Description: All command line parameters for PPPClient are preceded by a single space on the command line, and do not use a "/" or other
delimiter. If a parameter value includes spaces, the entire value should be enclosed in double
quotes. Unless specified, multiple parameters can be used simultaneously, separated by a single
space. An example that meets all these requirements is
Use the u= and p= to specify the domain user that you want PPPClient.exe to use
when Elevated privileges are required. You may use a login account local
to the end-user's machine, but this account would need to be present on every
machine the client is running on.
Workoffline
This option gives the client the ability to continue functioning without interruption when the remote location the client is
installed on is no longer available. It does this by caching all data files as they are accessed from the remote location to a local temp directory. A client can only access files offline, that it has previously accessed while the remote location was available.
Install
This option is used when running the client from a network drive or other remote location. It causes essential client files to be installed locally on end-user's machines and sets up registry keys to run the local copy of the client automatically whenever a user log in. The client will still run as if its directly from the remote location (including any changes to application versions, datafiles, etc). It will continue to function if the remote
location is unavailable at any point in time, and will resume network operation as soon as its online again. You can continue to run the client from the network location with the install option without any negative side effects. (this allows you to keep it in a login script so that new computers will get the client installed automatically).
If administrative rights are not available when the command is executed, it
will only be installed for the current user.
Uninstall
This uninstalls any registry entries made by the Install option, and then immediately terminates.
Autoclose=x
This specifies how long (in minutes) the client should run for, before automatically closing itself.
Delay=x
This option instructs the client to sit idle for the specified number of seconds when starting up before attempting to process anything. This is generally unneeded, but can sometimes be required if another application interferes during login and causes conflicts, or
if the computer has a particularily slow start up.
HideOnInvalidPath
Causes the PPPClient.exe to remain hidden even if it is unable to connect to the configuration file to receive instruction to run open or hidden. The downside to using this option is you don't know the
PPPClient.exe is not able to find the config file in the <ppp_install_dir>/mem folder. The good side of it is users will never see the
PPPClient log window. Usually this parameter is used with the WorkingDirectory parameter so that if the server is down that is holding the
PPP configuration database the PPPClient.exe will remain running silent (although doing no work) until the next time the user logs in and the server is back up.
LogAsAdmin
This instructs the advanced logging options to be performed
as the user specified on the command line, as opposed to the user running PPP
Client. (Advanced logging can be enabled on the [Global] tab of the
"Client Settings" found in any of the administrator applications). This
is useful if you wish to limit write access to the network folder these logs
are in to administrative accounts.
MinimizeClientWindow
This option allows you to override the "Show Client Window" option on the [Global] tab of the "Client Settings" in any of the administrator applications. This will always hide
the PPP Client on startup.
NoMenu
This will allow you to run a specific PPP Administrative module without the module loading the main menu first.
NoWatcher
This tells the client to close immediately after completing initial configuration.
This is used when you don't want PPPClient to continue running on the client machine, watching for printer installs.
ProfilerHelper
This tells the client to use an alternate method for
detecting changes to user printer connections. This is mostly provided for
backwards compatibility, but can also be useful on some machines where the
operating system is not correctly signaling change events.
Regedit
This allows you to specify an alternate path to the windows application "Regedit". This application is used in some situations on a 64 bit platform,
and is used extensively for PPP Profiler when configuring printers. You would normally receive an error if the client can not find Regedit.
Showclientwindow
or
NoMinimize
This option allows you to override the "Show
Client Window" option on the [Global] tab of the "Client Settings" in any of
the administrator applications. This will always show the client window of PPP
Client on startup and is most useful for troubleshooting.
UpdateInterval=
Allows you to override the value specified on the [Global] tab of the
"Client Settings" in any of the administrator applications. This will control how many
minutes the clients wait before checking in for changes to settings, datafiles,
or other configurations.
Wait=
This option allows you to override the number of seconds to wait after a printer change is detected before running configurations. This is usually used for specific instances where a different value is useful. Otherwise the option found on the [Global] tab of the "Client Settings" in any of the administrator applications should be used.
WorkingDirectory=
Allows you to specify an alternate path where data-files can be found, apart from the executables. This is often used to allow a locally installed Client to run with data-files from a network drive. This option is left mostly for backward compatibility. If you wish clients to be installed locally on computers, the "Install" option is recommended.
Gatherer Client Parameters These options are only used if the client has been configured to gather printer settings and drivers from all the end user machines.
ForcePing
Override the Global settings, and perform a ping search for Mac to IP address conversions. This is usually used when you want to control the times and locations ping searches are done manually, by running the client with this option only when you want. (such as off-hours)
AllowPing
Override the Global settings, and perform a ping search only if needed. This is usually used when you have turned off ping searches, but want to allow specific computers to perform them as needed.
ExcludePing
Override the Global settings, and do not perform a ping search. This is usually used on computers that you specifically do not want running these searches.
ForceDrivers
Gather the drivers for all local printers, even if its been done preivously and doesn't appear to need updating.
ExcludeDrivers
Do not gather drivers for local printers, even if they have never been gathered in the past. This is usually used when you want the client to gather information about the printers on the network, so all the objects can be defined for you, but you wish to specify new drivers for everything yourself.
