print server operational guide

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Print ServiceProduct Operations Guide

Managing the Windows Server Platform



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Print Service Product Operations Guide iii

ContentsIntroduction to Product Operations Guide.......................................................................................1

Document Purpose......................................................................................................................1Intended Audience......................................................................................................................1

How to Use This Guide................................................................................................................1Background............................................................................................................................ .....2

High-Level Tasks for MaintainingWindows Server 2003 Print Service................................................................................................5

Overview............................................................................................................................. ........5Technology Required.......................................................................................................... ........6Maintenance Processes Checklist...............................................................................................8

Operating Quadrant.................................................................................................................8Supporting Quadrant..............................................................................................................11Optimizing Quadrant..............................................................................................................13Changing Quadrant................................................................................................................15

Detailed Maintenance Actions.......................................................................................................17Overview.......................................................................................................................... .........17Process: Data backup, restore, and recovery operations..........................................................18

Task: Back up printer configuration........................................................................................18Process: Data backup, restore, and recovery operations..........................................................20

Task: Run weekly normal backup..........................................................................................20Process: Designing for recovery................................................................................................22

Task: Update automated system recovery backup............................................................. ...22Process: Designing for recovery................................................................................................24

Task: Validate automated system recovery backup...............................................................24Process: Print and output maintenance support activities—print queues..................................26

Task: Monitor print queue for performance............................................................................26Process: Managing resources and service performance...........................................................29

Task: Capture service-performance statistics........................................................................29Task: Capture service-usage statistics.............................................................................. ....34

Process: Managing resources and service performance...........................................................37

Task: Create service performance and utilization report........................................................37Task: Create system load and utility report............................................................................38

Process: Reviewing configuration items....................................................................................39Task: Capture configuration snapshot.......................................................................... .........39

Process: Maintenance and support activities............................................................................42Task: Compliance check—enumerate unused printer ports.............................................. ....42

Process: Reviewing configuration items....................................................................................44Task: Compliance check—verify installed print drivers..........................................................44Task: Compliance check—verify printers published in Active Directory.................................45

Process: Incident closure...................................................................................................... ....47Task: Roll up activity report into monthly metric.....................................................................47

Process: Investigation and diagnosis.................................................................................. ......48Task: Respond to daily service request.................................................................................48

Task: Create weekly service request activity report...............................................................49Process: Problem recording and classification..........................................................................51

Task: Review daily problem-management reports.................................................................51Process: Change classification and authorization.....................................................................53

Task: Attend CAB meeting.....................................................................................................53Task: Review emergency change request.............................................................................54

Process: Print and output configuration activities—managing printers......................................57Task: Transfer documents to another printer.........................................................................57

Process: Maintaining the directory........................................................................................ ....59Task: Publish printers to Active Directory....................................................................... .......59



iv Managing the Windows Server Platform

Task: Manually publish printers to Active Directory................................................................60Process: Managing resources and service performance...........................................................61

Task: Move spooler to another disk to optimize performance................................................61Processes by MOF Role Clusters.................................................................................................62

Operations Role Cluster.........................................................................................................62Support Role Cluster..............................................................................................................63Release Role Cluster.............................................................................................................64Infrastructure Role Cluster.....................................................................................................64Security Role Cluster............................................................................................................ .64Partner Role Cluster..............................................................................................................65

Troubleshooting..................................................................................................................... .......66Overview.......................................................................................................................... .........66

Problem #1: Cannot print to a network printer........................................................... ............66Problem #2: Cannot print from a program..............................................................................67Problem #3: Spooler retries old print job................................................................................67Problem #4: Print server modifies print jobs......................................................................... .68Problem #5: Spooler and “Out of resource” messages..........................................................70Problem #6: “Could not connect to printer”............................................................................71Problem #7: Application error, Spoolsv.exe, access violation message............................. ...72Problem #8: Spoolsv.exe or “print subsystem is unavailable” message....................... .........72

Problem #9: Cannot create or select a print monitor..............................................................73Problem #10: PrintQueue objects are deleted...................................................................... .73



Print Service Product Operations Guide v

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 ManagerGreg 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



1Introduction to ProductOperations Guide

Document Purpose

This guide describes processes and procedures for improving themanagement of Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 Print Service in aninformation technology (IT) infrastructure.

Intended Audience This material should be useful for anyone planning to deploy this productinto an existing IT infrastructure, especially one based on the ITInfrastructure Library (ITIL)—a comprehensive set of best practices for ITservice management—and Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF). It isaimed 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 providesbasic background information. The second chapter provides a high-levelchecklist of the tasks required for maintaining this product. The thirdchapter takes a more detailed look at the tasks described in themaintenance chapter. The fourth chapter organizes tasks by the MOF rolecluster responsible for each task. The fifth chapter provides informationabout common troubleshooting techniques for Windows Server 2003 PrintService.

The guide may be read as a single volume, including the detailedmaintenance and troubleshooting sections. Reading the document thisway will provide the necessary context so that later material can beunderstood more readily. However, some people will prefer to use thedocument as a reference, only looking up information as they need it.



2 Managing the Windows Server Platform

Background This guide is based on Microsoft Solutions for Management (MSM). MSMprovides a combination of best practices, best-practice implementationservices, and best-practice automation, all of which help customersachieve 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 flexibleapproach centered around ITIL. MOF includes guidelines on how to plan,deploy, and maintain IT operational processes in support of mission-criticalservice solutions.

Central to MOF—and to understanding the structure of this guide—are theMOF Process and Team Models. The Process Model and its underlyingservice 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 makeup each quadrant of the Process Model.

