set. You must have the disk that was created with the ASR backup set to perform ASR.
Procedure 2: Create ASR backup 1. Start Backup. 2. On the Job menu, click New. 3. On the Tools menu, click ASR Wizard. 4. Follow the instructions that appear on the screen.
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Procedure 3: Copy files for print server that does not have a disk drive 1. Perform an ASR backup on the computer that does not have the disk drive. 2. Copy the Asr.sif and Asrpnp.sif files located in the %Systemroot%\Repair directory to a computer that has a disk drive; then copy those files onto a disk. Dependencies ●
Print server should have a disk drive. Procedure 3 provides a workaround for copying system files to a disk, but a disk drive is required for ASR.
●
You must be a member of Administrators or Backup Operators group to perform ASR.
Technology Required Backup
Print Service Product Operations Guide
Optimizing Quadrant
Availability Management SMF
25
Operations Role Cluster
Quarterly
Process: Designing for recovery Description No matter how well designed and managed, problems with the delivery of an IT service can still occur. A major design consideration for high availability is a reactive one charged with recovering service as quickly and efficiently as possible. The incident being dealt with may be the result of unexpected events or even the failure of a countermeasure to protect the service. Rapid recovery may also be the appropriate design choice for a particular availability risk if an effective countermeasure proves to be too expensive for the customer to justify.
Task: Validate automated system recovery backup Purpose The automated system recovery (ASR) backup has to be validated to confirm the integrity of the backup process. The operations team also needs to be familiar with the hardware and software involved in the ASR process.
Procedure 1: Prepare for ASR 1. Retrieve the latest ASR backup media set and disk from a secure location. Verify that the media and disks are from the same backup. 2. Retrieve the media set for the most recent normal backup of the server. 3. Retrieve the original Windows Server 2003 operating system disc. 4. Retrieve any mass storage device driver files supplied by the manufacturer. Verify that you have this file before beginning the recovery operation. 5. Configure the recovery server hardware.
Procedure 2: Perform ASR 1. Insert the original Windows Server 2003 operating system disc. 2. Restart the server. If prompted to press a key to start the computer from the operating system disc, press the requested key. 3. If you have a separate driver file as described in Procedure 1, use the driver as part of the setup by pressing F6 when prompted. 4. Press F2 when prompted at the beginning of the text-only mode section of setup. You will be prompted to insert the ASR disk you have previously created. 5. Follow the directions on the screen. 6. If you have a separate driver file as described in Procedure 1, press F6 (a second time) when prompted after the system restarts. 7. Follow the directions on the screen.
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Procedure 3: Restore data files to the recovery server 1. Start Backup. 2. On the Welcome tab, click Restore Wizard (Advanced). 3. Click Next. 4. Select the items to be restored from the latest normal backup set and click Next. 5. At this point you can click Finish to start the restoring process, or click the Advanced button for more options. If you decide to configure Advanced options, the following is a list of items that should be selected: ●
Restore files to original location.
●
Leave existing files.
●
Restore security settings
●
Restore junction points, but not the folders and file data they reference.
●
Preserve existing volume mount points.
Dependencies ●
For ASR, the recovery server must have the same hardware and disk configuration as the server where the ASR backup was performed.
●
Regular ASR backups.
●
Manufacturer-supplied device drivers for mass storage devices.
Technology Required Backup
Print Service Product Operations Guide
Operating Quadrant
Print and Output Management SMF
27
Operations Role Cluster
Daily
Process: Print and output maintenance support activities—print queues Description Queues exist to hold output jobs that have been submitted and are awaiting delivery. Generally, a spooler manages multiple queues. Queues should provide the capability to use first in, first out (FIFO), shortest job first, or assigned priorities.
Task: Monitor print queue for performance Purpose The objective of this task is to monitor the print queues for print jobs that have not cleared the queue. Jobs might not clear the print queue for a number of reasons. The purpose of this task is to provide a process to detect when a print job is stuck in a print queue. When a client makes a print request, processing occurs on both the client computer and on the printer server. The following items are key to monitoring a print request once the printer server has received the request from the client: ●
Network print provider. Receives print request from such clients as Windows and HTTP.
●
Print processor. Renders print request into the proper data type and formatting necessary to print properly. By default the file is written/spooled to disk in the %Systemroot%\System32\Spool\Printers directory.
●
Print monitor. Responsible for delivering the job to a particular print monitor. TcpMon is the monitor used to deliver print jobs to TCP/IP print devices.
●
Print device. Responsible for supplying ink to print media.
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Procedure 1: Configure alert 1. Start System Monitor. 2. Expand the Performance Logs and Alerts node, right-click Alerts, and click New Alert Settings. 3. Type Jobs Spooling and click OK. 4. On the General tab, click Add, and select the following performance object and counter. Object Print Queue
Counter Jobs Spooling
5. In the Alert when the value is drop-down box, select Over, and enter the limit for your environment. 6. Click the Action tab; the default selection is Log an entry in the application event log. 7. Click the Schedule tab, select the Start Scan At check box, and enter the start time for the alert. 8. Click Apply, and then click OK. The alert is activated and will have a green status indicating that it is logging information based on the configuration and schedule.
Procedure 2: Monitor event log 1. Review the event log for Event 2031: Event Type: Information Event Source: SysmonLog Event Category: None Event ID: 2031 Description: Counter: \\Servername\Print Queue\CounterName has tripped its alert threshold. The counter value of n is over the limit value of n.
2. When you receive this alert, check the print server and printer that are the source of the alert in Printers and Faxes. 3. Determine the status of the print jobs in the print queue; look for jobs that have errors or jobs that have been paused. 4. Use troubleshooting tasks to resolve the issue.
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Procedure 3: Use WMI to monitor the time a job is spent in spooler The following script uses WMI to monitor the jobs counter for jobs that have been in the print queue for more than 15 minutes: Const USE_LOCAL_TIME = True Set DateTime = CreateObject("WbemScripting.SWbemDateTime") strComputer = "." Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:" _ & "{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2") Set colInstalledPrinters = objWMIService.ExecQuery _ ("Select * from Win32_PrintJob") Wscript.Echo "Print Queue, Job ID, TimeSubmitted, Total Pages" For Each objPrinter in colInstalledPrinters DateTime.Value = objPrinter.TimeSubmitted dtmActualTime = DateTime.GetVarDate(USE_LOCAL_TIME) TimeinQueue = DateDiff("n", actualTime, Now) If TimeinQueue > 15 Then strPrinterName = Split(objPrinter.Name,",",-1,1) Wscript.Echo strPrinterName(0) & ", " _ & objPrinter.JobID & ", " & dtmActualTime & ", " & _ objPrinter.TotalPages End If Next
Run this script when you receive the type of alert mentioned in Procedure 2. Dependencies Configure alerts for Jobs Spooling counter. Technology Required ●
System Monitor
●
WMI
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Optimizing Quadrant
Capacity Management SMF
Operations Role Cluster
Daily
Process: Managing resources and service performance Description Capacity management is concerned with optimized utilization of IT resources in order to achieve the level of performance agreed upon with the client. These resources are supplied by support organizations to ensure the requirements of the business are met. The process of capacity management can be either reactive or proactive. Iterative activities, such as monitoring, analyzing, tuning, and reporting, are also important in the process of managing IT resources and service performance. The type of data for each activity differs. For example, the level of utilization of individual components in the infrastructure is relevant to IT resource management, while the transaction throughput rates and response time are pertinent to serviceperformance management.
Task: Capture service-performance statistics Purpose It is important during the normal operation of a print server to understand its overall health. Information will be used to review general performance, adherence to SLAs, and capacity planning, and to create baseline statistics about the print server.
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Procedure 1: Create performance logs 1. Start System Monitor. 2. Double-click Performance Logs and Alerts, right-click Counter Logs, and select New Log Settings. 3. Enter the name for this log—for example, “Service Performance Statistics” and click OK. 4. On the General tab, click Add Counters, and select the following counters. Processor Performance
Notes
Processor\% Processor Time
The percentage of elapsed time the processor spent executing instructions for processes or services. This counter reports the total time the processors spent executing code in privileged mode and provides an overall view of the processors’ activity.
Processor\%Privileged Time
The percentage of elapsed time that the process threads spent executing code in privileged mode. The operating system switches application threads to privileged mode to allow direct access to the system’s kernel. Having more work done in the kernel can be advantageous because the kernel is more efficient at performing certain tasks.
System\Context Switches/sec
The combined rate at which all processors on the computer are switched from one thread to another. Context switches occur when a running thread voluntarily relinquishes the processor, is preempted by a higher priority ready thread, or switches between user-mode and privileged mode to use executive or subsystem service. High rates of context switching can result from inefficient hardware or poorly designed device drivers or applications.
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Memory Performance
Notes
Memory\Pages/sec
The rate at which pages are read from or written to disk to resolve hard page faults. This counter is a primary indicator of the kinds of faults that cause system-wide delays.
Memory\Available MBytes
The amount of physical memory, in megabytes, immediately available for allocation to a process or for system use.
Paging File\%Usage
The amount of the paging file instance in use expressed as a percentage.
Network Performance
Notes
Server\Errors System
The number of times an internal server error was detected. Unexpected errors usually indicate a problem with the server.
Server\Work Item Shortages
This occurs when no work item is available or can be allocated to address the incoming request. A work item is the location where the server stores a server message block (SMB). Work item shortages might be caused by an overloaded server.
Server\Blocking Requests Rejected
The number of times the server has rejected SMBs due to insufficient count of free work items. Indicates whether the MaxWorkItem or MinFreeWorkItems server parameters might need to be adjusted.
Server Work Queues\Queue Length
The current length of the server work queue for this CPU. A sustained queue length greater than four might indicate processor congestion. This is an instantaneous count, not an average over the time interval.
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Disk Performance
33
Notes
PhysicalDisk\Current Disk Queue Length
The number of requests outstanding on the disk at the time the performance data is collected. It also includes requests in service at the time of the collection. This is an instantaneous snapshot, not an average over the time interval. Multispindle disk devices can have multiple requests that are active at one time, but other concurrent requests are awaiting service. This counter might reflect a transitory high or low queue length, but if there is a sustained load on the disk drive, it is likely that this will be consistently high. Requests will experience delays that are proportional to the length of this queue minus the number of spindles on the disks. For good performance, this difference should average less than two.
PhysicalDisk\ Avg. Disk sec/Read
The average time in seconds of read operations from the disk.
PhysicalDisk\Disk Read Bytes/sec
The rate at which bytes are transferred from the disk during read operations.
PhysicalDisk\Disk Reads/sec
The rate of read operations on the disk.
PhysicalDisk\ Disk Writes/sec
The rate of write operations on the disk.
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Process Performance
Notes
Process\Spoolsv\%Processor Time
The percentage of elapsed time the processor spent executing instructions for the Spoolsv service.
Process\Spoolsv\Handle Count
The total numbers of handles currently open by this process. This number is equal to the sum of the handles currently open by each thread in this process.
Process\Spoolsv\Thread Count
The number of threads currently active in this process. An instruction is the basic unit of execution in a processor, and a thread is the object that executes instructions. Every running process has at least one thread.
Process\Spoolsv\Virtual Bytes
The current size, in bytes, of the virtual address space the process is using. Use of virtual address space does not necessarily imply corresponding use of either disk or main memory pages. Virtual space is finite, and the process can limit its ability to load libraries.
5. Fifteen is the default sampling time interval, although you can modify this number. Increasing the interval will reduce the size of the log file but at the risk of losing data. Decreasing the interval will increase the size of the log file and provide a more granular look at the performance. 6. On the Log Files tab, click the Log file type drop-down box, and select the output format. Choose a CSV file type if you want to be able to manipulate the data in Excel. The data can also be displayed as a SQL Server database format. 7. Make sure the End file names with check box is selected. Use the year, month, and day format of yyyymmdd. 8. On the Schedule tab, select the Start Log At check box, and enter the start time for logging. 9. Click Apply, and then click OK. The log files will be created in <system drive>\Perflogs by default. The log is activated and will have a green status indicating that it is logging information based on the configuration and schedule.
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Dependencies ●
You must be a member of the Administrators group or the Performance Log user group on the local computer, or have been delegated the appropriate authority.
●
Adequate space on the disk where the log files are being created.
Technology Required System Monitor
Task: Capture service-usage statistics Purpose It is important to monitor service usage during the normal operations of a print server. Service usage differs from service performance by focusing on how users consume print-server resources. This information will be used to review general performance, adherence to SLAs, capacity planning, and to create baseline statistics for the print server.
Procedure 1: Create performance logs 1. Start System Monitor. 2. Double-click Performance Logs and Alerts, right-click Counter Logs, and select New Log Settings. 3. Enter the name for this log, for example, “Service Performance Statistics” and click OK. 4. On the General tab, click Add Counters, and select the following counters. Print Queue Performance
Notes
Print Queue\Bytes Printed/sec
Number of bytes per second printed in a print queue.
Print Queue\Jobs Spooling
Current number of spooling jobs in a print queue.
Print Queue\Total Jobs Printed
Total number of jobs printed in a print queue since the last restart.
Network Performance
Notes
Server\Server Sessions
The number of sessions currently active in the server. Indicates current server activity.
Server\Bytes Total/sec
The number of bytes the server has sent to and received from the network. This value provides an overall indication of how busy the server is.
Server\Files Open
The number of files currently opened in the server. Indicates current server activity.
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Disk Performance
Notes
LogicalDisk\Current Disk Queue Length
The number of requests outstanding on the disk at the time the performance data is collected. It also includes requests in service at the time of the collection. This is an instantaneous snapshot, not an average over the time interval. Multispindle disk devices can have multiple requests that are active at one time, while other concurrent requests are awaiting service. This counter might reflect a transitory high or low queue length, but if there is a sustained load on the disk drive, it is likely that this will be consistently high. Requests will experience delays that are proportional to the length of this queue minus the number of spindles on the disks. For good performance, this difference should average less than two.
LogicalDisk\Avg. Disk sec/Read
The average time, in seconds, of a read of operations from the disk.
LogicalDisk\Avg. Disk sec/Write
The average time, in seconds, of a write operations to the disk.
LogicalDisk\Disk Read Bytes/sec
The rate at which bytes are transferred from the disk during read operations.
LogicalDisk\Disk Reads/sec
The rate of read operations from the disk.
LogicalDisk\Disk Writes/sec
The rate of the write operations to the disk.
5. Fifteen is the default sampling time interval, although you can modify this number. Increasing the interval will reduce the size of the log file but at the risk of losing data. Decreasing the interval will increase the size of the log file and provide a more granular look at the performance. 6. On the Log Files tab, click the Log tile type drop-down box and select the output format. Choose a CSV file type if you want to be able to manipulate the data in Excel. The data can also be output to a SQL Server database format. 7. Make sure the End file names with check box is selected. Use the year, month, and day format of yyyymmdd. 8. On the Schedule tab, select the Start Log At check box, and enter the start time for logging. 9. Click Apply, and then click OK. The log files will be created in <system drive>\Perflogs by default.
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Dependencies ●
You must be a member of the Administrators group or the Performance Log user group on the local computer, or have been delegated the appropriate authority.
●
Adequate space on the disk where the log files are being created.
Technology Required System Monitor
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Optimizing Quadrant
Capacity Management SMF
Infrastructure Role Cluster
Monthly
Process: Managing resources and service performance Description Capacity management is concerned with optimized utilization of IT resources in order to achieve the level of performance agreed upon with the client. Support organizations supply these resources to ensure the requirements of the business are met. The process of capacity management can be either reactive or proactive. Iterative activities, such as monitoring, analyzing, tuning, and reporting are also important in the process of managing resources and service performance. The type of data for each activity differs. For example, the level of utilization of individual components in the infrastructure is relevant to IT resource management, while the transaction throughput rates and response time are pertinent to service-performance management.
Task: Create service performance and utilization report Purpose This task captures service performance and utilization in data that can be used to support decision making.
Procedure 1: Calculate daily statistics 1. Import performance and utilization logs into Excel. 2. Calculate the daily performance average for each counter collected in the log. 3. In a new worksheet, record the daily average of the counters for each day of the month. 4. Use the graphing feature in Excel to create visuals that illustrate trends in performance. For clarity, it may be easier to calculate the daily statistics on the basis of performance objects. You should also consider that these reports will be pertinent to the measuring of SLAs, operating level agreements (OLAs), and Underpinning Contracts (UCs).
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Procedure 2: Store data and reports 1. Store each month’s data in a single workbook for future reference. 2. Save the workbook to a file share on a file server that is under regular backup maintenance. Dependencies Capturing service performance in performance logs Technology Required Excel or third-party spreadsheet application
Task: Create system load and utility report Purpose This task captures the usage of print-server resources in data that can be used to support decision making and resource allocation.
Procedure 1: Calculate daily statistics 1. Import service usage statistics into Excel. 2. Calculate the daily average for each counter collected in the log. 3. In a new worksheet, record the daily average of the counters for each day of the month. 4. Use Excel’s graphing feature to create visuals that illustrate trends in performance. For clarity it may be easier to calculate the daily statistics on the basis of performance objects.
