FAQ: ThinPrint Group Policies

Send a copy of the database file TPACGlobal.db to [email protected] so that we can analyze it.

We consider this as not suitable for customers. Technically, it’s a SQLite data­base, which means all available SQLite management tools can be used to dis­play or edit – e. g. the Firefox plugin SQLite Manager.

As with the old AutoConnect GPOs, the general GPO settings can only be updated using the MMC on a domain member server¹. This is true as well for the configuration of the path to the database file TPACGlobal.db. Unlike the old GPOs, with the new GPOs the settings for Groups, Dynamic Printer Matrix, Map Additional Printers and High Availability are applied directly to TPACGlobal.db, which can be done from the said domain member server.

In other words: There is exactly one location for the database TPACGlobal.db. The administrator can edit the AutoConnect tables Map Additional Printers and Dynamic Printer Matrix using both the GPOs AND the ThinPrint Engine config­uration console.

^{1. You can configure the group policies from any server that is a member of the domain and on which the server role ACTIVE DIRECTORY DOMAIN SERVICES (AD DS) and the feature GROUP POLICY MANAGEMENT are installed.?}

On the first run of AutoConnect the database file TPACGlobal.db is created auto­matically (also whenever TPACGlobal.db was deleted). AutoConnect uses the registry values for the AutoConnect tables Map Additional Printers and Dynamic Printer Matrix (from local configuration and policies) to initialize the database.

Under normal circumstances (that is, the database is not deleted) the AutoConnect tables Map Additional Printers and Dynamic Printer Matrix will be imported just once. Customers who update the old registry values using the old GPOs will not see these changes. The old GPOs should be removed and the new GPOs should be set up corresponding the Group Policies documentation.

The database file TPACGlobal.db must be configured to reside on a network share before the GPOs can be applied to the servers. So it is guaranteed the servers can actually reach the database.

GPOs v11 are independent from GPOs v10. The old entries for the AutoConnect tables Dynamic Printer Matrix and Map Additional Printers (see AutoConnect configuration using group policies) will remain, but are not used anymore. The old GPOs can be removed in PROGRAMS AND FEATURES. The new GPO tab for Map Additional Printers and Dynamic Printer Matrix and the global settings are described in the sections AutoConnect, ThinPrint Clients and ThinPrint Engines of the Group Policies documentation.

No, it’s not. As described in the Group Policies (GPOs) documentation, the mode of operation has been changed broadly. For ThinPrint version 11, the GPOs v10 should be removed in PROGRAMS AND FEATURES.