Figure 1MOF Process Model and SMFs



Print Service Product Operations Guide 3

Figure 2 shows the MOF Team Model, along with some of the manyfunctional roles or function teams that might exist in service managementorganizations. These roles and function teams are shown mapped to theMOF role cluster to which they would likely belong.

Security

Release

Infrastructure

Support

Operations

Partner

Change management Release/systems engineering Configuration control/asset

management Software distribution/licensing Quality assurance

Messaging operations Database operations Network administration Monitoring/metrics Availability management

Intellectual property protection Network and system security Intrusion detection Virus protection Audit and compliance admin Contingency planning

Maintenance vendors Environment support Managed services, outsourcers,

trading partners Software/hardware suppliers

Enterprise architecture Infrastructure engineering Capacity management Cost/IT budget management Resource and long-range

planning

Service desk/help desk Production/production support Problem management Service level management

Figure 2MOF Team Model and examples of functional roles or teams




The MOF Team Model is built on six quality goals, which are described andmatched 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 changemanagement. Accurate inventorytracking of all IT services and systems.

Release

Management of physical environmentsand infrastructure tools.

Infrastructure

Quality customer support and a serviceculture.

Support

Predictable, repeatable, and automatedsystem management.

Operations

Mutually beneficial relationships withservice and supply partners.

Partner

Protected corporate assets, controlledauthorization, and proactive securityplanning.

Security

Further information about MSM and MOF is available athttp://www.microsoft.com/solutions/msm/techinfo/default.asp , or searchfor the topic on TechNet at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/default.asp .

You can also contact your local Microsoft or partner representative.

http://www.microsoft.com/solutions/msm/techinfo/default.asp

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/default.asp





2High-Level Tasks forMaintainingWindows Server 2003 Print

ServiceOverview

Every company consists of employees (people), activities that thoseemployees perform (processes), and tools that help them perform thoseactivities (technology). No matter what the business, it most likely consistsof people, processes, and technology working together to achieve acommon goal. Table 2 illustrates this point.

Table 2. People, Processes, and Technology Working Together

Area People Process Technology

Auto repairindustry

Mechanic Repair manual Socket set

Softwaredevelopmentindustry

Programmer Project plan Compiler;debugger

IT operations IT technician MicrosoftOperationsFramework

WindowsServer 2003Print 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 endusers benefit from simplified common printing tasks, such as sharing,finding, and connecting to network printers. This guide offers assistance inmanaging all of these print services on Windows Server 2003.




Technology Required Table 3 lists the tools or technologies that are required for the proceduresdescribed in this guide. All tools should be accessed from a WindowsServer 2003 console.

Table 3. Technology Required for Procedures Described

TechnologyRequired

Description Location

Printers andFaxes

Tool used to createand manage printerson a server.

Start > Printers andFaxes

System Monitor

(formerly knownin Windows®2000 asPerformanceMonitor )

Tool used to collectdata on server healthand performance.

Start > All Programs >Administrative Tools >Performance

Or to open System Monitorusing the command line:

Start > Run. In the Openbox, type perfmon, andthen click OK.

Event Viewer Tool used to monitorand gatherinformation onsystem, security, andapplication events.

Start > All Programs >Administrative Tools >Event Viewer

Or to open Event Viewerusing the command line:

Start >Run. In the Openbox, type eventvwr.msc,and then click OK .

Quota Entrieswindow

Tool used to view andconfigure quotas on avolume.

On the properties page of an NTFS file systemvolume.

Distributed FileSystem (DFS)MMC

Tool used to monitorDFS namespaceincluding roots, links,and targets.

Start > All Programs >Administrative Tools >Distributed File System

Disk Cleanup Tool used to removeunused temporaryfiles, Internet cachefiles, and unnecessaryprogram files.

Start >All Programs >Accessories > SystemTools > Disk Cleanup

Backup Tool used to performbackup and restoreoperations.

Start > All Programs >Accessories > SystemTools > Backup

Or to open the Backup toolusing the command line:

Start > Run. In the Openbox, type ntbackup, andthen click OK .




Table 4 lists the tools or technologies that are recommended for theprocedures described in this guide. Once again, all tools should beaccessed from a Windows Server 2003 console, except in those caseswhere a link or other resource is listed.

Table 4. Technology Recommended For Procedures Described

Recommended Technology

Description Location

Microsoft PrintMigrator 3.0

Tool used to back upprinter configuration on theprint server. It can befound athttp://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/technologies/fileandprint/print/download.asp.

Print Migratordownload

SplInfo.exe Command-line tool that

collects information fromthe print spooler anddisplays it.

Windows Server 2003

Resource Kit

SetPrinter.exe Command-line tool that isused to set configurationsor states of local andremote printers, for anindividual printer or for allprinters on a print server.

Windows Server 2003Resource Kit

SrvInfo.exe Tool used to gather systeminformation from servers.

Windows Server 2003Resource Kit

PubPrn.vbs Tool used to publishprinters from a server thatis not running WindowsServer 2003 into a serverthat is running WindowsServer 2003.

\winnt\system32

Microsoft Excel Application used to formatreports and analyze data.

Microsoft Office

PrnPort.vbs Script used to manageprinter ports.

\winnt\system32

WindowsManagementInstrumentation(WMI)

Tool used to accessmanagement informationin an enterpriseenvironment. It can befound athttp://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/wmisdk/wmi/wmi_start_ page.asp

Start > Run. In theOpen box, typewmimgmt.msc andthen click OK .

http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/technologies/fileandprint/print/download.asp




http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/wmisdk/wmi/wmi_start_page.asp














Maintenance Processes Checklist The following checklists provide a quick reference for productmaintenance processes that need to be performed on a regular basis.

These processes offer a high-level view of the processes described insubsequent 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 theMOF Operating Quadrant.

Further information about the MOF Process Model and the MOF SMFs isavailable 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 weeklyprocesses for thisSMF.

