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Create a cluster-managed printer

  • Article

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

To create a cluster-managed printer

  1. Open Cluster Administrator.

  2. Create a virtual server, that is, a resource group containing a Network Name resource (where the Network Name resource is the name of a virtual server), an IP address resource, and a Physical Disk resource, if these do not already exist.

    For more information on creating a new resource group and resources, see "To create a new group" and "To create a new resource" in Related Topics.

    For more information, see "Virtual servers" in Related Topics.

  3. Create a Print Spooler resource in that virtual server and make it dependent on the Network Name and Physical Disk resources.

    Important

    • These two resources are required dependencies for the Print Spooler resource.

    For more information, see "Setting resource dependencies" and "To modify resource dependencies" in Related Topics.

  4. Bring the virtual server containing the Print Spooler resource online.

    For more information, see "To bring a group online" in Related Topics.

  5. Install printer drivers for your printer on the virtual server.

    To install printer drivers on the virtual server:

    1. Click Start and then click Run.

    2. In the Run dialog box, type \\MyVirtualServer where MyVirtualServer is the name of the virtual server that the print spooler resource depends on.

      The virtual server opens.

    3. Open Printers and Faxes, right-click and select Server Properties, then click the Drivers tab.

    4. Install the printer drivers.

    Important

    The port monitor must be installed on all nodes in the cluster before installing printer drivers on the virtual server. For the Windows Server 2003 family, the port monitor for the Standard TCP/IP Port is installed by default with the operating system. For two other types of ports, you must first install the appropriate port monitor on each node before installing the printer drivers, printer port, and printer queue on the virtual server.

    1. LPR Ports: The LPR port monitor files are shipped on the Windows Server 2003 family media. For more information on installing the LPR port monitor and adding it to the list of Available port types for a node, see "To add a port" in Related Topics.

    2. Custom IHV Ports: Printer drivers from Independent Hardware Vendors (IHVs) may include a custom IHV port monitor that must first be installed on each node. To install the IHV port monitor on each node, install the driver package on each virtual server in the cluster. Contact your IHV to verify that the third party port monitor is compatible with the Cluster service before installing on the cluster nodes.

    For more information, see "To add printer drivers for other versions of Windows" in Related Topics.

  6. Install a printer port for your printer on the virtual server.

    To install a printer port on the virtual server:

    1. Click Start and then click Run.

    2. In the Run dialog box, type \\MyVirtualServer where MyVirtualServer is the name of the virtual server that the print spooler resource depends on.

      The virtual server opens.

    3. Open Printers and Faxes, right-click and select Server Properties, then click the Ports tab.

    4. Add a port.

    For more information, see "To add a port" in Related Topics.

  7. Add a print queue to the virtual server.

    To install a print queue on the virtual server:

    1. Open the remote printers folder of the virtual server.

    2. Use the Add Printer Wizard to add a new print queue.

Notes

  • To perform this procedure, you must be a member of the Administrators group on the local computer, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority. If the computer is joined to a domain, members of the Domain Admins group might be able to perform this procedure. As a security best practice, consider using Run as to perform this procedure.

  • To open Cluster Administrator, click Start, click Control Panel, double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Cluster Administrator.

  • You can use the Add Printer Wizard to combine steps 5 through 7 above into a single step by adding the printer drivers, printer port, and print queue successively. However, before using the Add Printer Wizard in this way, make sure that the appropriate port monitor is already installed on all nodes in the cluster.

  • Not all printer ports may be used in a server cluster. LPR and Standard TCP/IP Port, both provided with the Windows Server 2003 family, may be used in a server cluster. Check your printer documentation to verify that your printer can use one of these two ports.

  • To share out the printer, you must share out the print queue from the virtual server itself and not from the individual nodes.

Information about functional differences

  • Your server might function differently based on the version and edition of the operating system that is installed, your account permissions, and your menu settings. For more information, see Viewing Help on the Web.

See Also

Concepts

File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks
Create a new group in a cluster
Create a new resource
Virtual servers
Setting resource properties
Modify resource dependencies
Bring a group online
Add printer drivers for other versions of Windows
Add a port