Issue: Should I use a print server, or direct tcp/ip printers?
Descripton: Advantages and disadvantages of using print servers verses direct IP Printers
Overview
Print servers are a great way for centrally managing printers in windows, but they provide many difficulties
with reliability, compatibility, and management.
One solution is to use Direct TCP/IP printers installed locally on end-user machines. This provides the ultimate in
flexibility and configurability, and since it doesn't rely on a print server, the printer is always available.
This solution is often overlooked by larger organizations because the printers are not
easily managed from a central location. However, PPP Installer makes managing such an arrangement trivial, and
extremely flexible.
The following chart details some of the major differences between the two arrangements:
Print Servers
Direct TCP/IP Printers
Security
Most printers can be configured to accept print jobs from specific IP addresses.
This allows you to completely restrict access to the printer except through your print server(s). Not all printers
support this, and they have to be configured individually, but the ability exists for tight security.
Since end-users would be connecting to the printer directly, you can not easily restrict access to the printers
to individual users or workstations, however, you can still restrict access to subnets fairly easily for printers that support it.
Connectivity
Since all print jobs must go through the print server(s) an extra layer has been added to your network which could fail.
Hardware and software can be purchased to provide backups to your print server, but it can quickly become quite pricey. If no
backup server is available, the failure of a print server will mean all users lose their ability to print to any printer controlled
by the print server, even if the printer is sitting on the desk next to them.
Since the end-users are connecting directly to the printers, there are no extra layers that could cause connectivity problems.
If the printer is functioning and the end-user's computer is functioning, then the printer is accessible.
Remote Offices
Since all print jobs must go through a print server, then you either need to setup a print server in each office, or use remote print
servers accross a WAN, which can add alot of instability to the print process as print jobs first travel accross the WAN to get to the printer,
then travel back accross the WAN back to the printer. If you choose to setup print servers in each office, and want to have 100% up time, then you
would have to setup backup print servers in each office as well, which will greatly increase your costs.
Print jobs go directly from the user's computer to the printer, no additional hardware or software is required.
Print Queues
Since all printers are being hosted by your print server, you can control the size and stability of your print queues.
You can set them up to accept print jobs even when the printer is offline, or you can have them reject new print jobs.
You can have them empty print queues in the event of a power failure, or you can have them hold onto print jobs indefinately until they are printed.
The performance and abilities of the print queues will be dependant on the specific printers. Although generally, since the printers are
installed locally on the end-user's machines, their own local print queue can be configured to provide all the same abilities as a print
server would.
Management
The printers themselves are managed centrally on your print servers. You can control default settings, driver selection, etc. However, you still need to
connect users to your printer, which can be tricky to manage, but possible with some knowledge of creating and managing login scripts.
The printers must be installed locally on each computer, and this can not be done easily from a scripts. However, using the PPP Installer application,
this can be controlled quickly and easily, and without many of the management hassles of a print server.
Compatibility
When end-users connect to a printer on your print server, the print server supplies a driver for the end-user's computer to use.
The print server has a limited number of driver types that can be installed at once. Sometimes it is not possible to supply
drivers for all end-users, especially with Windows 7 on the horizon, which has to share driver slots with windows XP users, and Vista users.
Also, if the driver given to the end-user is not 100% compatible with the driver being used on the server itself, printing preferences and device settings may not be properly
reported to the end-user, and the printer may not function, or may not function correctly. Sometimes it is not possible to correctly share a printer to all end users without having multiple
print servers to allow different drivers. (ie. XP users connect to \\server1\printer, and Vista users connect to \\server2\printer)
The printer is installed locally on each end-user's computer using any driver you choose, and it keeps its own device settings and preferences independantly of any other
user or operating system on the network. Installing drivers and configurations in this manner can not easily be done through login scripts, or in
a centralized manner, without the aid of software such as PPP Installer, which allows you to control everything about the installations and completely
automate them with minimal effort.
Issue: The Printer Watcher does not recognize newly installed printers on XP.
Descripton: The Printer Watcher waits for a Windows system event that is issued when printers are installed. It relies on a Windows subsystem that issues these system events for other applications to read. In XP, this subsystem is part of the 'Terminal Services' service, (started by default) and if this service is stopped, the Printer Watcher won't receive these printer install events.
Solution:
1. Enable the Terminal Services service in Windows.
Issue: PPPClient stalls the login script or batch file
Description: Starting with version 6, PPPClient has a feature named Printer Watcher. After configuring all installed printers, PPPClient slips into the background and waits for more printers to be installed in order to configure them.Because of this, PPPClient doesn't exit until the user logs out or shuts down.
Solution:
1. MICROSOFT: If starting PPPClient from a batch file (.com or .bat), simply putting in the path and filename to PPPClient will make the batch file to wait for the program to finish.Use the Start command, and the batch file will continue without waiting for the program to finish. Example: start y:\pppclient.exe.