Procedure 2: Store data and reports 1. Store each month’s data in a single workbook for future reference. 2. Save the workbook to a file share on a file server that is under regular backup maintenance. Dependencies Capturing service performance in performance logs Technology Required Excel or third-party spreadsheet application
40
Managing the Windows Server Platform
Change Quadrant
Change Management SMF
Infrastructure Role Cluster
Weekly
Process: Reviewing configuration items Description Because the accuracy of the information stored in the configuration management database (CMDB) is crucial to the success of MOF Change Management, Incident Management, and other SMFs, a review process should be set up to ensure that the database accurately reflects the live IT environment.
Task: Capture configuration snapshot Purpose The objective of this task is to record the configuration of the print server to provide a view of the print server at a particular point in time.
Procedure 1: Run SrvInfo for all print servers To get system information, disk capacity, services currently running, network protocols, and system uptime, use SrvInfo.exe. From the command line, run: Srvinfo –r \\servername >:\servername-date.txt SrvInfo is scriptable and can be automated to facilitate batch processing for large environments.
Procedure 2: Export local security policies 1. Start Local Security Policies MMC and expand the Local Policies node. 2. Select Audit Policy, then right-click and select Export List. Save the export to a secure file share. 3. Select User Right Assignment, then right-click and select Export List. 4. Save the export to a secure file share. 5. Select Security Options, then right-click and select Export List. Save the export to a secure file share.
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Procedure 3: Create report of installed software The following sample script can be used to create a report of the software installed on the print server using Microsoft Windows Installer. SMS is a good alternative to enumerate installed applications, windows components, and patches. This is especially useful for large environments: Set objFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject") Set objTextFile = objFSO.CreateTextFile("filename", True) strComputer = "." Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:" _ & "{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2") Set colSoftware = objWMIService.ExecQuery _ ("Select * from Win32_Product") objTextFile.WriteLine "Caption" & vbtab & _ "Description" & vbtab & "Identifying Number" & vbtab & _ "Install Date" & vbtab & "Install Location" & vbtab & _ "Install State" & vbtab & "Name" & vbtab & _ "Package Cache" & vbtab & "SKU Number" & vbtab & "Vendor" & vbtab _ & "Version" For Each objSoftware in colSoftware objTextFile.WriteLine objSoftware.Caption & vbtab & _ objSoftware.Description & vbtab & _ objSoftware.IdentifyingNumber & vbtab & _ objSoftware.InstallDate2 & vbtab & _ objSoftware.InstallLocation & vbtab & _ objSoftware.InstallState & vbtab & _ objSoftware.Name & vbtab & _ objSoftware.PackageCache & vbtab & _ objSoftware.SKUNumber & vbtab & _ objSoftware.Vendor & vbtab & _ objSoftware.Version Next objTextFile.Close
This script may produce an error if no applications installed with Windows Installer exist.
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Procedure 4: Create report of installed hotfixes The following sample script can be used to create a report of the hotfixes installed on the print server using Windows Installer: strComputer = "." Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:" _ & "{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2") Set colQuickFixes = objWMIService.ExecQuery _ ("Select * from Win32_QuickFixEngineering") For Each objQuickFix in colQuickFixes Wscript.Echo "Computer: " & objQuickFix.CSName Wscript.Echo "Description: " & objQuickFix.Description Wscript.Echo "Hot Fix ID: " & objQuickFix.HotFixID Wscript.Echo "Installation Date: " & objQuickFix.InstallDate Wscript.Echo "Installed By: " & objQuickFix.InstalledBy Next
Dependencies ●
Software installed using Windows Installer
Technology Required ●
SrvInfo.exe
●
Local security policies
●
Windows Management Interface (WMI)
Print Service Product Operations Guide
Change Quadrant
Configuration Management SMF
43
Infrastructure Role Cluster
Monthly
Process: Maintenance and support activities Task: Compliance check—enumerate unused printer ports Purpose The objective of this task is to ensure that printer ports installed on the print server are used. Any unused printer ports will be reported and deleted.
Procedure 1: Create printer port report Use PrnPort.vbs to list printer ports installed on the server: cscript prnport.vbs –l –s –servername > filename.txt.
Procedure 2: Create unused port report The following is a sample script to enumerate unused printer ports on a server: Set objDictionary = CreateObject("Scripting.Dictionary") strComputer = "." Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:" _ & "{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2") Set colPrinters = objWMIService.ExecQuery _ ("Select * from Win32_Printer") For Each objPrinter in colPrinters objDictionary.Add objPrinter.PortName, objPrinter.PortName Next Set colPorts = objWMIService.ExecQuery _ ("Select * from Win32_TCPIPPrinterPort") For Each objPort in colPorts If objDictionary.Exists(objPort.Name) Then strUsedPorts = strUsedPorts & _ objDictionary.Item(objPort.Name) & VbCrLf Else strFreePorts = strFreePorts & objPort.Name & vbCrLf End If Next Wscript.Echo "The following ports are in use: " & VbCrLf & strUsedPorts Wscript.Echo "The following ports are available: " & VbCrLf & strFreePorts
Compare the unused port report and printer port report. Confirm that the unused ports are listed in the printer port report.
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Procedure 3: Delete unused ports The following is a sample script to delete unused printer ports on a server: Set objDictionary = CreateObject("Scripting.Dictionary") strComputer = "." Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:" _ & "{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2") Set colPrinters = objWMIService.ExecQuery _ ("Select * from Win32_Printer") For Each objPrinter in colPrinters objDictionary.Add objPrinter.PortName, objPrinter.PortName Next Set colPorts = objWMIService.ExecQuery _ ("Select * from Win32_TCPIPPrinterPort") For Each objPort in colPorts If objDictionary.Exists(objPort.Name) Then Else ObjPort.Delete_ End If Next
Procedure 4: Review ports 1. Use PrnPort.vbs to list printer ports installed on the server: cscript prnport.vbs –l –s –servername >filename.txt
2. Confirm that the ports from the unused port report have been removed. Dependencies Windows Script Host Technology Required ●
CScript.exe
●
PrnPort.vbs
●
Windows Management Interface (WMI)
Print Service Product Operations Guide
Changing Quadrant
Configuration Management SMF
45
Infrastructure Role Cluster
Monthly
Process: Reviewing configuration items Description Because the accuracy of the information stored in the CMDB is crucial to the success of MOF Change Management, Incident Management, and other SMFs, a review process should be set up to ensure that the database accurately reflects the live IT environment.
Task: Compliance check—verify installed print drivers Purpose The objective of this task is to ensure print drivers installed on print servers are in compliance with print drivers that have been approved and released by the CAB.
Procedure 1: Create print driver report The following sample script can be used to create a report of the printer and print driver installed on the print server: strComputer = "." Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:" _ & "{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2") Set colInstalledPrinters = objWMIService.ExecQuery _ ("Select * from Win32_PrinterDriver") For each objPrinter in colInstalledPrinters Wscript.Echo "Config File: " & objPrinter.ConfigFile Wscript.Echo "Data File: " & objPrinter.DataFile Wscript.Echo "Description: " & objPrinter.Description Wscript.Echo "Driver Path: " & objPrinter.DriverPath Wscript.Echo "File Path: " & objPrinter.FilePath Wscript.Echo "Help File: " & objPrinter.HelpFile Wscript.Echo "INF Name: " & objPrinter.InfName Wscript.Echo "Monitor Name: " & objPrinter.MonitorName Wscript.Echo "Name: " & objPrinter.Name Wscript.Echo "OEMUrl: " & objPrinter.OEMUrl Wscript.Echo "Supported Platform: " & objPrinter.SupportedPlatform Wscript.Echo "Version: " & objPrinter.Version Next
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Procedure 2: Verify print drivers against CMDB 1. Compare the printers listed in the print driver report to the printer information in the CMDB. 2. If there are any discrepancies in the print driver report and the CMDB, submit an emergency RFC to the CAB/EC. Dependencies CMDB Technology Required Windows Management Interface (WMI).
Task: Compliance check—verify printers published in Active Directory Purpose The objective of this task is to verify that the printers published in Microsoft Active Directory® directory service are in compliance with printers that have been approved and released by the CAB.
Procedure 1: Discover printer published in Active Directory The following sample script can be used to create a report of the printers published in Active Directory: Const ADS_SCOPE_SUBTREE = 2 Set objConnection = CreateObject("ADODB.Connection") Set objCommand = CreateObject("ADODB.Command") objConnection.Provider = "ADsDSOObject" objConnection.Open "Active Directory Provider" Set objCommand.ActiveConnection = objConnection objCommand.CommandText = "Select printerName, serverName from " _ & " 'LDAP://DC=fabrikam,DC=com' where objectClass='printQueue'" objCommand.Properties("Page Size") = 1000 objCommand.Properties("Timeout") = 30 objCommand.Properties("Searchscope") = ADS_SCOPE_SUBTREE objCommand.Properties("Cache Results") = False Set objRecordSet = objCommand.Execute objRecordSet.MoveFirst Do Until objRecordSet.EOF Wscript.Echo "Printer Name: " & objRecordSet.Fields("printerName").Value Wscript.Echo "Server Name: " & objRecordSet.Fields("serverName").Value objRecordSet.MoveNext Loop
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Procedure 2: Verify print drivers against CMDB 1. Compare information about the printers listed and published in the Active Directory report with the printer information in the CMDB. 2. If there are any discrepancies in the print driver report and the CMDB, submit an emergency RFC to the CAB/EC. Dependencies CMDB Technology Required Windows Management Interface (WMI)
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Supporting Quadrant
Incident Management SMF
Operations Role Cluster
Monthly
Process: Incident closure Description This process ensures that the customer is satisfied that the incident has been resolved prior to closing the incident record. It also checks that the incident record is fully updated and assigns a closure category.
Task: Roll up activity report into monthly metric Purpose The objective of this task is to provide utilization and turnover metrics to assist in planning staffing levels and checking the Incident Management SMF against other SMFs. These reports can be used in conjunction with other SMFs (such as Service Level Management, Financial Management, and Workforce Management) and can also be used by members of the six MOF role clusters (such as Operations, Support, and Release).
Procedure 1: Create monthly metric The details of this task should show the cost of the Incident Management process, and where resources should be allocated to optimize its performance. The following metrics should be provided: ●
Percent closed incidents. This metric is created by taking the total number of cases closed for a month and dividing it by the number of cases opened for the month.
●
Percent incidents closed on first contact. This metric is created by taking the total number of cases closed on first contact and dividing it by the number of cases opened for the month.
●
Mean time to resolution. This metric measures the effectiveness of the Incident Management process. It is calculated by taking the total time spent on incident resolution and dividing it by the total number of cases closed. SLAs can be compared to this metric.
The numbers reported should then be analyzed to assess the Incident Management process and to determine how to improve effectiveness and efficiency. Dependencies ●
Responding to daily service request
●
Weekly service request activity report
Technology Required None
Print Service Product Operations Guide
Supporting Quadrant
Incident Management SMF
49
Support and Operations Role Clusters
Daily and weekly
Process: Investigation and diagnosis Description This process deals with the investigation of an incident and gathering of diagnostic data. The aim of the process is to identify how the incident can be resolved as quickly as possible.
Task: Respond to daily service request Purpose The objective of this task is to make sure all incidents are answered and there is an incident owner responsible for the incident life cycle. This serves the organization in two ways: ●
The customer understands that, when an incident is reported, there will be confirmation that someone from the incident management team has reviewed the request. This confirmation ensures that the customer will continue to use the incident-support channel setup in the organization.
●
Each incident will have an owner responsible for collecting background information and doing preliminary troubleshooting. The owner is responsible for contacting other technical specialists to assist the customer in resolving the incident. The owner must also document the incident and make sure contributing technicians add their comments to the incident request. The act of designating an owner ensures there is a single point of contact (SPOC) for the incident from the customer’s and from the organization’s perspective.
Procedure 1: Acknowledge receipt of service request 1. Give the customer an incident case number prior to collecting data and troubleshooting the incident. 2. Send the customer e-mail confirming receipt of the incident request.
Procedure 2: Document incident Document the problem, the system affected, actions taken to troubleshoot, and any plan to resolve the incident. The following are systems that can be affected in a printing environment: ●
Print server
●
Print device
●
Print queue
●
Print monitor
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Procedure 3: Update customer on status of incident Send the customer e-mail confirming the problems, the system affected, actions taken to troubleshoot, and the current plan to resolve the incident. If another technician is involved in troubleshooting, make sure that person’s notes are part of the case documentation.
Procedure 4: Close incident If the incident is not resolved on the customer’s initial request for incident management, follow up with the customer and other technicians until the incident is resolved. Dependencies ●
Incident ticketing system
●
An SLA on how customers request incident management, for example, through e-mail or a service phone number
Technology Required ●
Third-party tools that provide incident-management ticketing functionality
●
A Microsoft Access or Microsoft SQL Server database, which can also be used to create incident tickets
Task: Create weekly service request activity report Purpose In the report, give a high-level view of service requests from the perspective of when they were opened, when they were closed, and how long they were open before they were closed. The organization may have an SLA regarding the time it takes a customer to get a response from the incident management team once an incident has been reported. Managers and leads can use the data to organize the workload of the incident management team. Managers and leads can also assess the effectiveness and efficiency of the incident management team. This information is important to the members of the incident management team as well, since they can then view the incident case load and attend to those cases that have remained open for a long period of time. The following is an example of some of the information that can be included in the activity report: ●
Total number of cases opened
●
Total number of cases closed
●
Number of cases closed on first contact with incident management team
●
Number of days a case has been open
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Procedure 1: Create report metrics The method used to collect the data is dependent on features of an organization’s incident tracking solution, but the content should be independent of the solution. ●
Total number of cases opened. This metric is collected for individual members of the team as well as the whole team. It highlights the volume of incidents being opened involving Print Service. When this metric is compared with the other metrics being collected, it provides the incident management team with a greater understanding of the Incident Management process.
●
Total number of cases closed. This metric is collected for individual members of the team as well as the whole team. It highlights the volume of incidents being closed involving Print Service. This metric is critical to evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency of the incident management team. The number of cases that are closed should be compared with the number that are opened in a week. Cases that carry over into the next week will require more incident management from the case owner.
●
Number of cases closed on first contact with incident management team. This metric is collected as the total for the team. It allows the incident management team to determine the effectiveness and efficiency of its process of incident management, and can directly affect customer satisfaction. When cases are closed on the first call, it reduces the number of cases that incident management team members have to manage.
●
Number of days a case has been open. This metric is collected for individual members of the team as well as the whole team. Cases that remain open for extended periods have a negative impact on customer satisfaction. The incident manager can use this metric to identify possible weaknesses on the incident management team that may require training or education. In addition, cases that remain open for long periods of time may be better handled by the problem management team. It is important to identify these types of cases and provide the incident owner with additional resources or escalate the issue to the problem management team.
Dependencies ●
Incident ticketing system
●
Incidents that are responded to on a daily basis
●
An SLA on how an incident is handled and when it gets escalated to the problem management team
Technology Required ●
Third-party tools that provide incident-management ticketing functionality
●
Reports that can be built from an Access or SQL Server database
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Support Quadrant
Problem Management SMF
Operations Role Cluster
Daily
Process: Problem recording and classification Description This process deals with the initial detection and recording of a problem, which can originate from a variety of sources and media. Problems may be reported through the Incident Management process or as a result of analysis from the data collected by the problem management team. Additionally, other SMFs such as Availability Management and Capacity Management might be used to detect problems and pass this information to the problem management team. It is important that problems be linked to existing incidents and that all problems be recorded to facilitate prioritization of problem resolution. Once a problem has been recorded, it is assessed against the business impact of the problem and the urgency of the required solution. This assessment determines how the problem will be classified.
Task: Review daily problem-management reports Purpose Ensure the appropriate resources and priority level have been assigned to current problems. The report should include status on any problems from the previous day and overnight.
Procedure 1: Check print server and printer status 1. Check print server status. The status of each print server should be included in this report. This information could include: ●
Whether the print server is online.
●
Whether there are any approved request for changes (RFCs) pending.
●
The status of the last backup.
●
Confirmation that the performance monitor log exists for the server.
2. Check printer status. The status of each print device should be included in this report. The information could include: ●
Whether the printer is online.
●
Whether there are any approved RFCs pending
Procedure 2: Review problems transferred from incident management Review each incident that has been transferred to the problem management team from the incident management team.
Print Service Product Operations Guide
Procedure 3: Prioritize and assign Based on the information received from print server status, printer status, and problems transferred from incident management, set the priority of each problem and assign the appropriate team members. Dependencies ●
Print server monitoring
●
Printer monitoring
Technology Required ●
System Monitor
●
Printers and Faxes
53
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Changing Quadrant
Change Management SMF
Infrastructure Role Cluster
Daily
Process: Change classification and authorization Description After an RFC has passed the initial screening, the change manager must classify and categorize the request for change. The priority level set for a particular RFC determines how quickly the change advisory board (CAB) will review the RFC. After the change manager has correctly prioritized and categorized the change, the change must be authorized. The process of authorizing a change request depends upon the category and priority of the change: ●
Emergency priority changes are escalated to the CAB emergency committee (CAB/EC) for fast-track approval.