Weekly Processes



Monthly Processes


Maintenance andsupport activities

Operations

As-Needed Processes


Print and o utputconfigurationactivities—managing

printers

Support








Directory Services Administration

Daily Processes


There are no dailyprocesses for thisSMF.

Weekly Processes



Monthly Processes


There are no monthlyprocesses for thisSMF.

As-Needed Processes

Process Name MOF Role Cluster

Maintaining thedirectory

Support




Storage Management

Daily Processes


Data backup, restore, and recoveryoperations

Support

Weekly Processes


Data backup, restore,and recoveryoperations

Support

Monthly Processes


There are no monthlyprocesses for thisSMF.

As-Needed Processes


There are no as-needed processes forthis SMF.




Supporting Quadrant

The processes for this section are based on the SMFs that make up theMOF Supporting Quadrant.

Incident Management

Daily Processes


Investigation anddiagnosis

Support andOperations

Weekly Processes


Investigation anddiagnosis

Support andOperations

Monthly ProcessesProcess Name Related SMFs MOF Role Cluster

Incident c losure Operations

As-Needed Processes






Problem Management

Daily Processes


Problem r ecordingand classification

Operations

Weekly Processes



Monthly Processes


There are no monthly

processes for thisSMF.

As-Needed Processes






Optimizing Quadrant

The tasks for this section are based on the SMFs that make up the MOFOptimizing Quadrant.

Capacity Management

Daily Processes


Managing resourcesand serviceperformance

Operations

Weekly Processes


There are no weeklyprocesses for this

SMF.

Monthly Processes


Managing resourcesand serviceperformance

Infrastructure

As-Needed Processes


There are no as-

needed processes forthis SMF.




Availability Management

Daily Processes



Weekly Processes


Design ing forrecovery

Operations

Monthly Processes


There are no monthly

processes for thisSMF.

Quarterly Processes


Design ing forrecovery

Operations

As-Needed Processes


There are no as-

needed processes forthis SMF.




Changing Quadrant

The processes for this section are based on the SMFs that make up theMOF Changing Quadrant.

Change Management

Daily Processes


Change classificationand authorization

Infrastructure

Weekly Processes



Monthly Processes


Review ingconfiguration items

Infrastructure

As-Needed Processes






Configuration Management

Daily Processes



Weekly Processes



Monthly Processes


Maintenance andsupport activities

Infrastructure

Review ingconfiguration items

Infrastructure

As-Needed Processes





3Detailed MaintenanceActions

Overview

This chapter provides detailed information about the processes that mustbe performed in order to maintain Windows Server 2003 Print Service.

These processes are arranged according to the MOF quadrant to whichthey belong and, within each quadrant, by the MOF SMF guides that makeup that quadrant.

Those quadrants are:

● Operating Quadrant

● Supporting Quadrant

● Optimizing Quadrant

● Changing Quadrant

Also included are the associated role cluster and the frequency with whicha process must be performed—daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or as-needed.

Further information about the MOF Process Model and the MOF SMFs isavailable 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 .








OperatingQuadrant

StorageManagement SMF

Support RoleCluster

Daily

Process: Data backup, restore, and recovery

operationsDescription

Storing, restoring, and recovering data are key storage-managementactivities for maintaining company data. Data should be classified by type,and a strategy should be developed to ensure that operations fulfillbusiness 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 configurationprovides a reliable method of maintaining data print queues, ports, andprint drivers from an existing Windows server in a cabinet (.cab) file. Thedata can be used to migrate the printer to another server or restoreprinter configuration information to the local server.

To achieve this objective, Print Migrator 3.0 provides a backup of printerconfiguration and print monitor attributes (including third party), printqueues, print processors, print drivers, and print shares on various servertypes, which include Windows NT® 4.0 Service Pack (SP) 6a, Windows2000 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 toolis contained in “Print Migrator 3.0 Download,” available athttp://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/technologies/fileandprint/print/download.asp.








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 fileFileName.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 theprinter configuration backup. The following is a simple script that can readan input file. Each line of the input file lists the universal namingconvention (UNC) name of a print server. The script is saved as a .vbs fileand 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




OperatingQuadrant

StorageManagement SMF

Support RoleCluster

Weekly

Process: Data backup, restore, and recovery

operationsDescription

Backing up, restoring, and recovering data are key storage-managementactivities for maintaining company data. Data should be classified by type,and a strategy should be developed to ensure that operations fulfillbusiness 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 isnecessary 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, clickthe Backup Log tab, select Detailed, and click OK .

Backup logs can be vital to troubleshooting and recording status of thebackup operation. The default setting in Windows Server 2003 is forbackup logs to contain summary information, such as loading a tape,starting the backup, viewing the number of files backed up or bytesbacked up, or failing to open a file. Some operation environmentsrequire more detailed information—specifically, what files are beingbacked up for a particular backup job.

5. From the Tools menu, click Options. In the Options dialog box, clickthe 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 defaultsetting.

● Choose a tape device if you want to back up files and folders to atape.




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 andfile name of the backup (.bkf) file.

● If you are backing up files and folders to a tape, choose the tapeyou 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 currentselections.

12.Choose a location to save the sections file and click Save.

13.In the Set Account Information window, enter the appropriateaccount 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, enterthe 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

NoneTechnology Required

Backup




OptimizingQuadrant

AvailabilityManagement SMF

Operations RoleCluster

Weekly

Process: Designing for recoveryDescription

No matter how well designed and managed, problems with the delivery of an IT service can still occur. A major design consideration for highavailability is a reactive one charged with recovering service as quicklyand efficiently as possible. The incident being dealt with may be the resultof unexpected events or even the failure of a countermeasure to protectthe service. Rapid recovery may also be the appropriate design choice fora particular availability risk if an effective countermeasure proves to betoo 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 systemfailure. In the startup options of the printer there are several ways torecover from system failure, such as Safe Mode and Last Known GoodConfiguration. However, it is also a good idea to include automatedsystem recovery (ASR) backups in the regular maintenance of your printserver 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 jobsfor the server. ASR backups are performed using Backup in interactivemode. They cannot be scheduled.

