PrinterMapUtility

I’ve Been There! 😓 Stuck in the relentless cycle of adding multiple printers to computers across different departments, feeling the frustration with every click, every minute lost to this repetitive and cumbersome task. It was this inefficiency and monotony that motivated me to create this PowerShell Utility.

A Streamlined Solution! 🛠️ This tool is designed to streamline the mapping of multiple printers from two predefined print servers, offering an interactive, menu-driven interface, enabling users to easily select a print server and map multiple printers in parallel, freeing up valuable time and reducing hassle.

Welcome Efficiency! By utilizing this utility, you can bid farewell to the tedious, time-consuming process of adding printers one by one and embrace a more efficient, user-friendly experience. It’s not merely about simplifying tasks; it’s about reclaiming your time and peace of mind.

Table of Contents

• Features
• Prerequisites
• Usage
• Mapping Printers
• Notes
• Troubleshooting
• License

Features

• Interactive menu to select from two print servers: testserver1 and testserver2.
• Allows mapping of multiple printers at once.
• Utilizes parallel processing to speed up printer mapping.
• Provides real-time progress updates during printer mapping.

Prerequisites

• Windows 8/Windows Server 2012 or newer (due to reliance on the Add-Printer cmdlet).
• PowerShell 5.1 or newer.
• Appropriate permissions to map the printers on the network.

Usage

1. Clone this repository or download the PrintMapUtility.ps1 script.
2. Open a PowerShell terminal with elevated privileges (Run as Administrator).
3. Navigate to the directory containing the script.
4. Execute the script:

.\PrinterMapUtility.ps1

Follow the on-screen prompts to select a print server and enter printer names.

Mapping Printers

1. Interactive Menu: The script will present you with an interactive menu. Here, you can select the desired print server or opt for the "Follow You Printer" option.

2. Entering Printer Names:

• If you selected a print server (e.g., printserver), you'll be prompted to enter the names of the printers you want to map.
• Separate each printer name with a comma.
• Example: printer1,printer2,printer3

3. Mapping Progress: After confirming your selection, the script will begin mapping the printers. You will see real-time progress, indicating which printers are successfully mapped and which ones failed.

5. Summary: Once the script finishes its task, it will display a summary, showing you which printers were successfully added and which ones failed.

7. Return to Main Menu: Simply press 'Enter' when prompted to return to the main menu and start another task or exit the script.

Notes

• When entering printer names, separate each name with a comma. Spaces are allowed before and after commas.
• Ensure you have network connectivity to the print servers.
• The script uses multi-threading to map printers in parallel. This speeds up the process but relies on the capability of the print server to handle multiple connections. If there are issues, consider checking the print server's health or network connectivity.

Troubleshooting

1. Printers aren't being mapped: Ensure you've entered the correct printer name and that the printer exists on the selected print server.
2. Permission issues: Ensure you're running the script with elevated privileges and have permission to add printers on the network.
3. Script execution is disabled on the system: You might encounter a security error if your system's PowerShell execution policy is set to Restricted. You can temporarily bypass this by running the script with:

.\powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\PrintMapUtility.ps1

Be cautious about bypassing execution policies, especially if you're unsure about a script's source or contents.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.