●
Standard changes are approved automatically and progress directly to the change development and release phase.
●
Minor changes can be approved by the change manager without reference to the CAB.
●
All other changes must be approved by the CAB.
Task: Attend CAB meeting Purpose The CAB meets to review the significant and major changes to the operations environment. From a print-service perspective, change requests involving updating print monitors, print drivers, registry modifications, and adding a new type of print device to the environment can be evaluated at this weekly meeting. Attendance at the meeting is important to participate in the change management of Print Service. Contribution to the process could include additional data regarding a particular Print Service RFC that members of the CAB may not have available to them. Additionally, it is important to understand other RFCs that may have an indirect effect on the delivery of individual print services. The organization should consider these effects when approving an RFC for change development.
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Procedure 1: Attend CAB meeting ●
Consider the effect that any RFC may have on print services. Review RFCs that might affect Print Service configuration items (CIs): ●
Print server hardware
●
Print device hardware
●
Domain controller hardware
●
Hardware vendor
●
Server role (what is the server function: print server or domain controller?)
●
Windows Server 2003 software
●
Service packs
●
Hotfixes
●
Third-party printing software
●
Monitoring software
●
Backup software
●
Processes and procedures
●
Documentation
Task: Review emergency change request Purpose The objective of this task is to provide guidance to the CAB/EC on how to process an emergency request for change. Emergency change requests should be kept to a minimum because they typically involve high risk. Emergency changes to various print services can have a great impact on a large number of users or can affect business processes that depend on print output. For this reason, it is very important to have a process for prioritizing and attending to urgent problems associated with these print services. The Infrastructure Role Cluster is responsible for this task, but a request for emergency change can be initiated by any of the six role clusters. An emergency change request could involve the release of updates to the operating system, third-party applications, or configuration changes.
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Procedure 1: Contact CAB/EC 1. Make sure system has server backup and printer configuration backup. Prior to contacting CAB/EC members, make sure the print server has a successful server backup and print configuration backup. 2. Select CAB/EC members. This should include standing members of the CAB as well as those members who can give the greatest guidance regarding Print Service. 3. Notify the CAB/EC of the emergency change request. Each member of the CAB/EC who was identified in Step 1 has to be notified of the emergency change request. It is important that every attempt be made to contact each member of the CAB/EC; this may include e-mail, mobile devices, and other communication methods. The member should be given an expected time to respond to emergency change request meetings and a general sense of the change request. 4. Review the request for change. Collect all information pertaining to changes to Print Service including asking the change initiator additional questions. The following are types of change that could be included: ●
Applying service packs
●
Adding a new print server
●
Adding a new print device
●
Adding a new print driver
●
Adding a new print monitor
●
Updating a print driver
●
Migrating a printer configuration
●
Moving a spooler to a different location
●
Changing the location of a printer
●
Changing a process or script used to administer print servers
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Along with the type of change, collect the CI that will be affected by the change. Configuration items are objects that are subject to change. Any item that has the possibility of changing falls under change management. For print servers these items include: ●
Print server hardware
●
Print device hardware
●
Domain-controller hardware
●
Hardware vendor
●
Server role (what is the server function: print server or domain controller?)
●
Windows Server 2003 software
●
Service packs
●
Hotfixes
●
Third-party printing software
●
Monitoring software
●
Backup software
●
Processes and procedures
●
Documentation
●
RFCs
Dependencies ●
An established process for initiating a change request in the operations environment
●
An identified CAB/EC roster and individuals who are contacted for emergency changes as they relate to various print services
Technology Required Operations team familiar with MOF/ITIL
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Operating Quadrant
Print and Output Management SMF
Support Role Cluster
As Needed
Process: Print and output configuration activities— managing printers Description Managing printers affects the entire workload of the printer, not just individual documents. Typical tasks include pausing, resuming, and purging the queue for a printer. If a printer becomes faulty, one might need to send documents in its queue to another printer. This prevents users from having to resubmit print jobs that are already in the queue. Documents can be redirected to a printer on the same print server or on a different print server. However, both printers must use the same print driver.
Task: Transfer documents to another printer Purpose This task moves jobs to a suitable printer during problem management.
Procedure 1: Send job to printer on the same print server 1. Start Printers and Faxes. 2. Double-click the printer that holds the documents you want to redirect. 3. On the Printer menu, click Properties. 4. Click the Ports tab, click the port to which the other printer is assigned, and then click OK.
Procedure 2: Send job to printer on another print server 1. Start Printers and Faxes. 2. Double-click the printer that holds the documents you want to redirect. 3. On the Printer menu, click Properties. 4. Click the Ports tab, click Add Port, click Local Port, and then click New Port. Type the name of the other print server and the share name of the shared printer in the following format: \\other_print_server\share_name
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Procedure 3: Use WMI to transfer documents to another printer queue Use the following script with WMI to transfer documents to another printer queue. The script changes the TCP/IP printer port for a logical printer, which has the net effect of transferring existing print jobs to the new printer port, and thus to a different printer. strComputer = "." Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:" _ & "{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2") Set objPrinter = objWMIService.Get _ ("Win32_Printer.DeviceID='<printer Device Name>'") objPrinter.PortName = "" objPrinter.Put_
Dependencies ●
Since the documents you send to the printer are converted into that printer’s language, you must redirect the documents to the same type of printer, such as a laser, ink-jet, or dot-matrix.
●
To redirect documents to another printer, you must have Manage Printers permission for both printers.
●
To redirect documents to another print server, the printer must already exist and be shared on the print server.
●
The document currently printing cannot be transferred to another printer.
●
If the printer holding the print jobs is offline or has a paper jam, the document showing the error cannot be moved to a new port.
●
If a print job shows an error, all subsequent print jobs will be held until the document is deleted from the print queue.
Technology Required ●
Printers and Faxes
●
Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI)
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Operating Quadrant
Directory Services Administration SMF
Support Role Cluster
As Needed
Process: Maintaining the directory Purpose The data contained in the directory is, or very soon will be, critical to the base operation and productivity of the organization. If the directory becomes unavailable for any reason (for example, through equipment failure or data corruption), the business will suffer from lost productivity and financial loss. Developing sound backup and restore procedures for the directory and supporting system components ensures that no critical directory data and configuration information will be lost.
Task: Publish printers to Active Directory Purpose This task supports printers that may have been initially installed without being published to Active Directory.
Procedure 1: Publish printer 1. Start Printers and Faxes. 2. Right-click the printer that will be published, and then click Sharing. 3. Select the List in the Directory check box to publish the printer in Active Directory. Dependencies ●
Printer must be shared.
●
Printer must be installed on Windows 2000 or Windows Server 2003.
●
You must have Manage Printers permission for the printer you want to share or to publish.
Technology Required Printers and Faxes
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Task: Manually publish printers to Active Directory Purpose This task supports publishing printers to Active Directory that may have been installed on Windows NT 4.0 or an older operating system.
Procedure 1: Publish printer 1. Click Start, click Control Panel, double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Active Directory Users and Computers. 2. In the Name dialog box, right-click the container object in which to publish the printer. 3. Point to New, and then click Printer. 4. Type the UNC name of the printer that you want to publish in the directory.
Procedure 2: Automate printer publishing PubPrn.vbs can be used to automate publishing the printer to Active Directory, as follows: Usage:
pubprn.vbs \\MyServer\Printer
""LDAP://CN=MyContainer,DC=MyDomain,DC=Company,DC=Com""
Printer publishing can also be automated using Windows Script Host. The following is a simple command that can read an input file. Each line of the input lists the UNC path to the printer. The one-line script is saved as a .vbs file and executed from the command line: For /F %%i IN (printers.txt) DO pubprn.vbs %%i
To execute the script directly from the command line, change “%%i” to “%i”. Dependencies ●
Printer must be shared.
●
You must be a member of the Print Operators group, Domain Admins group, or the Enterprise Admins group in Active Directory.
Technology Required ●
Active Directory Users and Computers MMC snap-in
●
PubPrn.vbs
●
Windows Script Host
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Optimizing Quadrant
Capacity Management SMF
Infrastructure Role Cluster
As Needed
Process: Managing resources and service performance Description Capacity management is concerned with optimized utilization of IT resources in order to achieve the level of performance agreed to with the client. These resources are supplied by support organizations to ensure the requirements of the business are met. The process of capacity management can be either reactive or proactive. Iterative activities, such as monitoring, analyzing, tuning, and reporting are also important in the process of managing resources and service performance. The type of data for each differs. For example, the level of utilization of individual components in the infrastructure is relevant to IT resource management, while the transaction throughput rates and response time are pertinent to service-performance management.
Task: Move spooler to another disk to optimize performance Purpose Print servers that have a large number of printers or that provide service for large print jobs may require that the spooler be moved to a disk with adequate disk space to spool print requests.
Procedure 1: Move spooler to alternate location 1. Start Printers and Faxes. 2. On the File menu, click Server Properties, and then click the Advanced tab. 3. In the Spool folder window, enter the path and the name of the new default spool folder for this print server, and then click Apply or OK. 4. Stop and restart the spooler service, or restart the server. Dependencies Destination location for spooler folder has to have adequate space for spooled print jobs. Technology Required Printers and Faxes
4 Processes by MOF Role Clusters This chapter is designed for those who want to see all processes for a single role cluster in one place. The information is the same as that in the previous two chapters. The only difference is that the processes are ordered by MOF role cluster.
Operations Role Cluster Daily Processes Process 1: Print and output maintenance support activities—print queues Task 1: Monitor print queue for performance Process 2: Investigation and diagnosis Task 1: Respond to daily service request Process 3: Problem recording and classification Task 1: Review daily problem-management reports Process 4: Managing resources and service performance Task 1: Capture service-performance statistics Task 2: Capture service-usage statistics Weekly Processes Process 1: Investigation and diagnosis Task 1: Create weekly service request activity report Process 2: Designing for recovery Task 1: Update automated system recovery backup
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Monthly Processes Process 1: Incident closure Task 1: Roll up activity report into monthly metric Quarterly Processes Process 1: Designing for recovery Task 1: Validate automated system recovery backup As-Needed Processes There are no as-needed processes for this role cluster.
Support Role Cluster Daily Processes Process1: Data backup, restore, and recovery operations Task 1: Back up printer configuration Process 2: Investigation and diagnosis Task 1: Respond to daily service requests Weekly Processes Process 1: Data backup, restore, and recovery operations Task 1: Run weekly normal backup Process 2: Investigation and diagnosis Task 1: Create weekly service request activity report Monthly Processes There are no monthly processes for this role cluster. As-Needed Processes Process 1: Print and output configuration activities—managing printers Task 1: Transfer documents to another printer Process 2: Maintaining the directory Task 1: Publish printers to Active Directory Task 2: Manually publish printers to Active Directory
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Release Role Cluster Daily Processes There are no daily processes for this role cluster. Weekly Processes There are no weekly processes for this role cluster. Monthly Processes There are no monthly processes for this role cluster. As-Needed Processes There are no as-needed processes for this role cluster.
Infrastructure Role Cluster Daily Processes Process 1: Change classification and authorization Task 1: Attend CAB meeting Task 2: Review emergency change request Weekly Processes There are no weekly processes for this role cluster. Monthly Processes Process 1: Reviewing configuration items Task 1: Compliance check—verify installed print drivers Task 2: Compliance check—verify printers published in Active Directory Process 1: Managing resources and service performance Task 1: Create service performance and utilization report Task 2: Create system load and utility report Process 2: Maintenance and support activities Task 1: Compliance check—enumerate unused printer ports Process 3: Reviewing configuration items Task 1: Compliance check—verify installed print drivers Task 2: Compliance check—verify printers published in Active Directory As-Needed Processes There are no as-needed processes for this role cluster.
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Security Role Cluster Daily Processes There are no daily processes for this role cluster. Weekly Processes There are no weekly processes for this role cluster. Monthly Processes There are no monthly processes for this role cluster. As-Needed Processes There are no as-needed processes for this role cluster.
Partner Role Cluster Daily Processes There are no daily processes for this role cluster. Weekly Processes There are no weekly processes for this role cluster. Monthly Processes There are no monthly processes for this role cluster. As-Needed Processes There are no as-needed processes for this role cluster.
5 Troubleshooting Overview The following tables contain troubleshooting tips that should be useful in maintaining this product. The tips are based on known issues, and follow the best practices for troubleshooting and problem management outlined by the Incident Management SMF and the Problem Management SMF, both found in the MOF Supporting Quadrant.
Problem #1: Cannot print to a network printer Description of Problem You cannot print to a network printer. The methods used to resolve this problem are independent of the program. Resolution of Problem Verify basic network connectivity. Check user rights, protocols, and share names to determine if you can see the server. Copy files to a share on the print server using Windows Explorer. If you cannot access the server, you may not be able to access the printer. Create a local printer and redirect the port to the network printer. In the ports section, create a new port. Click Local and type the server and printer name for the printer (for example, \\servername\printername). Use this port for the local printer. This determines whether there is a problem with the copying of files from the server to the workstation when you click Connect To Setup or Network Printer in the Add Printer Wizard. If you are printing from a Microsoft MS-DOS® based program, make sure that the NET USE command has been run to map the LPT port to the network share. If it has, delete it and remap the port. If the printer works now, there may be an issue with ghosted connections. A command may need to be run in the logon script to remap the port each time you log on. If the printer is still not printing, try typing dir > LPT <x> where <x> is the number of the port being mapped. If it still does not print, doublecheck the networking.
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
If you are using LPR or printing to a JetDirect card using TCP/IP protocol, try the following: ●
Use the PING protocol to look for the IP address. If it fails, check the network connectivity and verify the IP address.
●
Create an LPR port to the printer, and then create a local printer connected to that port. This is the recommended way to connect to a JetDirect printer. Sharing this printer on the network allows the computer to act as a print queue for the JetDirect printer.
Problem #2: Cannot print from a program Description of Problem You cannot print from a program. The methods used to resolve this problem are independent of the program. Resolution of Problem ●
Use a simpler file. Try creating a new document with less information in it. This determines if it is the program or something in the documents that is causing the problem.
●
Check available disk space on the system drive. If there is not enough room to spool the job, larger jobs may fail where smaller jobs may not.
●
Try to print from another operating system. If possible, test with a third operating system. If it prints correctly, the problem is related to the output file.
Problem #3: Spooler retries old print job Description of Problem When you send a print job to a printer, the print spooler might not delete the spool file from the %SystemRoot%\System32\Spool\Printers folder when the print job is completed, and the print spooler might repeatedly attempt to spool the print job. Resolution of Problem ●
To prevent this behavior from occurring, do not change the attributes of a spool file while it is in the %SystemRoot%\System32\Spool\Printers folder.
●
To work around this behavior, remove the read-only attribute and then delete the spool file from the %SystemRoot%\System32\Spool\Printers folder.
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Problem #4: Print server modifies print jobs Descriptions and Resolutions of Problem Print server modifies client print jobs. There are five common job-alteration problems, each with its own resolution: Description of Problem (1) LPR client print jobs include PCL or PostScript code, include incorrectly printed extended characters, or print in the print device’s default font. Resolution of Problem (1) This problem occurs when the LPR client sends commands to the Windows TCP/IP print server that responds by assigning the print job the TEXT data type. ●
Reconfigure the LPR clients to send different commands so that Windows assigns the job the RAW data type.
Description of Problem (2) Last page of a Microsoft network-based client print job does not print. Resolution of Problem (2) This problem occurs when client applications do not append form-feed commands to their print jobs, and the print manager default data type is RAW. To resolve this: ●
Set the default data type value to RAW [FF Auto] or RAW [FF Appended], or reconfigure the client application to append a form feed to print jobs.
Description of Problem (3) Extra page prints after a Microsoft network-based client print job. Resolution of Problem (3) This problem occurs when the client application appends form-feed characters to its print jobs, and the print manager default data type is RAW [FF Appended] or RAW [FF Auto]. Print jobs from Windows- based applications are always appended with form-feed characters; print jobs from MS-DOS-based applications often do not have form feeds at the end. The following are methods for resolving this problem: ●
If client print jobs sent to the print share already have form-feed commands, set the default data type to RAW.
●
If some client print jobs include form-feed commands but others do not, set the default data type to RAW [FF Auto].
●
Reconfigure the applications to prevent them from adding the form-feed command to print jobs.
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Description of Problem (4) Microsoft network-based client print jobs include PCL or PostScript code, include incorrectly printed extended characters, or print in the print device’s default font. Resolution of Problem (4) This problem occurs when the print manager default data type is TEXT. To resolve this: ●
Set the default data type value to RAW.