Procedure 1: Get media for ASR backup

ASR backup requires a blank 1.44 megabyte (MB) disk to save systemsettings and media where the backup files will be written.

1. A separate media set is recommended for ASR backups. The media setshould 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 thedisk 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.




Procedure 3: Copy files for print server that does not have a diskdrive

1. Perform an ASR backup on the computer that does not have the diskdrive.

2. Copy the Asr.sif and Asrpnp.sif files located in the %Systemroot%\Repair directory to a computer that has a disk drive; then copythose files onto a disk.

Dependencies

● Print server should have a disk drive. Procedure 3 provides aworkaround for copying system files to a disk, but a disk drive isrequired for ASR.

● You must be a member of Administrators or Backup Operators group toperform ASR.

Technology Required

Backup




OptimizingQuadrant

AvailabilityManagement SMF


Quarterly

Process: Designing for recoveryDescription

No matter how well designed and managed, problems with the delivery of an IT service can still occur. A major design consideration for highavailability is a reactive one charged with recovering service as quicklyand efficiently as possible. The incident being dealt with may be the resultof unexpected events or even the failure of a countermeasure to protectthe service. Rapid recovery may also be the appropriate design choice fora particular availability risk if an effective countermeasure proves to betoo expensive for the customer to justify.

Task: Validate automated system recovery backup

Purpose

The automated system recovery (ASR) backup has to be validated toconfirm the integrity of the backup process. The operations team alsoneeds to be familiar with the hardware and software involved in the ASRprocess.

Procedure 1: Prepare for ASR

1. Retrieve the latest ASR backup media set and disk from a securelocation. Verify that the media and disks are from the same backup.

2. Retrieve the media set for the most recent normal backup of theserver.

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 therecovery 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 computerfrom 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 havepreviously 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.




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 andclick Next.

5. At this point you can click Finish to start the restoring process, or clickthe Advanced button for more options. If you decide to configureAdvanced options, the following is a list of items that should beselected:

● Restore files to original location.

● Leave existing files.

● Restore security settings

● Restore junction points, but not the folders and file data theyreference.

● Preserve existing volume mount points.

Dependencies

● For ASR, the recovery server must have the same hardware and diskconfiguration as the server where the ASR backup was performed.

● Regular ASR backups.

● Manufacturer-supplied device drivers for mass storage devices.

Technology Required

Backup




OperatingQuadrant

Print and OutputManagement SMF


Daily

Process: Print and output maintenance support

activities—print queuesDescription

Queues exist to hold output jobs that have been submitted and areawaiting 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 thathave not cleared the queue. Jobs might not clear the print queue for anumber of reasons. The purpose of this task is to provide a process todetect when a print job is stuck in a print queue.

When a client makes a print request, processing occurs on both the clientcomputer and on the printer server. The following items are key tomonitoring a print request once the printer server has received therequest from the client:

● Network print provider. Receives print request from such clients asWindows and HTTP.

● Print processor. Renders print request into the proper data type andformatting necessary to print properly. By default the file is

written/spooled to disk in the %Systemroot%\System32\Spool\Printersdirectory.

● Print monitor. Responsible for delivering the job to a particular printmonitor. TcpMon is the monitor used to deliver print jobs to TCP/IPprint devices.

● Print device. Responsible for supplying ink to print media.




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 Counter

Print Queue Jobs Spooling

5. In the Alert when the value is drop-down box, select Over, andenter the limit for your environment.

6. Click the Action tab; the default selection is Log an entry in theapplication event log.

7. Click the Schedule tab, select the Start Scan At check box, andenter 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 islogging 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: SysmonLogEvent 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 arethe source of the alert in Printers and Faxes.

3. Determine the status of the print jobs in the print queue; look for jobsthat have errors or jobs that have been paused.

4. Use troubleshooting tasks to resolve the issue.




Procedure 3: Use WMI to monitor the time a job is spent inspooler

The following script uses WMI to monitor the jobs counter for jobs thathave 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.TotalPagesEnd If

Next

Run this script when you receive the type of alert mentioned in Procedure2.

Dependencies

Configure alerts for Jobs Spooling counter.

Technology Required

● System Monitor

● WMI




Procedure 1: Create performance logs


2. Double-click Performance Logs and Alerts, right-click CounterLogs, and select New Log Settings.

3. Enter the name for this log—for example, “Service PerformanceStatistics” and click OK .

4. On the General tab, click Add Counters, and select the followingcounters.

Processor Performance Notes

Processor\% Processor Time

The percentage of elapsed time theprocessor spent executing instructionsfor processes or services. This counterreports the total time the processorsspent executing code in privileged modeand provides an overall view of theprocessors’ activity.

Processor\%Privileged Time

The percentage of elapsed time that theprocess threads spent executing code inprivileged mode. The operating systemswitches application threads to privilegedmode to allow direct access to thesystem’s kernel. Having more work donein the kernel can be advantageousbecause the kernel is more efficient atperforming certain tasks.

System\ContextSwitches/sec

The combined rate at which allprocessors on the computer are switched

from one thread to another. Contextswitches occur when a running threadvoluntarily relinquishes the processor, ispreempted by a higher priority readythread, or switches between user-modeand privileged mode to use executive orsubsystem service. High rates of contextswitching can result from inefficienthardware or poorly designed devicedrivers or applications.




