Configuring Script Actions

When you create a custom printer filter for specific printer criteria, you have the option of running a script when the conditions of the filter are met. Script notifications are also defined in the previously described Notifications tab of the printer filter's Properties dialog box.

Setting script notifications can be useful for resolving printer problems and troubleshooting. For example, you can automatically run a script to restart the Print Spooler service on a print server when its printers go offline. You can also automatically run a script that prints a test page or that notifies your internal monitoring system of a potential problem. Scripts can be written in VBScript or any scripting language available on the computer. The script must be on the computer that is running Print Management, and the script should be running with suitable credentials and have the permissions needed to accomplish what you want the script to do.

An example of a command that you might use in a script to start the Print Spooler service is the net start spooler command. For sample scripts that you can use and customize to manage print queues, see the list in the section titled "On the Companion Media" at the end of this tutorial. You can also find additional scripts on Microsoft TechNet at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/scriptcenter/scripts/printing/default.mspx.