Description of Problem (5) PostScript print jobs sent from Macintosh clients do not print in color, print at a lower resolution, or fail. Resolution of Problem (5) This problem occurs because the Windows print server assigns the print job the PSCRIPT1 data type if the target print device is not a PostScript device. This causes the spooler to convert the client PostScript print job into the native language of the print device. The conversion software only supports Level 1 PostScript, it does not support color, and it does not produce output at a resolution of 300 dots per inch (DPI). The following are methods for resolving this problem: ●
Run print manager and reconfigure the printer to use a PostScript print driver.
●
Send print jobs directly to the print device instead of sending them to the Windows print server.
●
Purchase a third-party replacement for the Windows Services for Macintosh raster image processor (RIP).
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Problem #5: Spooler and “Out of resource” messages Description of Problem ●
When you restart the computer or restart the print spooler service, you receive the following error message: “Spoolsv.exe failed to start.”
●
When you open the printer’s properties, you receive the following error message: "Out of resource error."
●
When you print a document, you receive an “Access violation“ (Dr. Watson) error message. The Dr. Watson log points to the Spoolsv.exe with error code C0000005. You receive the following error message, and the print spooler stops: “The instruction at ‘’ referenced memory at ‘’. The memory could not be read.” Cause of Problem
These problems may occur if the default local port monitor is changed by a thirdparty program. Resolution of Problem The following are steps for resolving this problem: 1.
Start the Registry Editor (RegEdt32.exe).
2.
Locate the local port value under the following key in the registry: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Monito rs\LocalPort
3.
Double click the Driver subkey, and then edit the value. Change the string value to Localspl.dll and then click OK.
4.
Check the following registry key for third-party monitors. Remove any nondefault monitors: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Monito rs The default port monitors are: ●
Apple Talk Printing Devices (When Windows Services for Macintosh is installed)
●
BJ language monitor
●
Local port
●
PJL language monitor
●
Standard TCP/IP port
●
USB monitor
●
Windows NT fax monitor
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
5.
Check the following registry key for third-party print providers. Remove any nondefault print providers: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Pr oviders The default print providers are:
6.
●
Internet print providers
●
LanMan print services
Quit the Registry Editor and restart the print spooler.
Problem #6: “Could not connect to printer” Description of Problem When you attempt to print or connect to a print queue, the following error message may appear: “Could not connect to the printer <printer> because the print processor is unknown.” In addition, printer icons may be missing from the Printers folder. Cause of Problem The winprint key is corrupted or missing, or the data value contains a leading space in the following registry location: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Environme nts\ Windows NT x86\Print Processors Resolution of Problem 1.
Start the Registry Editor (RegEdt32.exe).
2.
Go to the following registry location: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Environ ments\Windows NT x86\Print Processors
3.
Click the Print Processors key.
4.
On the Edit menu, click Add Key, and then type winprint in the Key Name field of the Add Key dialog box (leave the Class field blank).
5.
Type the following values (shown in bold type) in the Add Value dialog box, and then click OK: ●
Value Name: Driver
●
Data Type: REG_SZ
6.
For the String Value, type localspl.dll , and click OK.
7.
Quit the Registry Editor and restart the print server.
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Problem #7: Application error, Spoolsv.exe, access violation message Description of Problem When you attempt to print or configure the printer in Windows Server 2003, you may receive the following error message: ●
An application error has occurred and an application error log is being generated.
●
Spoolsv.exe
●
Exception: access violation (0xc0000005), Address: Cause of Problem
This problem occurs if you have many .SHD and .SPL files in the spool directory. The default location for all printer spool files is %SystemRoot%\System32\Spool\Printers. Resolution of Problem 1.
Stop the spooler service.
2.
Remove the .SHD and .SPL files from the Spool directory.
3.
Remove any unused or old .TMP file from the Temp directory.
4.
Restart the spooler service.
Problem #8: Spoolsv.exe or “print subsystem is unavailable” message Description of Problem When you start a Windows Server 2003 print server, you may receive the following error message: “Spoolsv.exe has generated an error.” Also, if you try to view the properties of a printer, you may receive an error message that says the print subsystem is unavailable. Cause of Problem The print spooler service might have stopped. This problem can also occur if the server running Windows Server 2003 has a print driver that is designed for Windows 98 or Windows NT. Resolution of Problem 1.
Start the Registry Editor (RegEdt32.exe).
2.
Locate and remove the following key from the registry: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Print\Printers\
3.
Quit the Registry Editor.
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Problem #9: Cannot create or select a print monitor Description of Problem You are unable to create or select a print monitor. One of the following symptoms may occur: ●
Double-clicking one of the installed available print monitors does nothing.
●
When trying to add a port, such as an LPR Port, you may receive a Dr. Watson access violation or application error message in Spoolsv.exe. This may be followed by: “Specified port cannot be added. The remote procedure call failed. The printer already exists.” Cause of Problem
This problem is caused by the spooler service not being allowed to interact with the desktop. Resolution of Problem 1.
In Control Panel, double-click the Services icon.
2.
Click the Spooler service, and click the Startup button.
3.
Verify that the service is configured to log on using the system account, and that it is allowed to interact with the desktop.
4.
If invalid network printer port names appear in the list, they can be deleted from within the print manager.
Problem #10: PrintQueue objects are deleted Description of Problem All of the PrintQueue objects published by print servers on the same site as a given domain controller may be detected as orphaned and deleted, even though the corresponding printers are available in the domain. Cause of Problem When this occurs, the printer pruner writes a system event for each PrintQueue object that is detected as an orphan. This can accumulate rapidly for sites with large numbers of published print queues. If there are many published printers on the site, the system event log may become filled with printer pruner events. Resolution of Problem To prevent incorrect printer pruning while a domain controller is removed from the network, use either of the following methods: ●
Before removing a domain controller from the network for an interval longer than the directory pruning interval and directory pruning retry periods, set the Directory Pruning Interval value to Never. These policies are located in Group Policy Object Editor under Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Printers.
●
Stop the spooler service on the domain controller.
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The information contained in this document represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation on the issues discussed as of the date of publication. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information presented after the date of publication.
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Print Service Product Operations Guide
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Contents Introduction to Product Operations Guide........................................................................... ............1 Document Purpose................................................................................................................. .....1 Intended Audience.................................................................................................................. .....1 How to Use This Guide............................................................................................................. ...1 Background.............................................................................................................. ...................2 High-Level Tasks for Maintaining Windows Server 2003 Print Service........................................................................................... .....5 Overview............................................................................................................. ........................5 Technology Required.............................................................................................................. .....6 Maintenance Processes Checklist........................................................................................... ....8 Operating Quadrant................................................................................................ .................8 Supporting Quadrant............................................................................................................. .12 Optimizing Quadrant.................................................................................................. ............14 Changing Quadrant............................................................................................................... .16 Detailed Maintenance Actions............................................................................................... ........18 Overview.......................................................................................................... .........................18 Process: Data backup, restore, and recovery operations............................................. .............19 Task: Back up printer configuration............................................................................ ............19 Process: Data backup, restore, and recovery operations............................................. .............21 Task: Run weekly normal backup.............................................................. ............................21 Process: Designing for recovery............................................................................................ ....23 Task: Update automated system recovery backup.................................... ............................23 Process: Designing for recovery............................................................................................ ....25 Task: Validate automated system recovery backup....................................... ........................25 Process: Print and output maintenance support activities—print queues..................................27 Task: Monitor print queue for performance................................................... .........................27 Process: Managing resources and service performance.................................................... .......30 Task: Capture service-performance statistics.............................................. ..........................30 Task: Capture service-usage statistics............................................................................ .......35 Process: Managing resources and service performance.................................................... .......38 Task: Create service performance and utilization report..................................... ...................38 Task: Create system load and utility report........................................................ ....................39 Process: Reviewing configuration items....................................................................... .............40 Task: Capture configuration snapshot............................................................................. .......40 Process: Maintenance and support activities................................................... .........................43 Task: Compliance check—enumerate unused printer ports........................................... ........43 Process: Reviewing configuration items....................................................................... .............45 Task: Compliance check—verify installed print drivers.................................. ........................45 Task: Compliance check—verify printers published in Active Directory.................................46 Process: Incident closure.................................................................................. ........................48 Task: Roll up activity report into monthly metric..................................................... ................48 Process: Investigation and diagnosis................................................................. .......................49 Task: Respond to daily service request................................................................................ ..49 Task: Create weekly service request activity report........................................ .......................50 Process: Problem recording and classification............................................................ ..............52 Task: Review daily problem-management reports........................................... ......................52 Process: Change classification and authorization................................................ .....................54 Task: Attend CAB meeting................................................................................. ....................54 Task: Review emergency change request.................................................... .........................55 Process: Print and output configuration activities—managing printers......................................58 Task: Transfer documents to another printer...................................................................... ....58 Process: Maintaining the directory................................................................. ...........................60 Task: Publish printers to Active Directory................................................................. ..............60
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Task: Manually publish printers to Active Directory............................................... .................61 Process: Managing resources and service performance.................................................... .......62 Task: Move spooler to another disk to optimize performance................................................62 Processes by MOF Role Clusters.................................................................................. ...............63 Operations Role Cluster....................................................................................................... ..63 Support Role Cluster............................................................................................................. .64 Release Role Cluster................................................................................................. ............65 Infrastructure Role Cluster....................................................................................... ..............65 Security Role Cluster........................................................................................... ..................66 Partner Role Cluster....................................................................................... .......................66 Troubleshooting.................................................................................................... ........................67 Overview.......................................................................................................... .........................67 Problem #1: Cannot print to a network printer............................................ ...........................67 Problem #2: Cannot print from a program............................................................................ ..68 Problem #3: Spooler retries old print job........................................................................ ........68 Problem #4: Print server modifies print jobs................................................ ..........................69 Problem #5: Spooler and “Out of resource” messages.............................................. ............71 Problem #6: “Could not connect to printer”........................................................ ....................72 Problem #7: Application error, Spoolsv.exe, access violation message.................................73 Problem #8: Spoolsv.exe or “print subsystem is unavailable” message.............................. ...73 Problem #9: Cannot create or select a print monitor........................................................ ......74 Problem #10: PrintQueue objects are deleted.................................................. .....................74
Print Service Product Operations Guide
Contributors Program Manager Jeff Yuhas, Microsoft Corporation
Lead Writers Michael Sarabosing, Covestic Inc, USA Akil Washington, Covestic Inc., USA
Other Contributors Steve Barnard, Microsoft Consulting Services Trung Huynh, Microsoft Corporation
Test Manager Greg Gicewicz, Microsoft Corporation
QA Manager Jim Ptaszynski, Microsoft Corporation
Lead Technical Writer Jerry Dyer, Microsoft Corporation
Lead Technical Editor Laurie Dunham, Microsoft Corporation
Editor Susan Joly, Volt Technical Services
Production Editor Kevin Klein, Microsoft Corporation
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1 Introduction to Product Operations Guide Document Purpose This guide describes processes and procedures for improving the management of Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 Print Service in an information technology (IT) infrastructure.
Intended Audience This material should be useful for anyone planning to deploy this product into an existing IT infrastructure, especially one based on the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) —a comprehensive set of best practices for IT service management—and Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF). It is aimed primarily at two main groups: IT managers and IT support staff (including analysts and service-desk specialists).
How to Use This Guide This guide is divided into five main chapters. The first chapter provides basic background information. The second chapter provides a high-level checklist of the tasks required for maintaining this product. The third chapter takes a more detailed look at the tasks described in the maintenance chapter. The fourth chapter organizes tasks by the MOF role cluster responsible for each task. The fifth chapter provides information about common troubleshooting techniques for Windows Server 2003 Print Service. The guide may be read as a single volume, including the detailed maintenance and troubleshooting sections. Reading the document this way will provide the necessary context so that later material can be understood more readily. However, some people will prefer to use the document as a reference, only looking up information as they need it.
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Background This guide is based on Microsoft Solutions for Management (MSM). MSM provides a combination of best practices, best-practice implementation services, and bestpractice automation, all of which help customers achieve operational excellence as demonstrated by high quality of service, industry reliability, availability, and security, and low total cost of ownership (TCO). These MSM best practices are based on MOF, a structured, yet flexible approach centered around ITIL. MOF includes guidelines on how to plan, deploy, and maintain IT operational processes in support of mission-critical service solutions. Central to MOF—and to understanding the structure of this guide—are the MOF Process and Team Models. The Process Model and its underlying service management functions (SMFs) are the foundation for the process-based approach that this guide recommends for maintaining a product. The Team Model and its role clusters offer guidance for ensuring the proper people are assigned to operational roles. Figure 1 shows the MOF Process Model combined with the SMFs that make up each quadrant of the Process Model.
Figure 1 MOF Process Model and SMFs
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3
Figure 2 shows the MOF Team Model, along with some of the many functional roles or function teams that might exist in service management organizations. These roles and function teams are shown mapped to the MOF role cluster to which they would likely belong.
Change management Release/systems engineering Configuration control/asset management Software distribution/licensing Intellectual property protection Quality assurance Network and system security Intrusion detection Virus protection Release Audit and compliance admin Contingency planning
Enterprise architecture Infrastructure engineering Capacity management Cost/IT budget management Resource and long-range planning
Security
Infrastructure
Partner
Support
Maintenance vendors Environment support Managed services, outsourcers, trading partners Software/hardware suppliers
Operations
Messaging operations Database operations Network administration Monitoring/metrics Availability management
Figure 2 MOF Team Model and examples of functional roles or teams
Service desk/help desk Production/production support Problem management Service level management
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
The MOF Team Model is built on six quality goals, which are described and matched with the applicable team role cluster in Table 1. Table 1. MOF Team Model Quality Goals and Role Clusters Quality Goal
Team Role Cluster
Effective release and change management. Accurate inventory tracking of all IT services and systems.
Release
Management of physical environments and infrastructure tools.
Infrastructure
Quality customer support and a service culture.
Support
Predictable, repeatable, and automated system management.
Operations
Mutually beneficial relationships with service and supply partners.
Partner
Protected corporate assets, controlled authorization, and proactive security planning.
Security
Further information about MSM and MOF is available at http://www.microsoft.com/solutions/msm/techinfo/default.asp, or search for the topic on TechNet at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/default.asp. You can also contact your local Microsoft or partner representative.
2 High-Level Tasks for Maintaining Windows Server 2003 Print Service Overview Every company consists of employees (people), activities that those employees perform (processes), and tools that help them perform those activities (technology). No matter what the business, it most likely consists of people, processes, and technology working together to achieve a common goal. Table 2 illustrates this point. Table 2. People, Processes, and Technology Working Together Area
People
Process
Technology
Auto repair industry
Mechanic
Repair manual
Socket set
Software development industry
Programmer
Project plan
Compiler; debugger
IT operations
IT technician
Microsoft Operations Framework
Windows Server 2003 Print Service
Windows Server 2003 includes intelligent print services—fault tolerant, discoverable, server-based printing that improves printer reliability, manageability, and security. In addition, both IT administrators and end users benefit from simplified common printing tasks, such as sharing, finding, and connecting to network printers. This guide offers assistance in managing all of these print services on Windows Server 2003.
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Technology Required Table 3 lists the tools or technologies that are required for the procedures described in this guide. All tools should be accessed from a Windows Server 2003 console. Table 3. Technology Required for Procedures Described Technology Required
Description
Location
Printers and Faxes
Tool used to create and manage printers on a server.
Start > Printers and Faxes
System Monitor
Tool used to collect data on server health and performance.
Start > All Programs > Administrative Tools > Performance
(formerly known in Windows® 2000 as Performance Monitor)
Or to open System Monitor using the command line: Start > Run. In the Open box, type perfmon, and then click OK.
Event Viewer
Tool used to monitor and gather information on system, security, and application events.
Start > All Programs > Administrative Tools > Event Viewer Or to open Event Viewer using the command line: Start >Run. In the Open box, type eventvwr.msc, and then click OK.
Quota Entries window
Tool used to view and configure quotas on a volume.
On the properties page of an NTFS file system volume.
Distributed File System (DFS) MMC
Tool used to monitor DFS namespace including roots, links, and targets.
Start > All Programs > Administrative Tools > Distributed File System
Disk Cleanup
Tool used to remove unused temporary files, Internet cache files, and unnecessary program files.
Start >All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Cleanup
Print Service Product Operations Guide
Backup
7
Tool used to perform backup and restore operations.
Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Backup Or to open the Backup tool using the command line: Start > Run. In the Open box, type ntbackup, and then click OK.
Table 4 lists the tools or technologies that are recommended for the procedures described in this guide. Once again, all tools should be accessed from a Windows Server 2003 console, except in those cases where a link or other resource is listed. Table 4. Technology Recommended For Procedures Described Recommended Technology
Description
Location
Microsoft Print Migrator 3.0
Tool used to back up printer configuration on the print server. It can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/win dows2000/technologies/fileand print/print/download.asp.
Print Migrator download
SplInfo.exe
Command-line tool that collects information from the print spooler and displays it.
Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit
SetPrinter.exe
Command-line tool that is used to set configurations or states of local and remote printers, for an individual printer or for all printers on a print server.
Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit
SrvInfo.exe
Tool used to gather system information from servers.
Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit
PubPrn.vbs
Tool used to publish printers from a server that is not running Windows Server 2003 into a server that is running Windows Server 2003.
\winnt\system32
Microsoft Excel
Application used to format reports and analyze data.
Microsoft Office
PrnPort.vbs
Script used to manage printer ports.
\winnt\system32
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI)
Tool used to access management information in an enterprise environment. It can be found at http://msdn.microsoft.com/libr ary/default.asp?url=/library/enus/wmisdk/wmi/wmi_start_pa ge.asp
Start > Run. In the Open box, type wmimgmt.msc and then click OK.
Maintenance Processes Checklist The following checklists provide a quick reference for product maintenance processes that need to be performed on a regular basis. These processes offer a highlevel view of the processes described in subsequent sections of this guide. They are limited to those processes required for maintaining the product.
Operating Quadrant The processes for this section are based on the SMFs that make up the MOF Operating Quadrant. Further information about the MOF Process Model and the MOF SMFs is available at http://www.microsoft.com/solutions/msm/techinfo/default.asp, or search for “MOF Executive Overview,” or the name of the SMF, on TechNet ath http://www.microsoft.com/technet/default.asp.
Print and Output Management Daily Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
MOF Role Cluster
There are no weekly processes for this SMF. Weekly Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
MOF Role Cluster
There are no weekly processes for this SMF. Monthly Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
Maintenance and support activities
MOF Role Cluster Operations
As-Needed Processes Process Name Print and output
Related SMFs
MOF Role Cluster Support
Print Service Product Operations Guide
configuration activities— managing printers
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Directory Services Administration Daily Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
MOF Role Cluster
There are no daily processes for this SMF. Weekly Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
MOF Role Cluster
There are no weekly processes for this SMF. Monthly Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
MOF Role Cluster
There are no monthly processes for this SMF. As-Needed Processes Process Name Maintaining the directory
MOF Role Cluster Support
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Storage Management Daily Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
Data backup, restore, and recovery operations
MOF Role Cluster Support
Weekly Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
Data backup, restore, and recovery operations
MOF Role Cluster Support
Monthly Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
MOF Role Cluster
There are no monthly processes for this SMF. As-Needed Processes Process Name There are no as-needed processes for this SMF.
Related SMFs
MOF Role Cluster
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Supporting Quadrant The processes for this section are based on the SMFs that make up the MOF Supporting Quadrant.
Incident Management Daily Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
Investigation and diagnosis
MOF Role Cluster Support and Operations
Weekly Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
Investigation and diagnosis
MOF Role Cluster Support and Operations
Monthly Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
Incident closure
MOF Role Cluster Operations
As-Needed Processes Process Name There are no as-needed processes for this SMF.
Related SMFs
MOF Role Cluster
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Problem Management Daily Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
Problem recording and classification
MOF Role Cluster Operations
Weekly Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
MOF Role Cluster
There are no weekly processes for this SMF. Monthly Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
MOF Role Cluster
There are no monthly processes for this SMF. As-Needed Processes Process Name There are no as-needed processes for this SMF.
Related SMFs
MOF Role Cluster
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Optimizing Quadrant The tasks for this section are based on the SMFs that make up the MOF Optimizing Quadrant.
Capacity Management Daily Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
Managing resources and service performance
MOF Role Cluster Operations
Weekly Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
MOF Role Cluster
There are no weekly processes for this SMF. Monthly Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
Managing resources and service performance
MOF Role Cluster Infrastructure
As-Needed Processes Process Name There are no as-needed processes for this SMF.
Related SMFs
MOF Role Cluster
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Availability Management Daily Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
MOF Role Cluster
There are no daily processes for this SMF. Weekly Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
Designing for recovery
MOF Role Cluster Operations
Monthly Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
MOF Role Cluster
There are no monthly processes for this SMF. Quarterly Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
Designing for recovery
MOF Role Cluster Operations
As-Needed Processes Process Name There are no as-needed processes for this SMF.
Related SMFs
MOF Role Cluster
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Changing Quadrant The processes for this section are based on the SMFs that make up the MOF Changing Quadrant.
Change Management Daily Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
Change classification and authorization
MOF Role Cluster Infrastructure
Weekly Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
MOF Role Cluster
There are no weekly processes for this SMF. Monthly Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
Reviewing configuration items
MOF Role Cluster Infrastructure
As-Needed Processes Process Name There are no as-needed processes for this SMF.
Related SMFs
MOF Role Cluster
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Configuration Management Daily Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
MOF Role Cluster
There are no daily processes for this SMF. Weekly Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
MOF Role Cluster
There are no weekly processes for this SMF. Monthly Processes Process Name
Related SMFs
MOF Role Cluster
Maintenance and support activities
Infrastructure
Reviewing configuration items
Infrastructure As-Needed Processes
Process Name There are no as-needed processes for this SMF.
Related SMFs
MOF Role Cluster
3 Detailed Maintenance Actions Overview This chapter provides detailed information about the processes that must be performed in order to maintain Windows Server 2003 Print Service. These processes are arranged according to the MOF quadrant to which they belong and, within each quadrant, by the MOF SMF guides that make up that quadrant. Those quadrants are: ●
Operating Quadrant
●
Supporting Quadrant
●
Optimizing Quadrant
●
Changing Quadrant
Also included are the associated role cluster and the frequency with which a process must be performed—daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or as-needed. Further information about the MOF Process Model and the MOF SMFs is available at http://www.microsoft.com/solutions/msm/techinfo/default.asp, or search for “MOF Executive Overview,” or the name of the SMF, on TechNet at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/default.asp.
Print Service Product Operations Guide
Operating Quadrant
Storage Management SMF
19
Support Role Cluster
Daily
Process: Data backup, restore, and recovery operations Description Storing, restoring, and recovering data are key storage-management activities for maintaining company data. Data should be classified by type, and a strategy should be developed to ensure that operations fulfill business requirements and service level objectives.
Task: Back up printer configuration Purpose The objective of this task is to provide support for maintaining printer configuration in the printing environment. Backup of printer configuration provides a reliable method of maintaining data print queues, ports, and print drivers from an existing Windows server in a cabinet (.cab) file. The data can be used to migrate the printer to another server or restore printer configuration information to the local server. To achieve this objective, Print Migrator 3.0 provides a backup of printer configuration and print monitor attributes (including third party), print queues, print processors, print drivers, and print shares on various server types, which include Windows NT® 4.0 Service Pack (SP) 6a, Windows 2000 SP2, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003. Print Migrator is scriptable, so it can be run from the command line, and it supports scheduling. Further information about this printer migration tool is contained in “Print Migrator 3.0 Download,” available at http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/technologies/fileandprint/print/download. asp.
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Procedure 1: Back up printer configuration on a server 1. Browse to <path>\PrintMig3 and start PrintMig3.exe. 2. Click the Actions menu and select Backup. 3. Browse to the location where the backup files will be located, and type in the file name. To back up printer configuration on remote servers, type the remote server’s name in the Target Server dialog box. 4. Click the Open button to start the backup operation. 5. When the backup operation is complete, verify that the file FileName.cab exists in the backup location in Step 3.
Procedure 2: Automate printer configuration backup Print Migrator can be automated using Windows Script Host to run the printer configuration backup. The following is a simple script that can read an input file. Each line of the input file lists the universal naming convention (UNC) name of a print server. The script is saved as a .vbs file and executed from the command line. For /F %%i IN (input.txt) Do printmig –b “\\servername\sharename\filename.cab” %%i
To execute the script directly from the command line, change ”%%i” to “%i”. Dependencies Operator must have administrative privileges on print server. Technology Required ●
Print Migrator
●
Windows Script Host
Print Service Product Operations Guide
Operating Quadrant
Storage Management SMF
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Support Role Cluster
Weekly
Process: Data backup, restore, and recovery operations Description Backing up, restoring, and recovering data are key storage-management activities for maintaining company data. Data should be classified by type, and a strategy should be developed to ensure that operations fulfill business requirements and service level objectives.
Task: Run weekly normal backup Purpose Performing regularly scheduled backups is an integral part of any print-service operation environment. A weekly backup of the print server is necessary to facilitate data recovery and system recovery.
Procedure 1: Configure normal backup job 1. Start Backup. 2. Click the Backup tab. 3. Select the drives, folders, and files that will be included in the backup job. It is a good idea to include the system state information as part of the backup operation. 4. From the Tools menu, click Options. In the Options dialog box, click the Backup Log tab, select Detailed, and click OK. Backup logs can be vital to troubleshooting and recording status of the backup operation. The default setting in Windows Server 2003 is for backup logs to contain summary information, such as loading a tape, starting the backup, viewing the number of files backed up or bytes backed up, or failing to open a file. Some operation environments require more detailed information— specifically, what files are being backed up for a particular backup job. 5. From the Tools menu, click Options. In the Options dialog box, click the Backup Type tab. In the Default Backup Type drop-down list, select Normal, and click OK. 6. In Backup Destination, select one of the following: ●
Click File to back up files and folders to a file. This is the default setting.
●
Choose a tape device if you want to back up files and folders to a tape.
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
7. In Backup media or file name, select one of the following: ●
If you are backing up files and folders to a file, enter the path and file name of the backup (.bkf) file.
●
If you are backing up files and folders to a tape, choose the tape you want to use.
8. Click Start Backup. 9. Click Advanced, select Data Verification, and click OK. 10. Click Schedule, enter the logon name and password that the backup job will run as, and then click OK. 11. Click yes on the Backup Utility window to save the current selections. 12. Choose a location to save the sections file and click Save. 13. In the Set Account Information window, enter the appropriate account information. 14. In the Schedule Job Options window, enter the name for the backup job, such as “Increment Backup” and click OK. 15. In the Schedule Job window, confirm that the Schedule tab has been clicked. Under Schedule Task, select Weekly, and click the days of the week you want the incremental job to run. In Start Time, enter the time you want the backup job to start, and click OK. 16. Enter the logon name and password that the backup job will run as, and click OK. 17. Click OK. The weekly normal job is now scheduled to run. Dependencies None Technology Required Backup
Print Service Product Operations Guide
Optimizing Quadrant
Availability Management SMF
23
Operations Role Cluster
Weekly
Process: Designing for recovery Description No matter how well designed and managed, problems with the delivery of an IT service can still occur. A major design consideration for high availability is a reactive one charged with recovering service as quickly and efficiently as possible. The incident being dealt with may be the result of unexpected events or even the failure of a countermeasure to protect the service. Rapid recovery may also be the appropriate design choice for a particular availability risk if an effective countermeasure proves to be too expensive for the customer to justify.
Task: Update automated system recovery backup Purpose During the lifetime of a print server there is the potential for a system failure. In the startup options of the printer there are several ways to recover from system failure, such as Safe Mode and Last Known Good Configuration. However, it is also a good idea to include automated system recovery (ASR) backups in the regular maintenance of your print server as another form of system recovery. ASR will back up the system files necessary for starting the print server. Other data should be included as part of the daily and weekly backup jobs for the server. ASR backups are performed using Backup in interactive mode. They cannot be scheduled.
Procedure 1: Get media for ASR backup ASR backup requires a blank 1.44 megabyte (MB) disk to save system settings and media where the backup files will be written. 1. A separate media set is recommended for ASR backups. The media set should be stored in a secure location, separate from data backup files. 2. Store the 1.44-MB disk with the ASR backup set. You must have the disk that was created with the ASR backup set to perform ASR.
Procedure 2: Create ASR backup 1. Start Backup. 2. On the Job menu, click New. 3. On the Tools menu, click ASR Wizard. 4. Follow the instructions that appear on the screen.
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Procedure 3: Copy files for print server that does not have a disk drive 1. Perform an ASR backup on the computer that does not have the disk drive. 2. Copy the Asr.sif and Asrpnp.sif files located in the %Systemroot%\Repair directory to a computer that has a disk drive; then copy those files onto a disk. Dependencies ●
Print server should have a disk drive. Procedure 3 provides a workaround for copying system files to a disk, but a disk drive is required for ASR.
●
You must be a member of Administrators or Backup Operators group to perform ASR.
Technology Required Backup
Print Service Product Operations Guide
Optimizing Quadrant
Availability Management SMF
25
Operations Role Cluster
Quarterly
Process: Designing for recovery Description No matter how well designed and managed, problems with the delivery of an IT service can still occur. A major design consideration for high availability is a reactive one charged with recovering service as quickly and efficiently as possible. The incident being dealt with may be the result of unexpected events or even the failure of a countermeasure to protect the service. Rapid recovery may also be the appropriate design choice for a particular availability risk if an effective countermeasure proves to be too expensive for the customer to justify.
Task: Validate automated system recovery backup Purpose The automated system recovery (ASR) backup has to be validated to confirm the integrity of the backup process. The operations team also needs to be familiar with the hardware and software involved in the ASR process.
Procedure 1: Prepare for ASR 1. Retrieve the latest ASR backup media set and disk from a secure location. Verify that the media and disks are from the same backup. 2. Retrieve the media set for the most recent normal backup of the server. 3. Retrieve the original Windows Server 2003 operating system disc. 4. Retrieve any mass storage device driver files supplied by the manufacturer. Verify that you have this file before beginning the recovery operation. 5. Configure the recovery server hardware.
Procedure 2: Perform ASR 1. Insert the original Windows Server 2003 operating system disc. 2. Restart the server. If prompted to press a key to start the computer from the operating system disc, press the requested key. 3. If you have a separate driver file as described in Procedure 1, use the driver as part of the setup by pressing F6 when prompted. 4. Press F2 when prompted at the beginning of the text-only mode section of setup. You will be prompted to insert the ASR disk you have previously created. 5. Follow the directions on the screen. 6. If you have a separate driver file as described in Procedure 1, press F6 (a second time) when prompted after the system restarts. 7. Follow the directions on the screen.
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Procedure 3: Restore data files to the recovery server 1. Start Backup. 2. On the Welcome tab, click Restore Wizard (Advanced). 3. Click Next. 4. Select the items to be restored from the latest normal backup set and click Next. 5. At this point you can click Finish to start the restoring process, or click the Advanced button for more options. If you decide to configure Advanced options, the following is a list of items that should be selected: ●
Restore files to original location.
●
Leave existing files.
●
Restore security settings
●
Restore junction points, but not the folders and file data they reference.
●
Preserve existing volume mount points.
Dependencies ●
For ASR, the recovery server must have the same hardware and disk configuration as the server where the ASR backup was performed.
●
Regular ASR backups.
●
Manufacturer-supplied device drivers for mass storage devices.
Technology Required Backup
Print Service Product Operations Guide
Operating Quadrant
Print and Output Management SMF
27
Operations Role Cluster
Daily
Process: Print and output maintenance support activities—print queues Description Queues exist to hold output jobs that have been submitted and are awaiting delivery. Generally, a spooler manages multiple queues. Queues should provide the capability to use first in, first out (FIFO), shortest job first, or assigned priorities.
Task: Monitor print queue for performance Purpose The objective of this task is to monitor the print queues for print jobs that have not cleared the queue. Jobs might not clear the print queue for a number of reasons. The purpose of this task is to provide a process to detect when a print job is stuck in a print queue. When a client makes a print request, processing occurs on both the client computer and on the printer server. The following items are key to monitoring a print request once the printer server has received the request from the client: ●
Network print provider. Receives print request from such clients as Windows and HTTP.
●
Print processor. Renders print request into the proper data type and formatting necessary to print properly. By default the file is written/spooled to disk in the %Systemroot%\System32\Spool\Printers directory.
●
Print monitor. Responsible for delivering the job to a particular print monitor. TcpMon is the monitor used to deliver print jobs to TCP/IP print devices.
●
Print device. Responsible for supplying ink to print media.
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Procedure 1: Configure alert 1. Start System Monitor. 2. Expand the Performance Logs and Alerts node, right-click Alerts, and click New Alert Settings. 3. Type Jobs Spooling and click OK. 4. On the General tab, click Add, and select the following performance object and counter. Object Print Queue
Counter Jobs Spooling
5. In the Alert when the value is drop-down box, select Over, and enter the limit for your environment. 6. Click the Action tab; the default selection is Log an entry in the application event log. 7. Click the Schedule tab, select the Start Scan At check box, and enter the start time for the alert. 8. Click Apply, and then click OK. The alert is activated and will have a green status indicating that it is logging information based on the configuration and schedule.
Procedure 2: Monitor event log 1. Review the event log for Event 2031: Event Type: Information Event Source: SysmonLog Event Category: None Event ID: 2031 Description: Counter: \\Servername\Print Queue\CounterName has tripped its alert threshold. The counter value of n is over the limit value of n.
2. When you receive this alert, check the print server and printer that are the source of the alert in Printers and Faxes. 3. Determine the status of the print jobs in the print queue; look for jobs that have errors or jobs that have been paused. 4. Use troubleshooting tasks to resolve the issue.