Memory Performance Notes

Memory\Pages/sec The rate at which pages are read from orwritten to disk to resolve hard pagefaults. This counter is a primary indicatorof the kinds of faults that cause system-wide delays.

Memory\Available MBytes The amount of physical memory, inmegabytes, immediately available forallocation to a process or for system use.

Paging File\%Usage The amount of the paging file instance inuse expressed as a percentage.

Network Performance Notes

Server\Errors System The number of times an internal servererror was detected. Unexpected errorsusually indicate a problem with the

server.

Server\Work ItemShortages

This occurs when no work item isavailable or can be allocated to addressthe incoming request. A work item is thelocation where the server stores a servermessage block (SMB). Work itemshortages might be caused by anoverloaded server.

Server\Blocking RequestsRejected

The number of times the server hasrejected SMBs due to insufficient count of free work items. Indicates whether theMaxWorkItem or MinFreeWorkItems

server parameters might need to beadjusted.

Server WorkQueues\Queue Length

The current length of the server workqueue for this CPU. A sustained queuelength greater than four might indicateprocessor congestion. This is aninstantaneous count, not an averageover the time interval.




Disk Performance Notes

PhysicalDisk\Current DiskQueue Length

The number of requests outstanding onthe disk at the time the performancedata is collected. It also includesrequests in service at the time of thecollection. This is an instantaneoussnapshot, not an average over the timeinterval. Multispindle disk devices canhave multiple requests that are active atone time, but other concurrent requestsare awaiting service. This counter mightreflect a transitory high or low queuelength, but if there is a sustained load onthe disk drive, it is likely that this will beconsistently high. Requests willexperience delays that are proportionalto the length of this queue minus thenumber of spindles on the disks. For

good performance, this difference shouldaverage less than two.

PhysicalDisk\ Avg. Disksec/Read

The average time in seconds of readoperations from the disk.

PhysicalDisk\Disk ReadBytes/sec

The rate at which bytes are transferredfrom the disk during read operations.

PhysicalDisk\DiskReads/sec

The rate of read operations on the disk.

PhysicalDisk\ DiskWrites/sec

The rate of write operations on the disk.




Process Performance Notes

Process\Spoolsv\%Processor Time

The percentage of elapsed time theprocessor spent executing instructionsfor the Spoolsv service.

Process\Spoolsv\HandleCount

The total numbers of handles currentlyopen by this process. This number isequal to the sum of the handles currentlyopen by each thread in this process.

Process\Spoolsv\ThreadCount

The number of threads currently active inthis process. An instruction is the basicunit of execution in a processor, and athread is the object that executesinstructions. Every running process hasat least one thread.

Process\Spoolsv\VirtualBytes

The current size, in bytes, of the virtualaddress space the process is using. Use

of virtual address space does notnecessarily imply corresponding use of either disk or main memory pages.Virtual space is finite, and the processcan limit its ability to load libraries.

5. Fifteen is the default sampling time interval, although you can modifythis number. Increasing the interval will reduce the size of the log filebut at the risk of losing data. Decreasing the interval will increase thesize of the log file and provide a more granular look at theperformance.

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 ableto manipulate the data in Excel. The data can also be displayed as aSQL Server database format.

7. Make sure the End file names with check box is selected. Use theyear, month, and day format of yyyymmdd .

8. On the Schedule tab, select the Start Log At check box, and enterthe start time for logging.

9. Click Apply, and then click OK . The log files will be created in <systemdrive>\Perflogs by default.

The log is activated and will have a green status indicating that it islogging information based on the configuration and schedule.




Dependencies

● You must be a member of the Administrators group or the PerformanceLog user group on the local computer, or have been delegated theappropriate 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 aprint server. Service usage differs from service performance by focusingon how users consume print-server resources. This information will beused to review general performance, adherence to SLAs, capacityplanning, and to create baseline statistics for the print server.

Procedure 1: Create performance logs


2. Double-click Performance Logs and Alerts, right-click CounterLogs, and select New Log Settings.

3. Enter the name for this log, for example, “Service PerformanceStatistics” and click OK .

4. On the General tab, click Add Counters, and select the followingcounters.

Print Queue Performance Notes

Print Queue\BytesPrinted/sec

Number of bytes per second printed in aprint queue.

Print Queue\JobsSpooling

Current number of spooling jobs in a printqueue.

Print Queue\Total JobsPrinted

Total number of jobs printed in a printqueue since the last restart.

Network Performance Notes

Server\Server Sessions The number of sessions currently active inthe server. Indicates current serveractivity.

Server\Bytes Total/sec The number of bytes the server has sent toand received from the network. This valueprovides an overall indication of how busythe server is.

Server\Files Open The number of files currently opened in theserver. Indicates current server activity.




Disk Performance Notes

LogicalDisk\Current DiskQueue Length

The number of requests outstanding onthe disk at the time the performance datais collected. It also includes requests inservice at the time of the collection. This isan instantaneous snapshot, not an averageover the time interval. Multispindle diskdevices can have multiple requests thatare active at one time, while otherconcurrent requests are awaiting service.

This counter might reflect a transitory highor low queue length, but if there is asustained load on the disk drive, it is likelythat this will be consistently high. Requestswill experience delays that areproportional to the length of this queueminus the number of spindles on the disks.For good performance, this difference

should average less than two.

LogicalDisk\Avg. Disksec/Read

The average time, in seconds, of a read of operations from the disk.

LogicalDisk\Avg. Disksec/Write

The average time, in seconds, of a writeoperations to the disk.

LogicalDisk\Disk ReadBytes/sec

The rate at which bytes are transferredfrom the disk during read operations.

LogicalDisk\DiskReads/sec

The rate of read operations from the disk.

