Migrating print servers

Migration of printer configurations and shares must be completed from the source server to the target server, just like DHCP and file services migrations. One of the main concerns is the need for new printer drivers that are 64-bit and compatible with newer versions of the Windows Server OS, as well as with modern clients.

Microsoft has a print migration wizard and a command-line tool you can use for migrating printer services that effectively backs up and exports printer settings, queues, and drivers. This file can then be utilized as a restore file on the destination server to migrate the print services.

For this walkthrough, we will utilize the Print Management MMC or snap-in, which can be run locally or remotely (to run it remotely, you will need to connect to the remote server first).

The Print Management tool can be accessed via the Start menu by either selecting Windows Administrative Tools > Print Management or typing printmanagement.msc...