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Procedure 3: Use WMI to monitor the time a job is spent in spooler The following script uses WMI to monitor the jobs counter for jobs that have been in the print queue for more than 15 minutes: Const USE_LOCAL_TIME = True Set DateTime = CreateObject("WbemScripting.SWbemDateTime") strComputer = "." Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:" _ & "{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2") Set colInstalledPrinters = objWMIService.ExecQuery _ ("Select * from Win32_PrintJob") Wscript.Echo "Print Queue, Job ID, TimeSubmitted, Total Pages" For Each objPrinter in colInstalledPrinters DateTime.Value = objPrinter.TimeSubmitted dtmActualTime = DateTime.GetVarDate(USE_LOCAL_TIME) TimeinQueue = DateDiff("n", actualTime, Now) If TimeinQueue > 15 Then strPrinterName = Split(objPrinter.Name,",",-1,1) Wscript.Echo strPrinterName(0) & ", " _ & objPrinter.JobID & ", " & dtmActualTime & ", " & _ objPrinter.TotalPages End If Next
Run this script when you receive the type of alert mentioned in Procedure 2. Dependencies Configure alerts for Jobs Spooling counter. Technology Required ●
System Monitor
●
WMI
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Optimizing Quadrant
Capacity Management SMF
Operations Role Cluster
Daily
Process: Managing resources and service performance Description Capacity management is concerned with optimized utilization of IT resources in order to achieve the level of performance agreed upon with the client. These resources are supplied by support organizations to ensure the requirements of the business are met. The process of capacity management can be either reactive or proactive. Iterative activities, such as monitoring, analyzing, tuning, and reporting, are also important in the process of managing IT resources and service performance. The type of data for each activity differs. For example, the level of utilization of individual components in the infrastructure is relevant to IT resource management, while the transaction throughput rates and response time are pertinent to serviceperformance management.
Task: Capture service-performance statistics Purpose It is important during the normal operation of a print server to understand its overall health. Information will be used to review general performance, adherence to SLAs, and capacity planning, and to create baseline statistics about the print server.
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Procedure 1: Create performance logs 1. Start System Monitor. 2. Double-click Performance Logs and Alerts, right-click Counter Logs, and select New Log Settings. 3. Enter the name for this log—for example, “Service Performance Statistics” and click OK. 4. On the General tab, click Add Counters, and select the following counters. Processor Performance
Notes
Processor\% Processor Time
The percentage of elapsed time the processor spent executing instructions for processes or services. This counter reports the total time the processors spent executing code in privileged mode and provides an overall view of the processors’ activity.
Processor\%Privileged Time
The percentage of elapsed time that the process threads spent executing code in privileged mode. The operating system switches application threads to privileged mode to allow direct access to the system’s kernel. Having more work done in the kernel can be advantageous because the kernel is more efficient at performing certain tasks.
System\Context Switches/sec
The combined rate at which all processors on the computer are switched from one thread to another. Context switches occur when a running thread voluntarily relinquishes the processor, is preempted by a higher priority ready thread, or switches between user-mode and privileged mode to use executive or subsystem service. High rates of context switching can result from inefficient hardware or poorly designed device drivers or applications.
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Memory Performance
Notes
Memory\Pages/sec
The rate at which pages are read from or written to disk to resolve hard page faults. This counter is a primary indicator of the kinds of faults that cause system-wide delays.
Memory\Available MBytes
The amount of physical memory, in megabytes, immediately available for allocation to a process or for system use.
Paging File\%Usage
The amount of the paging file instance in use expressed as a percentage.
Network Performance
Notes
Server\Errors System
The number of times an internal server error was detected. Unexpected errors usually indicate a problem with the server.
Server\Work Item Shortages
This occurs when no work item is available or can be allocated to address the incoming request. A work item is the location where the server stores a server message block (SMB). Work item shortages might be caused by an overloaded server.
Server\Blocking Requests Rejected
The number of times the server has rejected SMBs due to insufficient count of free work items. Indicates whether the MaxWorkItem or MinFreeWorkItems server parameters might need to be adjusted.
Server Work Queues\Queue Length
The current length of the server work queue for this CPU. A sustained queue length greater than four might indicate processor congestion. This is an instantaneous count, not an average over the time interval.
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Disk Performance
33
Notes
PhysicalDisk\Current Disk Queue Length
The number of requests outstanding on the disk at the time the performance data is collected. It also includes requests in service at the time of the collection. This is an instantaneous snapshot, not an average over the time interval. Multispindle disk devices can have multiple requests that are active at one time, but other concurrent requests are awaiting service. This counter might reflect a transitory high or low queue length, but if there is a sustained load on the disk drive, it is likely that this will be consistently high. Requests will experience delays that are proportional to the length of this queue minus the number of spindles on the disks. For good performance, this difference should average less than two.
PhysicalDisk\ Avg. Disk sec/Read
The average time in seconds of read operations from the disk.
PhysicalDisk\Disk Read Bytes/sec
The rate at which bytes are transferred from the disk during read operations.
PhysicalDisk\Disk Reads/sec
The rate of read operations on the disk.
PhysicalDisk\ Disk Writes/sec
The rate of write operations on the disk.
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Process Performance
Notes
Process\Spoolsv\%Processor Time
The percentage of elapsed time the processor spent executing instructions for the Spoolsv service.
Process\Spoolsv\Handle Count
The total numbers of handles currently open by this process. This number is equal to the sum of the handles currently open by each thread in this process.
Process\Spoolsv\Thread Count
The number of threads currently active in this process. An instruction is the basic unit of execution in a processor, and a thread is the object that executes instructions. Every running process has at least one thread.
Process\Spoolsv\Virtual Bytes
The current size, in bytes, of the virtual address space the process is using. Use of virtual address space does not necessarily imply corresponding use of either disk or main memory pages. Virtual space is finite, and the process can limit its ability to load libraries.
5. Fifteen is the default sampling time interval, although you can modify this number. Increasing the interval will reduce the size of the log file but at the risk of losing data. Decreasing the interval will increase the size of the log file and provide a more granular look at the performance. 6. On the Log Files tab, click the Log file type drop-down box, and select the output format. Choose a CSV file type if you want to be able to manipulate the data in Excel. The data can also be displayed as a SQL Server database format. 7. Make sure the End file names with check box is selected. Use the year, month, and day format of yyyymmdd. 8. On the Schedule tab, select the Start Log At check box, and enter the start time for logging. 9. Click Apply, and then click OK. The log files will be created in <system drive>\Perflogs by default. The log is activated and will have a green status indicating that it is logging information based on the configuration and schedule.
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Dependencies ●
You must be a member of the Administrators group or the Performance Log user group on the local computer, or have been delegated the appropriate authority.
●
Adequate space on the disk where the log files are being created.
Technology Required System Monitor
Task: Capture service-usage statistics Purpose It is important to monitor service usage during the normal operations of a print server. Service usage differs from service performance by focusing on how users consume print-server resources. This information will be used to review general performance, adherence to SLAs, capacity planning, and to create baseline statistics for the print server.
Procedure 1: Create performance logs 1. Start System Monitor. 2. Double-click Performance Logs and Alerts, right-click Counter Logs, and select New Log Settings. 3. Enter the name for this log, for example, “Service Performance Statistics” and click OK. 4. On the General tab, click Add Counters, and select the following counters. Print Queue Performance
Notes
Print Queue\Bytes Printed/sec
Number of bytes per second printed in a print queue.
Print Queue\Jobs Spooling
Current number of spooling jobs in a print queue.
Print Queue\Total Jobs Printed
Total number of jobs printed in a print queue since the last restart.
Network Performance
Notes
Server\Server Sessions
The number of sessions currently active in the server. Indicates current server activity.
Server\Bytes Total/sec
The number of bytes the server has sent to and received from the network. This value provides an overall indication of how busy the server is.
Server\Files Open
The number of files currently opened in the server. Indicates current server activity.
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Disk Performance
Notes
LogicalDisk\Current Disk Queue Length
The number of requests outstanding on the disk at the time the performance data is collected. It also includes requests in service at the time of the collection. This is an instantaneous snapshot, not an average over the time interval. Multispindle disk devices can have multiple requests that are active at one time, while other concurrent requests are awaiting service. This counter might reflect a transitory high or low queue length, but if there is a sustained load on the disk drive, it is likely that this will be consistently high. Requests will experience delays that are proportional to the length of this queue minus the number of spindles on the disks. For good performance, this difference should average less than two.
LogicalDisk\Avg. Disk sec/Read
The average time, in seconds, of a read of operations from the disk.
LogicalDisk\Avg. Disk sec/Write
The average time, in seconds, of a write operations to the disk.
LogicalDisk\Disk Read Bytes/sec
The rate at which bytes are transferred from the disk during read operations.
LogicalDisk\Disk Reads/sec
The rate of read operations from the disk.
LogicalDisk\Disk Writes/sec
The rate of the write operations to the disk.
5. Fifteen is the default sampling time interval, although you can modify this number. Increasing the interval will reduce the size of the log file but at the risk of losing data. Decreasing the interval will increase the size of the log file and provide a more granular look at the performance. 6. On the Log Files tab, click the Log tile type drop-down box and select the output format. Choose a CSV file type if you want to be able to manipulate the data in Excel. The data can also be output to a SQL Server database format. 7. Make sure the End file names with check box is selected. Use the year, month, and day format of yyyymmdd. 8. On the Schedule tab, select the Start Log At check box, and enter the start time for logging. 9. Click Apply, and then click OK. The log files will be created in <system drive>\Perflogs by default.
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Dependencies ●
You must be a member of the Administrators group or the Performance Log user group on the local computer, or have been delegated the appropriate authority.
●
Adequate space on the disk where the log files are being created.
Technology Required System Monitor
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Optimizing Quadrant
Capacity Management SMF
Infrastructure Role Cluster
Monthly
Process: Managing resources and service performance Description Capacity management is concerned with optimized utilization of IT resources in order to achieve the level of performance agreed upon with the client. Support organizations supply these resources to ensure the requirements of the business are met. The process of capacity management can be either reactive or proactive. Iterative activities, such as monitoring, analyzing, tuning, and reporting are also important in the process of managing resources and service performance. The type of data for each activity differs. For example, the level of utilization of individual components in the infrastructure is relevant to IT resource management, while the transaction throughput rates and response time are pertinent to service-performance management.
Task: Create service performance and utilization report Purpose This task captures service performance and utilization in data that can be used to support decision making.
Procedure 1: Calculate daily statistics 1. Import performance and utilization logs into Excel. 2. Calculate the daily performance average for each counter collected in the log. 3. In a new worksheet, record the daily average of the counters for each day of the month. 4. Use the graphing feature in Excel to create visuals that illustrate trends in performance. For clarity, it may be easier to calculate the daily statistics on the basis of performance objects. You should also consider that these reports will be pertinent to the measuring of SLAs, operating level agreements (OLAs), and Underpinning Contracts (UCs).
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Procedure 2: Store data and reports 1. Store each month’s data in a single workbook for future reference. 2. Save the workbook to a file share on a file server that is under regular backup maintenance. Dependencies Capturing service performance in performance logs Technology Required Excel or third-party spreadsheet application
Task: Create system load and utility report Purpose This task captures the usage of print-server resources in data that can be used to support decision making and resource allocation.
Procedure 1: Calculate daily statistics 1. Import service usage statistics into Excel. 2. Calculate the daily average for each counter collected in the log. 3. In a new worksheet, record the daily average of the counters for each day of the month. 4. Use Excel’s graphing feature to create visuals that illustrate trends in performance. For clarity it may be easier to calculate the daily statistics on the basis of performance objects.
Procedure 2: Store data and reports 1. Store each month’s data in a single workbook for future reference. 2. Save the workbook to a file share on a file server that is under regular backup maintenance. Dependencies Capturing service performance in performance logs Technology Required Excel or third-party spreadsheet application
40
Managing the Windows Server Platform
Change Quadrant
Change Management SMF
Infrastructure Role Cluster
Weekly
Process: Reviewing configuration items Description Because the accuracy of the information stored in the configuration management database (CMDB) is crucial to the success of MOF Change Management, Incident Management, and other SMFs, a review process should be set up to ensure that the database accurately reflects the live IT environment.
Task: Capture configuration snapshot Purpose The objective of this task is to record the configuration of the print server to provide a view of the print server at a particular point in time.
Procedure 1: Run SrvInfo for all print servers To get system information, disk capacity, services currently running, network protocols, and system uptime, use SrvInfo.exe. From the command line, run: Srvinfo –r \\servername >
Procedure 2: Export local security policies 1. Start Local Security Policies MMC and expand the Local Policies node. 2. Select Audit Policy, then right-click and select Export List. Save the export to a secure file share. 3. Select User Right Assignment, then right-click and select Export List. 4. Save the export to a secure file share. 5. Select Security Options, then right-click and select Export List. Save the export to a secure file share.
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Procedure 3: Create report of installed software The following sample script can be used to create a report of the software installed on the print server using Microsoft Windows Installer. SMS is a good alternative to enumerate installed applications, windows components, and patches. This is especially useful for large environments: Set objFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject") Set objTextFile = objFSO.CreateTextFile("filename", True) strComputer = "." Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:" _ & "{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2") Set colSoftware = objWMIService.ExecQuery _ ("Select * from Win32_Product") objTextFile.WriteLine "Caption" & vbtab & _ "Description" & vbtab & "Identifying Number" & vbtab & _ "Install Date" & vbtab & "Install Location" & vbtab & _ "Install State" & vbtab & "Name" & vbtab & _ "Package Cache" & vbtab & "SKU Number" & vbtab & "Vendor" & vbtab _ & "Version" For Each objSoftware in colSoftware objTextFile.WriteLine objSoftware.Caption & vbtab & _ objSoftware.Description & vbtab & _ objSoftware.IdentifyingNumber & vbtab & _ objSoftware.InstallDate2 & vbtab & _ objSoftware.InstallLocation & vbtab & _ objSoftware.InstallState & vbtab & _ objSoftware.Name & vbtab & _ objSoftware.PackageCache & vbtab & _ objSoftware.SKUNumber & vbtab & _ objSoftware.Vendor & vbtab & _ objSoftware.Version Next objTextFile.Close
This script may produce an error if no applications installed with Windows Installer exist.
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Procedure 4: Create report of installed hotfixes The following sample script can be used to create a report of the hotfixes installed on the print server using Windows Installer: strComputer = "." Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:" _ & "{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2") Set colQuickFixes = objWMIService.ExecQuery _ ("Select * from Win32_QuickFixEngineering") For Each objQuickFix in colQuickFixes Wscript.Echo "Computer: " & objQuickFix.CSName Wscript.Echo "Description: " & objQuickFix.Description Wscript.Echo "Hot Fix ID: " & objQuickFix.HotFixID Wscript.Echo "Installation Date: " & objQuickFix.InstallDate Wscript.Echo "Installed By: " & objQuickFix.InstalledBy Next
Dependencies ●
Software installed using Windows Installer
Technology Required ●
SrvInfo.exe
●
Local security policies
●
Windows Management Interface (WMI)
Print Service Product Operations Guide
Change Quadrant
Configuration Management SMF
43
Infrastructure Role Cluster
Monthly
Process: Maintenance and support activities Task: Compliance check—enumerate unused printer ports Purpose The objective of this task is to ensure that printer ports installed on the print server are used. Any unused printer ports will be reported and deleted.
Procedure 1: Create printer port report Use PrnPort.vbs to list printer ports installed on the server: cscript prnport.vbs –l –s –servername > filename.txt.
Procedure 2: Create unused port report The following is a sample script to enumerate unused printer ports on a server: Set objDictionary = CreateObject("Scripting.Dictionary") strComputer = "." Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:" _ & "{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2") Set colPrinters = objWMIService.ExecQuery _ ("Select * from Win32_Printer") For Each objPrinter in colPrinters objDictionary.Add objPrinter.PortName, objPrinter.PortName Next Set colPorts = objWMIService.ExecQuery _ ("Select * from Win32_TCPIPPrinterPort") For Each objPort in colPorts If objDictionary.Exists(objPort.Name) Then strUsedPorts = strUsedPorts & _ objDictionary.Item(objPort.Name) & VbCrLf Else strFreePorts = strFreePorts & objPort.Name & vbCrLf End If Next Wscript.Echo "The following ports are in use: " & VbCrLf & strUsedPorts Wscript.Echo "The following ports are available: " & VbCrLf & strFreePorts
Compare the unused port report and printer port report. Confirm that the unused ports are listed in the printer port report.