LogicalDisk\DiskWrites/sec

The rate of the write operations to thedisk.

5. Fifteen is the default sampling time interval, although you can modifythis number. Increasing the interval will reduce the size of the log filebut at the risk of losing data. Decreasing the interval will increase thesize of the log file and provide a more granular look at theperformance.

6. On the Log Files tab, click the Log tile type drop-down box andselect the output format. Choose a CSV file type if you want to be ableto manipulate the data in Excel. The data can also be output to a SQLServer database format.

7. Make sure the End file names with check box is selected. Use theyear, month, and day format of yyyymmdd .

8. On the Schedule tab, select the Start Log At check box, and enterthe start time for logging.

9. Click Apply, and then click OK . The log files will be created in <systemdrive>\Perflogs by default.




Dependencies

● You must be a member of the Administrators group or the PerformanceLog user group on the local computer, or have been delegated theappropriate authority.

● Adequate space on the disk where the log files are being created.

Technology Required

System Monitor




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 regularbackup 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 beused to support decision making and resource allocation.

Procedure 1: Calculate daily statistics1. 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 eachday of the month.

4. Use Excel’s graphing feature to create visuals that illustrate trends inperformance.

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 regularbackup maintenance.

Dependencies

Capturing service performance in performance logs

Technology Required

Excel or third-party spreadsheet application




Change Quadrant ChangeManagement SMF

Infrastructure RoleCluster

Weekly

Process: Reviewing configuration itemsDescription

Because the accuracy of the information stored in the configurationmanagement database (CMDB) is crucial to the success of MOF ChangeManagement, Incident Management, and other SMFs, a review processshould be set up to ensure that the database accurately reflects the live ITenvironment.

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 ><drive path>:\servername-date.txt

SrvInfo is scriptable and can be automated to facilitate batch processingfor large environments.

Procedure 2: Export local security policies

1. Start Local Security Policies MMC and expand the Local Policiesnode.

2. Select Audit Policy, then right-click and select Export List. Save theexport to a secure file share.

3. Select User Right Assignment, then right-click and select ExportList.

4. Save the export to a secure file share.

5. Select Security Options, then right-click and select Export List. Savethe export to a secure file share.




Procedure 3: Create report of installed software

The following sample script can be used to create a report of the softwareinstalled on the print server using Microsoft Windows Installer. SMS is agood alternative to enumerate installed applications, windowscomponents, 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 WindowsInstaller exist.




Change Quadrant ConfigurationManagement SMF


Monthly

Process: Maintenance and support activities

Task: Compliance check—enumerate unused printerports

Purpose

The objective of this task is to ensure that printer ports installed on theprint server are used. Any unused printer ports will be reported anddeleted.

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 aserver:

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

NextSet 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 theunused ports are listed in the printer port report.




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.PortNameNext

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 beenremoved.

Dependencies

Windows Script Host

Technology Required● CScript.exe

● PrnPort.vbs

● Windows Management Interface (WMI)




Procedure 2: Verify print drivers against CMDB

1. Compare the printers listed in the print driver report to the printerinformation 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 inActive Directory

Purpose

The objective of this task is to verify that the printers published in

Microsoft Active Directory® directory service are in compliance withprinters 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 printerspublished in Active Directory:

Const ADS_SCOPE_SUBTREE = 2Set 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") = 30objCommand.Properties("Searchscope") = ADS_SCOPE_SUBTREE

objCommand.Properties("Cache Results") = False

Set objRecordSet = objCommand.Execute

objRecordSet.MoveFirstDo Until objRecordSet.EOF

Wscript.Echo "Printer Name: " & objRecordSet.Fields("printerName").Value

Wscript.Echo "Server Name: " & objRecordSet.Fields("serverName").ValueobjRecordSet.MoveNext

Loop




Procedure 2: Verify print drivers against CMDB

1. Compare information about the printers listed and published in theActive 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)




SupportingQuadrant

IncidentManagement SMF


Monthly

Process: Incident closureDescription

This process ensures that the customer is satisfied that the incident hasbeen resolved prior to closing the incident record. It also checks that theincident 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 toassist in planning staffing levels and checking the Incident ManagementSMF 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 sixMOF 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 Managementprocess, and where resources should be allocated to optimize itsperformance. The following metrics should be provided:

● Percent closed incidents. This metric is created by taking the totalnumber 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 itby 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 totaltime 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 IncidentManagement process and to determine how to improve effectiveness andefficiency.

Dependencies

● Responding to daily service request

● Weekly service request activity report

Technology Required

None




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 thatperson’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 incidentmanagement, follow up with the customer and other technicians until theincident 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 ticketingfunctionality

● A Microsoft Access or Microsoft SQL Server database, which can alsobe 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 theperspective of when they were opened, when they were closed, and howlong they were open before they were closed. The organization may havean SLA regarding the time it takes a customer to get a response from the

incident management team once an incident has been reported. Managersand leads can use the data to organize the workload of the incidentmanagement team.

Managers and leads can also assess the effectiveness and efficiency of theincident management team. This information is important to the membersof the incident management team as well, since they can then view theincident case load and attend to those cases that have remained open fora long period of time. The following is an example of some of theinformation 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 managementteam

● Number of days a case has been open




Procedure 1: Create report metrics

The method used to collect the data is dependent on features of anorganization’s incident tracking solution, but the content should beindependent of the solution.

● Total number of cases opened. This metric is collected forindividual members of the team as well as the whole team. It highlightsthe volume of incidents being opened involving Print Service. Whenthis metric is compared with the other metrics being collected, itprovides the incident management team with a greater understandingof the Incident Management process.

