cj

Since there doesn't seem to be any takers on this one, I'll tell you how we solved the roaming profile / printer problem. It ain't elegant but it's simple and it works great!

As part of our commissioning (setup) process for new workstations, we run a custom built UI that among other things, ask for the path of the nearest network printer for that workstation. The UI then data-fills it into a custom registry key/value as follows...

code:

---

hkey_local_machine\software\companyname\printer\nearest = "host\share"

---

The KiX logon script then queries the value, connects and assigns it as default ...

code:

---

$printer = readvalue ( "hkey_local_machine\software\companyname\printer", "nearest" )
if $printer <> ""
 if addprinterconnection ( "$printer" )
  ?"AddPrinterConnection: @serror"
 else
  if setdefaultprinter ( $printer )
   ?"SetDefaultPrinter: @serror"
  endif
 endif
else
 ?"Default printer not defined"
endif
exit

---

You can manually enter this key/value into each workstation locally or remotely as the domain administrator. A lot would depend on how many workstations you have, etc.

The other approach we played around with was to maintain a list of domain printers and
do some sort of lookup when a user logs on. This list would be kept on the domain controllers and queried with KiX... For example, do a readprofilestring() lookup of a network file called printers.ini based on workstation ip subnet...

File printers.ini contains...

code:

---

[142.121]
printer = \\hostname\floor12_hp4
[142.122]
printer = \\hostname\floor23_hp4
[142.123]
printer = \\hostname\floor24_hp4

---

And some Kix code like ...

code:

---

$subnet = substr("@IPADDRESS0",1,7)
$printer = readprofilestring ( "%logonserver%\netlogon\printers.ini", "$subnet", "printer" )
; add and set printer default, etc, blah blah blah ...

---

It would be nice to have some sort of automatic discovery mechanism through the registry or over the network though ! Anyone ?

Hope this helps !

Shawn.

One method we used once was to have the printer name the same as the workstation nearest it...

workstation DHQ102 (Desktop HeadQuarters 1=sales 02=actual machine)

printer \\printserver\DHQ102

then

setdefaultprinter ("@wksta")

to finish the job. Not the best solution, but it meant that you knew where your printers were. The description of the printserver share as seen in net view told you more info like floor and user etc.

cj

IF "%LogonServer%\ComputerName"
use LPT1: \\ServerName\PrinterShareName
Endif

Nice and simple but doesn't work. Never mind.

IF "%LogonServer%\ComputerName"

will always be true because it is non zero. Are you missing an equal sign & something to test it against? Wouldn't this work best with a Select/Case statement.

Don't give up !

I think what your probably after is this ...

code:

---

if %logonserver% = "\\north"
 use lpt1: "\\north\north_printer"
endif
if %logonserver% = "\\south"
 use lpt1: "\\south\south_printer"
endif

---

A neat idea but one can't always be sure which of your domain controllers will authenticate you.

Your getting close to something though !

Believe me when I say - Your roaming user's will thank you !

Shawn.

Borrowing from your example, how about something like this ...

code:

---

$subnet = substr("@ipaddress0", 1, 11) ; Get workstation subnet address
select
 case $subnet = "142.122. 22"
  $printer = "\\hostname\printer22"
 case $subnet = "142.122. 23"
  $printer = "\\hostname\printer23"
 case $subnet = "142.122. 24"
  $printer = "\\hostname\printer24"
 case 1
  $printer = ""
endselect
if $printer
 use lpt1: "$printer"
endif

---

Shawn.

When a printer is connected to a computer the register writes down all the printerinfo.

Now, if you change IP adresse or name etc on a shared printer on a server and reconnect to the printer using
AddPrinterConnetion ("\\server\printer") on the client alot of computer will reply with a "you need to install a printer before you can print" and so on.

If you put this line in your Kix script
DELTREE ("Printers")
before your AddPrinterConnection routine the script will remove all printer info and rebuild the info in the registery. This will not remove local printers only printers connected from a share.

Hope this will help someone

------------------
Anders Hansen-Øvre
Getronics AS