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Procedure 3: Delete unused ports The following is a sample script to delete unused printer ports on a server: Set objDictionary = CreateObject("Scripting.Dictionary") strComputer = "." Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:" _ & "{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2") Set colPrinters = objWMIService.ExecQuery _ ("Select * from Win32_Printer") For Each objPrinter in colPrinters objDictionary.Add objPrinter.PortName, objPrinter.PortName Next Set colPorts = objWMIService.ExecQuery _ ("Select * from Win32_TCPIPPrinterPort") For Each objPort in colPorts If objDictionary.Exists(objPort.Name) Then Else ObjPort.Delete_ End If Next
Procedure 4: Review ports 1. Use PrnPort.vbs to list printer ports installed on the server: cscript prnport.vbs –l –s –servername >filename.txt
2. Confirm that the ports from the unused port report have been removed. Dependencies Windows Script Host Technology Required ●
CScript.exe
●
PrnPort.vbs
●
Windows Management Interface (WMI)
Print Service Product Operations Guide
Changing Quadrant
Configuration Management SMF
45
Infrastructure Role Cluster
Monthly
Process: Reviewing configuration items Description Because the accuracy of the information stored in the CMDB is crucial to the success of MOF Change Management, Incident Management, and other SMFs, a review process should be set up to ensure that the database accurately reflects the live IT environment.
Task: Compliance check—verify installed print drivers Purpose The objective of this task is to ensure print drivers installed on print servers are in compliance with print drivers that have been approved and released by the CAB.
Procedure 1: Create print driver report The following sample script can be used to create a report of the printer and print driver installed on the print server: strComputer = "." Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:" _ & "{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2") Set colInstalledPrinters = objWMIService.ExecQuery _ ("Select * from Win32_PrinterDriver") For each objPrinter in colInstalledPrinters Wscript.Echo "Config File: " & objPrinter.ConfigFile Wscript.Echo "Data File: " & objPrinter.DataFile Wscript.Echo "Description: " & objPrinter.Description Wscript.Echo "Driver Path: " & objPrinter.DriverPath Wscript.Echo "File Path: " & objPrinter.FilePath Wscript.Echo "Help File: " & objPrinter.HelpFile Wscript.Echo "INF Name: " & objPrinter.InfName Wscript.Echo "Monitor Name: " & objPrinter.MonitorName Wscript.Echo "Name: " & objPrinter.Name Wscript.Echo "OEMUrl: " & objPrinter.OEMUrl Wscript.Echo "Supported Platform: " & objPrinter.SupportedPlatform Wscript.Echo "Version: " & objPrinter.Version Next
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Procedure 2: Verify print drivers against CMDB 1. Compare the printers listed in the print driver report to the printer information in the CMDB. 2. If there are any discrepancies in the print driver report and the CMDB, submit an emergency RFC to the CAB/EC. Dependencies CMDB Technology Required Windows Management Interface (WMI).
Task: Compliance check—verify printers published in Active Directory Purpose The objective of this task is to verify that the printers published in Microsoft Active Directory® directory service are in compliance with printers that have been approved and released by the CAB.
Procedure 1: Discover printer published in Active Directory The following sample script can be used to create a report of the printers published in Active Directory: Const ADS_SCOPE_SUBTREE = 2 Set objConnection = CreateObject("ADODB.Connection") Set objCommand = CreateObject("ADODB.Command") objConnection.Provider = "ADsDSOObject" objConnection.Open "Active Directory Provider" Set objCommand.ActiveConnection = objConnection objCommand.CommandText = "Select printerName, serverName from " _ & " 'LDAP://DC=fabrikam,DC=com' where objectClass='printQueue'" objCommand.Properties("Page Size") = 1000 objCommand.Properties("Timeout") = 30 objCommand.Properties("Searchscope") = ADS_SCOPE_SUBTREE objCommand.Properties("Cache Results") = False Set objRecordSet = objCommand.Execute objRecordSet.MoveFirst Do Until objRecordSet.EOF Wscript.Echo "Printer Name: " & objRecordSet.Fields("printerName").Value Wscript.Echo "Server Name: " & objRecordSet.Fields("serverName").Value objRecordSet.MoveNext Loop
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Procedure 2: Verify print drivers against CMDB 1. Compare information about the printers listed and published in the Active Directory report with the printer information in the CMDB. 2. If there are any discrepancies in the print driver report and the CMDB, submit an emergency RFC to the CAB/EC. Dependencies CMDB Technology Required Windows Management Interface (WMI)
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Supporting Quadrant
Incident Management SMF
Operations Role Cluster
Monthly
Process: Incident closure Description This process ensures that the customer is satisfied that the incident has been resolved prior to closing the incident record. It also checks that the incident record is fully updated and assigns a closure category.
Task: Roll up activity report into monthly metric Purpose The objective of this task is to provide utilization and turnover metrics to assist in planning staffing levels and checking the Incident Management SMF against other SMFs. These reports can be used in conjunction with other SMFs (such as Service Level Management, Financial Management, and Workforce Management) and can also be used by members of the six MOF role clusters (such as Operations, Support, and Release).
Procedure 1: Create monthly metric The details of this task should show the cost of the Incident Management process, and where resources should be allocated to optimize its performance. The following metrics should be provided: ●
Percent closed incidents. This metric is created by taking the total number of cases closed for a month and dividing it by the number of cases opened for the month.
●
Percent incidents closed on first contact. This metric is created by taking the total number of cases closed on first contact and dividing it by the number of cases opened for the month.
●
Mean time to resolution. This metric measures the effectiveness of the Incident Management process. It is calculated by taking the total time spent on incident resolution and dividing it by the total number of cases closed. SLAs can be compared to this metric.
The numbers reported should then be analyzed to assess the Incident Management process and to determine how to improve effectiveness and efficiency. Dependencies ●
Responding to daily service request
●
Weekly service request activity report
Technology Required None
Print Service Product Operations Guide
Supporting Quadrant
Incident Management SMF
49
Support and Operations Role Clusters
Daily and weekly
Process: Investigation and diagnosis Description This process deals with the investigation of an incident and gathering of diagnostic data. The aim of the process is to identify how the incident can be resolved as quickly as possible.
Task: Respond to daily service request Purpose The objective of this task is to make sure all incidents are answered and there is an incident owner responsible for the incident life cycle. This serves the organization in two ways: ●
The customer understands that, when an incident is reported, there will be confirmation that someone from the incident management team has reviewed the request. This confirmation ensures that the customer will continue to use the incident-support channel setup in the organization.
●
Each incident will have an owner responsible for collecting background information and doing preliminary troubleshooting. The owner is responsible for contacting other technical specialists to assist the customer in resolving the incident. The owner must also document the incident and make sure contributing technicians add their comments to the incident request. The act of designating an owner ensures there is a single point of contact (SPOC) for the incident from the customer’s and from the organization’s perspective.
Procedure 1: Acknowledge receipt of service request 1. Give the customer an incident case number prior to collecting data and troubleshooting the incident. 2. Send the customer e-mail confirming receipt of the incident request.
Procedure 2: Document incident Document the problem, the system affected, actions taken to troubleshoot, and any plan to resolve the incident. The following are systems that can be affected in a printing environment: ●
Print server
●
Print device
●
Print queue
●
Print monitor
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Procedure 3: Update customer on status of incident Send the customer e-mail confirming the problems, the system affected, actions taken to troubleshoot, and the current plan to resolve the incident. If another technician is involved in troubleshooting, make sure that person’s notes are part of the case documentation.
Procedure 4: Close incident If the incident is not resolved on the customer’s initial request for incident management, follow up with the customer and other technicians until the incident is resolved. Dependencies ●
Incident ticketing system
●
An SLA on how customers request incident management, for example, through e-mail or a service phone number
Technology Required ●
Third-party tools that provide incident-management ticketing functionality
●
A Microsoft Access or Microsoft SQL Server database, which can also be used to create incident tickets
Task: Create weekly service request activity report Purpose In the report, give a high-level view of service requests from the perspective of when they were opened, when they were closed, and how long they were open before they were closed. The organization may have an SLA regarding the time it takes a customer to get a response from the incident management team once an incident has been reported. Managers and leads can use the data to organize the workload of the incident management team. Managers and leads can also assess the effectiveness and efficiency of the incident management team. This information is important to the members of the incident management team as well, since they can then view the incident case load and attend to those cases that have remained open for a long period of time. The following is an example of some of the information that can be included in the activity report: ●
Total number of cases opened
●
Total number of cases closed
●
Number of cases closed on first contact with incident management team
●
Number of days a case has been open
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Procedure 1: Create report metrics The method used to collect the data is dependent on features of an organization’s incident tracking solution, but the content should be independent of the solution. ●
Total number of cases opened. This metric is collected for individual members of the team as well as the whole team. It highlights the volume of incidents being opened involving Print Service. When this metric is compared with the other metrics being collected, it provides the incident management team with a greater understanding of the Incident Management process.
●
Total number of cases closed. This metric is collected for individual members of the team as well as the whole team. It highlights the volume of incidents being closed involving Print Service. This metric is critical to evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency of the incident management team. The number of cases that are closed should be compared with the number that are opened in a week. Cases that carry over into the next week will require more incident management from the case owner.
●
Number of cases closed on first contact with incident management team. This metric is collected as the total for the team. It allows the incident management team to determine the effectiveness and efficiency of its process of incident management, and can directly affect customer satisfaction. When cases are closed on the first call, it reduces the number of cases that incident management team members have to manage.
●
Number of days a case has been open. This metric is collected for individual members of the team as well as the whole team. Cases that remain open for extended periods have a negative impact on customer satisfaction. The incident manager can use this metric to identify possible weaknesses on the incident management team that may require training or education. In addition, cases that remain open for long periods of time may be better handled by the problem management team. It is important to identify these types of cases and provide the incident owner with additional resources or escalate the issue to the problem management team.
Dependencies ●
Incident ticketing system
●
Incidents that are responded to on a daily basis
●
An SLA on how an incident is handled and when it gets escalated to the problem management team
Technology Required ●
Third-party tools that provide incident-management ticketing functionality
●
Reports that can be built from an Access or SQL Server database
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Support Quadrant
Problem Management SMF
Operations Role Cluster
Daily
Process: Problem recording and classification Description This process deals with the initial detection and recording of a problem, which can originate from a variety of sources and media. Problems may be reported through the Incident Management process or as a result of analysis from the data collected by the problem management team. Additionally, other SMFs such as Availability Management and Capacity Management might be used to detect problems and pass this information to the problem management team. It is important that problems be linked to existing incidents and that all problems be recorded to facilitate prioritization of problem resolution. Once a problem has been recorded, it is assessed against the business impact of the problem and the urgency of the required solution. This assessment determines how the problem will be classified.
Task: Review daily problem-management reports Purpose Ensure the appropriate resources and priority level have been assigned to current problems. The report should include status on any problems from the previous day and overnight.
Procedure 1: Check print server and printer status 1. Check print server status. The status of each print server should be included in this report. This information could include: ●
Whether the print server is online.
●
Whether there are any approved request for changes (RFCs) pending.
●
The status of the last backup.
●
Confirmation that the performance monitor log exists for the server.
2. Check printer status. The status of each print device should be included in this report. The information could include: ●
Whether the printer is online.
●
Whether there are any approved RFCs pending
Procedure 2: Review problems transferred from incident management Review each incident that has been transferred to the problem management team from the incident management team.
Print Service Product Operations Guide
Procedure 3: Prioritize and assign Based on the information received from print server status, printer status, and problems transferred from incident management, set the priority of each problem and assign the appropriate team members. Dependencies ●
Print server monitoring
●
Printer monitoring
Technology Required ●
System Monitor
●
Printers and Faxes
53
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Changing Quadrant
Change Management SMF
Infrastructure Role Cluster
Daily
Process: Change classification and authorization Description After an RFC has passed the initial screening, the change manager must classify and categorize the request for change. The priority level set for a particular RFC determines how quickly the change advisory board (CAB) will review the RFC. After the change manager has correctly prioritized and categorized the change, the change must be authorized. The process of authorizing a change request depends upon the category and priority of the change: ●
Emergency priority changes are escalated to the CAB emergency committee (CAB/EC) for fast-track approval.
●
Standard changes are approved automatically and progress directly to the change development and release phase.
●
Minor changes can be approved by the change manager without reference to the CAB.
●
All other changes must be approved by the CAB.
Task: Attend CAB meeting Purpose The CAB meets to review the significant and major changes to the operations environment. From a print-service perspective, change requests involving updating print monitors, print drivers, registry modifications, and adding a new type of print device to the environment can be evaluated at this weekly meeting. Attendance at the meeting is important to participate in the change management of Print Service. Contribution to the process could include additional data regarding a particular Print Service RFC that members of the CAB may not have available to them. Additionally, it is important to understand other RFCs that may have an indirect effect on the delivery of individual print services. The organization should consider these effects when approving an RFC for change development.
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Procedure 1: Attend CAB meeting ●
Consider the effect that any RFC may have on print services. Review RFCs that might affect Print Service configuration items (CIs): ●
Print server hardware
●
Print device hardware
●
Domain controller hardware
●
Hardware vendor
●
Server role (what is the server function: print server or domain controller?)
●
Windows Server 2003 software
●
Service packs
●
Hotfixes
●
Third-party printing software
●
Monitoring software
●
Backup software
●
Processes and procedures
●
Documentation
Task: Review emergency change request Purpose The objective of this task is to provide guidance to the CAB/EC on how to process an emergency request for change. Emergency change requests should be kept to a minimum because they typically involve high risk. Emergency changes to various print services can have a great impact on a large number of users or can affect business processes that depend on print output. For this reason, it is very important to have a process for prioritizing and attending to urgent problems associated with these print services. The Infrastructure Role Cluster is responsible for this task, but a request for emergency change can be initiated by any of the six role clusters. An emergency change request could involve the release of updates to the operating system, third-party applications, or configuration changes.
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Procedure 1: Contact CAB/EC 1. Make sure system has server backup and printer configuration backup. Prior to contacting CAB/EC members, make sure the print server has a successful server backup and print configuration backup. 2. Select CAB/EC members. This should include standing members of the CAB as well as those members who can give the greatest guidance regarding Print Service. 3. Notify the CAB/EC of the emergency change request. Each member of the CAB/EC who was identified in Step 1 has to be notified of the emergency change request. It is important that every attempt be made to contact each member of the CAB/EC; this may include e-mail, mobile devices, and other communication methods. The member should be given an expected time to respond to emergency change request meetings and a general sense of the change request. 4. Review the request for change. Collect all information pertaining to changes to Print Service including asking the change initiator additional questions. The following are types of change that could be included: ●
Applying service packs
●
Adding a new print server
●
Adding a new print device
●
Adding a new print driver
●
Adding a new print monitor
●
Updating a print driver
●
Migrating a printer configuration
●
Moving a spooler to a different location
●
Changing the location of a printer
●
Changing a process or script used to administer print servers
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Along with the type of change, collect the CI that will be affected by the change. Configuration items are objects that are subject to change. Any item that has the possibility of changing falls under change management. For print servers these items include: ●
Print server hardware
●
Print device hardware
●
Domain-controller hardware
●
Hardware vendor
●
Server role (what is the server function: print server or domain controller?)
●
Windows Server 2003 software
●
Service packs
●
Hotfixes
●
Third-party printing software
●
Monitoring software
●
Backup software
●
Processes and procedures
●
Documentation
●
RFCs
Dependencies ●
An established process for initiating a change request in the operations environment
●
An identified CAB/EC roster and individuals who are contacted for emergency changes as they relate to various print services
Technology Required Operations team familiar with MOF/ITIL
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Operating Quadrant
Print and Output Management SMF
Support Role Cluster
As Needed
Process: Print and output configuration activities— managing printers Description Managing printers affects the entire workload of the printer, not just individual documents. Typical tasks include pausing, resuming, and purging the queue for a printer. If a printer becomes faulty, one might need to send documents in its queue to another printer. This prevents users from having to resubmit print jobs that are already in the queue. Documents can be redirected to a printer on the same print server or on a different print server. However, both printers must use the same print driver.
Task: Transfer documents to another printer Purpose This task moves jobs to a suitable printer during problem management.
Procedure 1: Send job to printer on the same print server 1. Start Printers and Faxes. 2. Double-click the printer that holds the documents you want to redirect. 3. On the Printer menu, click Properties. 4. Click the Ports tab, click the port to which the other printer is assigned, and then click OK.
Procedure 2: Send job to printer on another print server 1. Start Printers and Faxes. 2. Double-click the printer that holds the documents you want to redirect. 3. On the Printer menu, click Properties. 4. Click the Ports tab, click Add Port, click Local Port, and then click New Port. Type the name of the other print server and the share name of the shared printer in the following format: \\other_print_server\share_name
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Procedure 3: Use WMI to transfer documents to another printer queue Use the following script with WMI to transfer documents to another printer queue. The script changes the TCP/IP printer port for a logical printer, which has the net effect of transferring existing print jobs to the new printer port, and thus to a different printer. strComputer = "." Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:" _ & "{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2") Set objPrinter = objWMIService.Get _ ("Win32_Printer.DeviceID='<printer Device Name>'") objPrinter.PortName = "
Dependencies ●
Since the documents you send to the printer are converted into that printer’s language, you must redirect the documents to the same type of printer, such as a laser, ink-jet, or dot-matrix.
●
To redirect documents to another printer, you must have Manage Printers permission for both printers.
●
To redirect documents to another print server, the printer must already exist and be shared on the print server.
●
The document currently printing cannot be transferred to another printer.
