[Samba] windows printer config management

Michael Heydon michaelh at jaswin.com.au
Tue Feb 5 23:08:58 GMT 2008


Jean-Jacques Moulis wrote:
> On Tue, 05 Feb 2008 14:39:39 +1100 Brian May <bam at snoopy.apana.org.au> wrote:
> ...
>
> BM> 3. on windows computer, drivers have to be installed from the samba server,
> BM>    * installation of drivers as non-administrator won't work
>   
This is normal and good, drivers can carry viruses, only an admin should 
be able to load them.
> BM>    * log in as administrator, install printer, which tries to install driver.
>   
see below (wpkg and/or cpau)
> BM>    * first time, windows complains that the server doesn't have the drivers.
>   
This is odd and you will probably have to fix it before other things 
work smoothly.
> BM>    * retry, it works perfectly on second try.
> BM>    * log as administrator, log it as user, printer doesn't exit.
>   
Normal, network printers are a per-user setting
> BM>    * install printer again as user, this time it uses the existing drivers.
>   
Do this in your login scripts (I suggest using vbscript).
> BM> 4. if any changes required, e.g. printer is replaced, repeat then on
> BM> every computer for every user.
>   
Once the drivers have been loaded once, it shouldn't be necessary to 
reload them. Simply have the login script delete and reconnect the 
printers at each login, new settings should come across when the 
connection is remade.
> BM> cups makes this so much easier :-(.
>   
There are methods you can use to print directly from windows to a cups 
server, in some cases you can manage all your printer settings through 
cups. Personally I find the samba/login script method simpler and better 
suited to our environment. YMMV.
> BM> Any ideas?
>
> BM> Thanks.
> BM> -- 
> BM> Brian May <bam at snoopy.apana.org.au>
>
> -If your computers and the samba printserv are domain members of the same domain,
> even ordinary users can install drivers from the samba server.
> (This is default)
>
>   
Not if the users aren't a member of the local PC's Power Users or 
Administrators group and the drivers have never been loaded onto the 
machine in the past.
> -You can allow installation from others domain (some tweaks on clients)
>
> -You can run start scripts on every clients to install drivers (and many others things).
>
>
> Put your clients on a domain (why not a samba one)
> use wpkg www.wpkg.org . it's a great help in managing clients!
>   
Check out cpau as well, it lets your logon scripts run things as admin 
even if your users aren't.
I would suggest creating an account that is an admin on each machine but 
has no authority on the domain (the "encryption" used by cpau isn't 
secure so a dedicated attacker could find out the password).
>
> cups is the most troublesome part of our print system, not samba, not windows :-(
>
>   
Agreed!!

*Michael Heydon - IT Administrator *
michaelh at jaswin.com.au <mailto:michaelh at jaswin.com.au>




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