● Total number of cases closed. This metric is collected for individualmembers of the team as well as the whole team. It highlights thevolume of incidents being closed involving Print Service. This metric iscritical to evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency of the incidentmanagement team. The number of cases that are closed should becompared with the number that are opened in a week. Cases that carry

over into the next week will require more incident management fromthe case owner.

● Number of cases closed on first contact with incidentmanagement team. This metric is collected as the total for the team.It allows the incident management team to determine theeffectiveness and efficiency of its process of incident management,and can directly affect customer satisfaction. When cases are closedon the first call, it reduces the number of cases that incidentmanagement team members have to manage.

● Number of days a case has been open. This metric is collected forindividual members of the team as well as the whole team. Cases thatremain open for extended periods have a negative impact on customer

satisfaction. The incident manager can use this metric to identifypossible weaknesses on the incident management team that mayrequire training or education. In addition, cases that remain open forlong periods of time may be better handled by the problemmanagement team. It is important to identify these types of cases andprovide the incident owner with additional resources or escalate theissue 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 ticketingfunctionality

● Reports that can be built from an Access or SQL Server database




Support Quadrant ProblemManagement SMF


Daily

Process: Problem recording and classificationDescription

This process deals with the initial detection and recording of a problem,which can originate from a variety of sources and media. Problems may bereported 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 CapacityManagement might be used to detect problems and pass this informationto the problem management team. It is important that problems be linkedto existing incidents and that all problems be recorded to facilitateprioritization of problem resolution. Once a problem has been recorded, itis assessed against the business impact of the problem and the urgency of

the required solution. This assessment determines how the problem willbe classified.

Task: Review daily problem-management reports

Purpose

Ensure the appropriate resources and priority level have been assigned tocurrent problems. The report should include status on any problems fromthe previous day and overnight.

Procedure 1: Check print server and printer status

1. Check print server status. The status of each print server should beincluded 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 theserver.

2. Check printer status. The status of each print device should beincluded 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 incidentmanagement

Review each incident that has been transferred to the problemmanagement team from the incident management team.




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




Changing Quadrant ChangeManagement SMF


Daily

Process: Change classification and authorizationDescription

After an RFC has passed the initial screening, the change manager mustclassify and categorize the request for change. The priority level set for aparticular RFC determines how quickly the change advisory board (CAB)will review the RFC.

After the change manager has correctly prioritized and categorized thechange, the change must be authorized. The process of authorizing achange request depends upon the category and priority of the change:

● Emergency priority changes are escalated to the CAB emergencycommittee (CAB/EC) for fast-track approval.

● Standard changes are approved automatically and progress directly tothe change development and release phase.

● Minor changes can be approved by the change manager withoutreference 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 theoperations environment. From a print-service perspective, changerequests involving updating print monitors, print drivers, registry

modifications, and adding a new type of print device to the environmentcan be evaluated at this weekly meeting.

Attendance at the meeting is important to participate in the changemanagement of Print Service. Contribution to the process could includeadditional data regarding a particular Print Service RFC that members of the CAB may not have available to them. Additionally, it is important tounderstand other RFCs that may have an indirect effect on the delivery of individual print services. The organization should consider these effectswhen approving an RFC for change development.




Procedure 1: Contact CAB/EC

1. Make sure system has server backup and printer configurationbackup. Prior to contacting CAB/EC members, make sure the printserver 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 guidanceregarding Print Service.

3. Notify the CAB/EC of the emergency change request. Eachmember of the CAB/EC who was identified in Step 1 has to be notifiedof the emergency change request. It is important that every attemptbe made to contact each member of the CAB/EC; this may include e-mail, mobile devices, and other communication methods. The membershould be given an expected time to respond to emergency changerequest meetings and a general sense of the change request.

4. Review the request for change. Collect all information pertaining tochanges to Print Service including asking the change initiator

additional questions. The following are types of change that could beincluded:

● 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




OperatingQuadrant

Print and OutputManagement SMF

Support RoleCluster

As Needed

Process: Print and output configuration activities—

managing printersDescription

Managing printers affects the entire workload of the printer, not justindividual documents. Typical tasks include pausing, resuming, andpurging the queue for a printer.

If a printer becomes faulty, one might need to send documents in itsqueue to another printer. This prevents users from having to resubmitprint jobs that are already in the queue. Documents can be redirected to aprinter 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 isassigned, and then click OK .

Procedure 2: Send job to printer on another print server


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 clickNew Port. Type the name of the other print server and the sharename of the shared printer in the following format:

\\other_print_server\share_name




OperatingQuadrant

Directory ServicesAdministration SMF

Support RoleCluster

As Needed

Process: Maintaining the directoryPurpose

The data contained in the directory is, or very soon will be, critical to thebase operation and productivity of the organization. If the directorybecomes unavailable for any reason (for example, through equipmentfailure or data corruption), the business will suffer from lost productivityand financial loss. Developing sound backup and restore procedures forthe directory and supporting system components ensures that no criticaldirectory data and configuration information will be lost.

Task: Publish printers to Active Directory

Purpose

This task supports printers that may have been initially installed withoutbeing published to Active Directory.

Procedure 1: Publish printer


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 inActive 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




OptimizingQuadrant

CapacityManagement SMF


As Needed

Process: Managing resources and serviceperformance

Description

Capacity management is concerned with optimized utilization of ITresources in order to achieve the level of performance agreed to with theclient. These resources are supplied by support organizations to ensurethe requirements of the business are met. The process of capacitymanagement can be either reactive or proactive. Iterative activities, suchas monitoring, analyzing, tuning, and reporting are also important in theprocess of managing resources and service performance. The type of datafor 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 toservice-performance management.

Task: Move spooler to another disk to optimizeperformance

Purpose

Print servers that have a large number of printers or that provide servicefor large print jobs may require that the spooler be moved to a disk withadequate disk space to spool print requests.