●
If the printer holding the print jobs is offline or has a paper jam, the document showing the error cannot be moved to a new port.
●
If a print job shows an error, all subsequent print jobs will be held until the document is deleted from the print queue.
Technology Required ●
Printers and Faxes
●
Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI)
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Operating Quadrant
Directory Services Administration SMF
Support Role Cluster
As Needed
Process: Maintaining the directory Purpose The data contained in the directory is, or very soon will be, critical to the base operation and productivity of the organization. If the directory becomes unavailable for any reason (for example, through equipment failure or data corruption), the business will suffer from lost productivity and financial loss. Developing sound backup and restore procedures for the directory and supporting system components ensures that no critical directory data and configuration information will be lost.
Task: Publish printers to Active Directory Purpose This task supports printers that may have been initially installed without being published to Active Directory.
Procedure 1: Publish printer 1. Start Printers and Faxes. 2. Right-click the printer that will be published, and then click Sharing. 3. Select the List in the Directory check box to publish the printer in Active Directory. Dependencies ●
Printer must be shared.
●
Printer must be installed on Windows 2000 or Windows Server 2003.
●
You must have Manage Printers permission for the printer you want to share or to publish.
Technology Required Printers and Faxes
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Task: Manually publish printers to Active Directory Purpose This task supports publishing printers to Active Directory that may have been installed on Windows NT 4.0 or an older operating system.
Procedure 1: Publish printer 1. Click Start, click Control Panel, double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Active Directory Users and Computers. 2. In the Name dialog box, right-click the container object in which to publish the printer. 3. Point to New, and then click Printer. 4. Type the UNC name of the printer that you want to publish in the directory.
Procedure 2: Automate printer publishing PubPrn.vbs can be used to automate publishing the printer to Active Directory, as follows: Usage:
pubprn.vbs \\MyServer\Printer
""LDAP://CN=MyContainer,DC=MyDomain,DC=Company,DC=Com""
Printer publishing can also be automated using Windows Script Host. The following is a simple command that can read an input file. Each line of the input lists the UNC path to the printer. The one-line script is saved as a .vbs file and executed from the command line: For /F %%i IN (printers.txt) DO pubprn.vbs %%i
To execute the script directly from the command line, change “%%i” to “%i”. Dependencies ●
Printer must be shared.
●
You must be a member of the Print Operators group, Domain Admins group, or the Enterprise Admins group in Active Directory.
Technology Required ●
Active Directory Users and Computers MMC snap-in
●
PubPrn.vbs
●
Windows Script Host
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Optimizing Quadrant
Capacity Management SMF
Infrastructure Role Cluster
As Needed
Process: Managing resources and service performance Description Capacity management is concerned with optimized utilization of IT resources in order to achieve the level of performance agreed to with the client. These resources are supplied by support organizations to ensure the requirements of the business are met. The process of capacity management can be either reactive or proactive. Iterative activities, such as monitoring, analyzing, tuning, and reporting are also important in the process of managing resources and service performance. The type of data for each differs. For example, the level of utilization of individual components in the infrastructure is relevant to IT resource management, while the transaction throughput rates and response time are pertinent to service-performance management.
Task: Move spooler to another disk to optimize performance Purpose Print servers that have a large number of printers or that provide service for large print jobs may require that the spooler be moved to a disk with adequate disk space to spool print requests.
Procedure 1: Move spooler to alternate location 1. Start Printers and Faxes. 2. On the File menu, click Server Properties, and then click the Advanced tab. 3. In the Spool folder window, enter the path and the name of the new default spool folder for this print server, and then click Apply or OK. 4. Stop and restart the spooler service, or restart the server. Dependencies Destination location for spooler folder has to have adequate space for spooled print jobs. Technology Required Printers and Faxes
4 Processes by MOF Role Clusters This chapter is designed for those who want to see all processes for a single role cluster in one place. The information is the same as that in the previous two chapters. The only difference is that the processes are ordered by MOF role cluster.
Operations Role Cluster Daily Processes Process 1: Print and output maintenance support activities—print queues Task 1: Monitor print queue for performance Process 2: Investigation and diagnosis Task 1: Respond to daily service request Process 3: Problem recording and classification Task 1: Review daily problem-management reports Process 4: Managing resources and service performance Task 1: Capture service-performance statistics Task 2: Capture service-usage statistics Weekly Processes Process 1: Investigation and diagnosis Task 1: Create weekly service request activity report Process 2: Designing for recovery Task 1: Update automated system recovery backup
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Monthly Processes Process 1: Incident closure Task 1: Roll up activity report into monthly metric Quarterly Processes Process 1: Designing for recovery Task 1: Validate automated system recovery backup As-Needed Processes There are no as-needed processes for this role cluster.
Support Role Cluster Daily Processes Process1: Data backup, restore, and recovery operations Task 1: Back up printer configuration Process 2: Investigation and diagnosis Task 1: Respond to daily service requests Weekly Processes Process 1: Data backup, restore, and recovery operations Task 1: Run weekly normal backup Process 2: Investigation and diagnosis Task 1: Create weekly service request activity report Monthly Processes There are no monthly processes for this role cluster. As-Needed Processes Process 1: Print and output configuration activities—managing printers Task 1: Transfer documents to another printer Process 2: Maintaining the directory Task 1: Publish printers to Active Directory Task 2: Manually publish printers to Active Directory
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Release Role Cluster Daily Processes There are no daily processes for this role cluster. Weekly Processes There are no weekly processes for this role cluster. Monthly Processes There are no monthly processes for this role cluster. As-Needed Processes There are no as-needed processes for this role cluster.
Infrastructure Role Cluster Daily Processes Process 1: Change classification and authorization Task 1: Attend CAB meeting Task 2: Review emergency change request Weekly Processes There are no weekly processes for this role cluster. Monthly Processes Process 1: Reviewing configuration items Task 1: Compliance check—verify installed print drivers Task 2: Compliance check—verify printers published in Active Directory Process 1: Managing resources and service performance Task 1: Create service performance and utilization report Task 2: Create system load and utility report Process 2: Maintenance and support activities Task 1: Compliance check—enumerate unused printer ports Process 3: Reviewing configuration items Task 1: Compliance check—verify installed print drivers Task 2: Compliance check—verify printers published in Active Directory As-Needed Processes There are no as-needed processes for this role cluster.
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Security Role Cluster Daily Processes There are no daily processes for this role cluster. Weekly Processes There are no weekly processes for this role cluster. Monthly Processes There are no monthly processes for this role cluster. As-Needed Processes There are no as-needed processes for this role cluster.
Partner Role Cluster Daily Processes There are no daily processes for this role cluster. Weekly Processes There are no weekly processes for this role cluster. Monthly Processes There are no monthly processes for this role cluster. As-Needed Processes There are no as-needed processes for this role cluster.
5 Troubleshooting Overview The following tables contain troubleshooting tips that should be useful in maintaining this product. The tips are based on known issues, and follow the best practices for troubleshooting and problem management outlined by the Incident Management SMF and the Problem Management SMF, both found in the MOF Supporting Quadrant.
Problem #1: Cannot print to a network printer Description of Problem You cannot print to a network printer. The methods used to resolve this problem are independent of the program. Resolution of Problem Verify basic network connectivity. Check user rights, protocols, and share names to determine if you can see the server. Copy files to a share on the print server using Windows Explorer. If you cannot access the server, you may not be able to access the printer. Create a local printer and redirect the port to the network printer. In the ports section, create a new port. Click Local and type the server and printer name for the printer (for example, \\servername\printername). Use this port for the local printer. This determines whether there is a problem with the copying of files from the server to the workstation when you click Connect To Setup or Network Printer in the Add Printer Wizard. If you are printing from a Microsoft MS-DOS® based program, make sure that the NET USE command has been run to map the LPT port to the network share. If it has, delete it and remap the port. If the printer works now, there may be an issue with ghosted connections. A command may need to be run in the logon script to remap the port each time you log on. If the printer is still not printing, try typing dir > LPT <x> where <x> is the number of the port being mapped. If it still does not print, doublecheck the networking.
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
If you are using LPR or printing to a JetDirect card using TCP/IP protocol, try the following: ●
Use the PING protocol to look for the IP address. If it fails, check the network connectivity and verify the IP address.
●
Create an LPR port to the printer, and then create a local printer connected to that port. This is the recommended way to connect to a JetDirect printer. Sharing this printer on the network allows the computer to act as a print queue for the JetDirect printer.
Problem #2: Cannot print from a program Description of Problem You cannot print from a program. The methods used to resolve this problem are independent of the program. Resolution of Problem ●
Use a simpler file. Try creating a new document with less information in it. This determines if it is the program or something in the documents that is causing the problem.
●
Check available disk space on the system drive. If there is not enough room to spool the job, larger jobs may fail where smaller jobs may not.
●
Try to print from another operating system. If possible, test with a third operating system. If it prints correctly, the problem is related to the output file.
Problem #3: Spooler retries old print job Description of Problem When you send a print job to a printer, the print spooler might not delete the spool file from the %SystemRoot%\System32\Spool\Printers folder when the print job is completed, and the print spooler might repeatedly attempt to spool the print job. Resolution of Problem ●
To prevent this behavior from occurring, do not change the attributes of a spool file while it is in the %SystemRoot%\System32\Spool\Printers folder.
●
To work around this behavior, remove the read-only attribute and then delete the spool file from the %SystemRoot%\System32\Spool\Printers folder.
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Problem #4: Print server modifies print jobs Descriptions and Resolutions of Problem Print server modifies client print jobs. There are five common job-alteration problems, each with its own resolution: Description of Problem (1) LPR client print jobs include PCL or PostScript code, include incorrectly printed extended characters, or print in the print device’s default font. Resolution of Problem (1) This problem occurs when the LPR client sends commands to the Windows TCP/IP print server that responds by assigning the print job the TEXT data type. ●
Reconfigure the LPR clients to send different commands so that Windows assigns the job the RAW data type.
Description of Problem (2) Last page of a Microsoft network-based client print job does not print. Resolution of Problem (2) This problem occurs when client applications do not append form-feed commands to their print jobs, and the print manager default data type is RAW. To resolve this: ●
Set the default data type value to RAW [FF Auto] or RAW [FF Appended], or reconfigure the client application to append a form feed to print jobs.
Description of Problem (3) Extra page prints after a Microsoft network-based client print job. Resolution of Problem (3) This problem occurs when the client application appends form-feed characters to its print jobs, and the print manager default data type is RAW [FF Appended] or RAW [FF Auto]. Print jobs from Windows- based applications are always appended with form-feed characters; print jobs from MS-DOS-based applications often do not have form feeds at the end. The following are methods for resolving this problem: ●
If client print jobs sent to the print share already have form-feed commands, set the default data type to RAW.
●
If some client print jobs include form-feed commands but others do not, set the default data type to RAW [FF Auto].
●
Reconfigure the applications to prevent them from adding the form-feed command to print jobs.
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Description of Problem (4) Microsoft network-based client print jobs include PCL or PostScript code, include incorrectly printed extended characters, or print in the print device’s default font. Resolution of Problem (4) This problem occurs when the print manager default data type is TEXT. To resolve this: ●
Set the default data type value to RAW.
Description of Problem (5) PostScript print jobs sent from Macintosh clients do not print in color, print at a lower resolution, or fail. Resolution of Problem (5) This problem occurs because the Windows print server assigns the print job the PSCRIPT1 data type if the target print device is not a PostScript device. This causes the spooler to convert the client PostScript print job into the native language of the print device. The conversion software only supports Level 1 PostScript, it does not support color, and it does not produce output at a resolution of 300 dots per inch (DPI). The following are methods for resolving this problem: ●
Run print manager and reconfigure the printer to use a PostScript print driver.
●
Send print jobs directly to the print device instead of sending them to the Windows print server.
●
Purchase a third-party replacement for the Windows Services for Macintosh raster image processor (RIP).
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Problem #5: Spooler and “Out of resource” messages Description of Problem ●
When you restart the computer or restart the print spooler service, you receive the following error message: “Spoolsv.exe failed to start.”
●
When you open the printer’s properties, you receive the following error message: "Out of resource error."
●
When you print a document, you receive an “Access violation“ (Dr. Watson) error message. The Dr. Watson log points to the Spoolsv.exe with error code C0000005. You receive the following error message, and the print spooler stops: “The instruction at ‘’ referenced memory at ‘’. The memory could not be read.” Cause of Problem
These problems may occur if the default local port monitor is changed by a thirdparty program. Resolution of Problem The following are steps for resolving this problem: 1.
Start the Registry Editor (RegEdt32.exe).
2.
Locate the local port value under the following key in the registry: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Monito rs\LocalPort
3.
Double click the Driver subkey, and then edit the value. Change the string value to Localspl.dll and then click OK.
4.
Check the following registry key for third-party monitors. Remove any nondefault monitors: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Monito rs The default port monitors are: ●
Apple Talk Printing Devices (When Windows Services for Macintosh is installed)
●
BJ language monitor
●
Local port
●
PJL language monitor
●
Standard TCP/IP port
●
USB monitor
●
Windows NT fax monitor
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
5.
Check the following registry key for third-party print providers. Remove any nondefault print providers: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Pr oviders The default print providers are:
6.
●
Internet print providers
●
LanMan print services
Quit the Registry Editor and restart the print spooler.
Problem #6: “Could not connect to printer” Description of Problem When you attempt to print or connect to a print queue, the following error message may appear: “Could not connect to the printer <printer> because the print processor is unknown.” In addition, printer icons may be missing from the Printers folder. Cause of Problem The winprint key is corrupted or missing, or the data value contains a leading space in the following registry location: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Environme nts\ Windows NT x86\Print Processors Resolution of Problem 1.
Start the Registry Editor (RegEdt32.exe).
2.
Go to the following registry location: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Environ ments\Windows NT x86\Print Processors
3.
Click the Print Processors key.
4.
On the Edit menu, click Add Key, and then type winprint in the Key Name field of the Add Key dialog box (leave the Class field blank).
5.
Type the following values (shown in bold type) in the Add Value dialog box, and then click OK: ●
Value Name: Driver
●
Data Type: REG_SZ
6.
For the String Value, type localspl.dll , and click OK.
7.
Quit the Registry Editor and restart the print server.
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Problem #7: Application error, Spoolsv.exe, access violation message Description of Problem When you attempt to print or configure the printer in Windows Server 2003, you may receive the following error message: ●
An application error has occurred and an application error log is being generated.
●
Spoolsv.exe
●
Exception: access violation (0xc0000005), Address:
This problem occurs if you have many .SHD and .SPL files in the spool directory. The default location for all printer spool files is %SystemRoot%\System32\Spool\Printers. Resolution of Problem 1.
Stop the spooler service.
2.
Remove the .SHD and .SPL files from the Spool directory.
3.
Remove any unused or old .TMP file from the Temp directory.
4.
Restart the spooler service.
Problem #8: Spoolsv.exe or “print subsystem is unavailable” message Description of Problem When you start a Windows Server 2003 print server, you may receive the following error message: “Spoolsv.exe has generated an error.” Also, if you try to view the properties of a printer, you may receive an error message that says the print subsystem is unavailable. Cause of Problem The print spooler service might have stopped. This problem can also occur if the server running Windows Server 2003 has a print driver that is designed for Windows 98 or Windows NT. Resolution of Problem 1.
Start the Registry Editor (RegEdt32.exe).
2.
Locate and remove the following key from the registry: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Print\Printers\
3.
Quit the Registry Editor.
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Managing the Windows Server Platform
Problem #9: Cannot create or select a print monitor Description of Problem You are unable to create or select a print monitor. One of the following symptoms may occur: ●
Double-clicking one of the installed available print monitors does nothing.
●
When trying to add a port, such as an LPR Port, you may receive a Dr. Watson access violation or application error message in Spoolsv.exe. This may be followed by: “Specified port cannot be added. The remote procedure call failed. The printer already exists.” Cause of Problem
This problem is caused by the spooler service not being allowed to interact with the desktop. Resolution of Problem 1.
In Control Panel, double-click the Services icon.
2.
Click the Spooler service, and click the Startup button.
3.
Verify that the service is configured to log on using the system account, and that it is allowed to interact with the desktop.
4.
If invalid network printer port names appear in the list, they can be deleted from within the print manager.
Problem #10: PrintQueue objects are deleted Description of Problem All of the PrintQueue objects published by print servers on the same site as a given domain controller may be detected as orphaned and deleted, even though the corresponding printers are available in the domain. Cause of Problem When this occurs, the printer pruner writes a system event for each PrintQueue object that is detected as an orphan. This can accumulate rapidly for sites with large numbers of published print queues. If there are many published printers on the site, the system event log may become filled with printer pruner events. Resolution of Problem To prevent incorrect printer pruning while a domain controller is removed from the network, use either of the following methods: ●
Before removing a domain controller from the network for an interval longer than the directory pruning interval and directory pruning retry periods, set the Directory Pruning Interval value to Never. These policies are located in Group Policy Object Editor under Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Printers.
●
Stop the spooler service on the domain controller.
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