2. NOVELL: If starting PPPClient from a login script, use the @ symbol instead of the # symbol.@ will allow the script to continue, while # will wait for PPPClient to exit, which won't happen.See Novell TID 2905212 for more information. Back to Top
Issue: Distribute PPPro Client Package fails to copy PPPClient.exe
Description: This tool performs a basic file copy to the remote location.As such, if the pppclient.exe file is in use, or running on client computers from that location, the file may not be overwritten.Unless you are upgrading your PPPClient.exe file, this is not a problem, since the PPPClient.exe file is not altered when making changes to printer configurations.If you are upgrading or updating your software, PPPClient.exe will need to be overwritten.
Solution:
1. Peform the distribution after hours when no end-users are logged in or using the PPPClient.exe file. Back to Top
Issue: How to migrate printers to a Microsoft cluster
Description: When migrating printers from eDirectory to a Microsoft Cluster there doesn't seem to be a server object in Active Directory for the "virtual server" that I want as the target server.
Solution:
First we need to make the cluster servers (virtual server objects) show up in Active Directory so we can select them in the Printer Migrator application as a target server.
* On the Windows server open "Cluster Administrator" (start - Administrative Tools - Cluster Administrator)
* Select the Cluster that you are wanting to migrate printers to
* Select the "Resources" folder and select the appropriate "group" folder containing the virtual server you want to see in Active Directory.
* In the right pane right click on "Network Name" and select properties
* Select the "Parameters" tab
* Check the "Enable Kerberos Authentication" option (resource must be offline to enable). This option may not be available when running "Cluster Administrator" from a Windows 2000 desktop. Try remoting into the cluster name and accessing the "Cluster Administrator" from the cluster server.
Now your virtual server object will show up in Active Directory (by default it will populate into the "Computers" container). Open Printer Migrator and simply select any printer from eDirectory and the target virtual server (cluster server) and the printers will be copied to the virtual server. By migrating the printers to the virtual server object the printers will failover with the cluster resources because the printers have been installed to the virtual server and not the actual physical server.
NOTE: The migrated printers will still be viewed in Active Directory under the current server node that is hosting the resource (this is standard Windows behavior).
Issue: How do I rename printers during the migration?
Description: Customer is using a new naming standard for the printers in Active Directory and want to rename the Novell printers as they are migrated.
Solution:
OPTION #1 - In the Printer Migrator Administrator, stop the migration queue by clicking the "STOP" button (located just below the NDS browsing tree to the left). Select the printers you want migrated, then select the target AD server and click the red arrow button. The migration queue will now list all the printers in the migration queue. Simply right click the printer and select change printer name and enter the new name for the printer to be created with in Active Directory. Click the START button and the printers will be migrated with the new printer name. When PPPClient.exe runs to remap the end user printers the PPPClient.exe will install the new AD printer with the new name.
Option #2 - In Admin_Options select the "Use the short DNS name instead of the Novell name as the Windows printer name" to have Migrator use the resolved DNS name (up to the first "." of the DNS name) for the Active Directory printer name. For instance, if the ipaddress of the printer in eDir is 192.168.3.44 then Printer Migrator will do a reverse DNS lookup on that IP address and it will return. Printer1.ppp.printerpropertiespro.com. Printer Migrator will use up to the first "." for the printer name, Printer1. This is helpful if you have a couple hundred printers and you want to use a DNS file to name the printers in AD. Back to Top
Issue: Newly installed AD printers reappear after being deleted?
Description: Customer uses PPPClient.exe to migrate the end users printers to AD printers but later on when deleting any of the AD printers the AD printers reappear after a reboot.
Solution:
PPPClient.exe by default installs "Global Printers" or "Workstation Printers" because that is the type of printer NDPS printers are, available for all users. These printers make a registry setting so that every user that logs in gets the new printer installed (or if you reset spooler it will recreate them). To delete this type of Windows printer you have to use the printui tool from a command line:
rundll32 PrintUI,PrintUIEntry -gd /c\\server\name
rundll32 PrintUI,PrintUIEntry /? Gives you all the info for using PrintUI
(everything is case sensitive)
Or simply delete the printer entries from
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Print\Connections
I know it is a pain but that is how Windows behaves with workstation printers. You can change pppclient.exe so it will install "user printers" in the Client_Options, settings, Migrate tab at the bottom. Then it will only install the Windows AD printer for that user only (subsequent users will not get the printer installed because the first user to migrate the printer will delete the NDPS printer) and the user can delete it.
Issue: Can I migrate iPrint Profile settings? Yes!
Description: Customer spent endless hours creating iPrint Profiles so that the duplex option and tray settings would be set on iPrint printers when they were installed to the end user. Now they are migrating to Active Directory and don't want to have to go through all the printers and set those settings again. Oh please make it do it automagically like the rest of the printer migration!
Solution:
In PPPAdmin - Migrator, select the Admin Options menu and check the "Require Novell Printers to be installed locally to copy printer preferences from when creating the AD printer" option.
Now install the iPrint printers to the same machine that is running the Printer Migrator.
Migrate the printers by selecting the source iPrint printer and target AD server
The AD printers will be created with the settings from the iPrint profile and the PPPClient.exe will migrate the old iPrint printers to the new AD printers with the same settings that the iPrint Profile had.
