Using Remote Printer Management

While Novell^® Distributed Print Services^TM (NDPS^TM) allows users to download and install printer drivers on their workstations, the Remote Printer Management feature also allows administrators to designate printers to be downloaded and installed automatically. These printers then appear in the Windows Printer Folder for the user's workstation. Administrators can also use this feature to remove printers, assign a printer to be the default printer, and update printer drivers from the NDPS Resource Management Service database (resdir).

NOTE: Remote Printer Management replaces the PSETUP utility that was shipped with the initial release of NDPS.

How Remote Printer Management Works

After a printer has been designated for automatic installation on a user's workstation, this information is stored on the NDS^TM container object where the administrator has configured it. When a user logs in after the machine is rebooted, the workstation's client software checks the container object where the User object resides for the Remote Printer Management configuration. The client software compares "time stamps" stored on the workstation and in NDS to determine whether any changes have occurred. If the time stamp is different, action is taken, and the printer list on the client is automatically updated to match the printer list maintained by NDS on the container.

If the client finds a printer designated for installation that has not yet been installed, it is automatically installed.
If a currently installed printer is added to the Printers to Remove list, that printer will be uninstalled automatically.
If you designate a different printer to be the default in the Remote Printer Management list, the change will be automatically made on each client when it logs in.
If the "Do not update workstations control is checked, you can update the Remote Printer Management configuration, but no changes will occur on the workstation.

Notes

A log file named dprpmlog.txt is created in the drive:/windows directory of each workstation where Remote Printer Management has installed one or more printers. This log file is limited to 5 KB and can be turned off in the Windows Registry. (Type regedit, then select HK_KEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/NDPS/RPM and set the error log setting to 0 to disable it.) You can only do this after you have used the Remote Printer Management tool.
When you install a printer using Remote Printer Management or the Novell Printer Manager, its installed name will be limited to no more than 31 characters (including the periods). The name will be broken off at a logical point from the beginning of the installed name. This will not affect the ability of the printer to service jobs.
The reason that names are limited to this length is that some applications cannot handle printer names of over 31 characters.

Accessing Remote Printer Management

Remote Printer Management can be accessed in any of the following ways. Somewhat different functionality is available at each location.

From the Tools menu in NetWare^® Administrator. By selecting the NDPS Remote Printer Management option from this menu, you can manage printers in all containers to which you have Supervisor rights on the container object.
From the Details page for the Container object. By pressing the NDPS Remote Printer Management button from this page, you can manage printers for this container only.
From the Details page for a specific printer. By pressing the NDPS Remote Printer Management button from this page, you can remotely manage that printer.
From the Public Access Printers view under the Tools menu. By highlighting a printer and selecting the Object/Details option, you can access the Printer Control page for that printer. Then, by pressing the NDPS Remote Printer Management button from this page, you can remotely manage that printer.