Procedure 1: Move spooler to alternate location


2. On the File menu, click Server Properties, and then click theAdvanced tab.

3. In the Spool folder window, enter the path and the name of the newdefault 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 forspooled print jobs.

Technology RequiredPrinters and Faxes



4Processes by MOF RoleClusters

This chapter is designed for those who want to see all processes for asingle role cluster in one place. The information is the same as that in the

previous two chapters. The only difference is that the processes areordered 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


Task 1: Create weekly service request activity report

Process 2: Designing for recovery

Task 1: Update automated system recovery backup




Monthly Processes

Process 1: Incident closure

Task 1: Roll up activity report into monthly metric

Quarterly ProcessesProcess 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


Task 1: Respond to daily service requests

Weekly Processes

Process 1: Data backup, restore, and recovery operations

Task 1: Run weekly normal backup


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




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


As-Needed Processes


Infrastructure Role Cluster

Daily Processes

Process 1: Change classification and authorization

Task 1: Attend CAB meeting

Task 2: Review emergency change request

Weekly Processes


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


Security Role Cluster

Daily Processes





Weekly Processes


Monthly Processes


As-Needed Processes


Partner Role Cluster

Daily Processes


Weekly Processes


Monthly Processes


As-Needed Processes





If you are using LPR or printing to a JetDirect card using TCP/IP protocol, trythe following:

● Use the PING protocol to look for the IP address. If it fails, check thenetwork connectivity and verify the IP address.

● Create an LPR port to the printer, and then create a local printerconnected to that port. This is the recommended way to connect to a JetDirect printer. Sharing this printer on the network allows thecomputer 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 thisproblem are independent of the program.

Resolution of Problem

● Use a simpler file. Try creating a new document with less information init. This determines if it is the program or something in the documentsthat is causing the problem.

● Check available disk space on the system drive. If there is not enoughroom 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 thirdoperating system. If it prints correctly, the problem is related to theoutput file.

Problem #3: Spooler retries old print job

Description of ProblemWhen you send a print job to a printer, the print spooler might not deletethe spool file from the %SystemRoot%\System32\Spool\Printers folderwhen the print job is completed, and the print spooler might repeatedlyattempt to spool the print job.


● To prevent this behavior from occurring, do not change the attributesof a spool file while it is in the %SystemRoot%\System32\Spool\Printersfolder.

● To work around this behavior, remove the read-only attribute and thendelete the spool file from the %SystemRoot%\System32\Spool\Printers

folder.




Problem #4: Print server modifies print jobs

Descriptions and Resolutions of Problem

Print server modifies client print jobs. There are five common job-alterationproblems, each with its own resolution:

Description of Problem (1)

LPR client print jobs include PCL or PostScript code, include incorrectlyprinted 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 datatype.

● Reconfigure the LPR clients to send different commands so thatWindows assigns the job the RAW data type.


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-feedcommands to their print jobs, and the print manager default data type isRAW. To resolve this:

● Set the default data type value to RAW [FF Auto] or RAW [FFAppended], or reconfigure the client application to append a form feedto print jobs.


Extra page prints after a Microsoft network-based client print job.

Resolution of Problem (3)

This problem occurs when the client application appends form-feedcharacters to its print jobs, and the print manager default data type is RAW[FF Appended] or RAW [FF Auto]. Print jobs from Windows- basedapplications are always appended with form-feed characters; print jobsfrom 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-feedcommands, 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.




5. Check the following registry key for third-party print providers. Removeany nondefault print providers:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Providers

The default print providers are:

● Internet print providers● LanMan print services

6. Quit the Registry Editor and restart the print spooler.

Problem #6: “Could not connect to printer”


When you attempt to print or connect to a print queue, the following errormessage may appear: “Could not connect to the printer <printer> becausethe 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 aleading space in the following registry location:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Environments\

Windows NT x86\Print Processors


1. Start the Registry Editor (RegEdt32.exe).

2. Go to the following registry location:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Environments\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 KeyName 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 dialogbox, 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.




Problem #7: Application error, Spoolsv.exe, accessviolation message


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 beinggenerated.

● Spoolsv.exe

● Exception: access violation (0xc0000005), Address: <Hex address>

Cause of Problem

This problem occurs if you have many .SHD and .SPL files in the spooldirectory. The default location for all printer spool files is %SystemRoot%\System32\Spool\Printers.


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 isunavailable” message


When you start a Windows Server 2003 print server, you may receive thefollowing error message: “Spoolsv.exe has generated an error.”

Also, if you try to view the properties of a printer, you may receive an errormessage that says the print subsystem is unavailable.

Cause of Problem

The print spooler service might have stopped. This problem can also occurif the server running Windows Server 2003 has a print driver that isdesigned for Windows 98 or Windows NT.


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\

<Trouble Printer>

3. Quit the Registry Editor.




Problem #9: Cannot create or select a print monitor


You are unable to create or select a print monitor. One of the followingsymptoms may occur:

● Double-clicking one of the installed available print monitors doesnothing.

● 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 remoteprocedure call failed. The printer already exists.”

Cause of Problem

This problem is caused by the spooler service not being allowed to interactwith the desktop.


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 bedeleted from within the print manager.

Problem #10: PrintQueue objects are deleted


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, eventhough the corresponding printers are available in the domain.

Cause of Problem

When this occurs, the printer pruner writes a system event for eachPrintQueue object that is detected as an orphan. This can accumulaterapidly for sites with large numbers of published print queues. If there aremany published printers on the site, the system event log may becomefilled with printer pruner events.


To prevent incorrect printer pruning while a domain controller is removedfrom the network use either of the following methods: