The Role of Intune in Modern IT Management
Microsoft Intune is a cloud-based service that helps IT administrators manage and secure devices, applications, and data within an organization. It enables streamlined device management, allowing businesses to enforce security policies, deploy apps, and monitor endpoint activity from a centralized platform. With Intune, organizations can manage both corporate-owned devices and BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) scenarios, ensuring consistency and compliance across the network. This capability makes Intune a powerful tool for IT teams looking to automate tasks like app deployments, security patching, and policy enforcement.
Approaches to Deploying Printers in Intune
Deploying Printers Using Win32 Apps
Deploying printers in Intune can be accomplished using the Win32 app deployment method, which allows you to package printer drivers and scripts into a single deployable app. This method is ideal for large-scale deployments, especially in environments where printers need to be available to specific groups of users or devices.
Network vs. Universal Print Printers
Network printers can be deployed using PowerShell scripts that run commands to install the printer driver, create a port, and assign a printer name. Universal Print, Microsoft’s cloud-based print service, simplifies the process by removing the need for local print servers. However, it’s essential to select the right type of printer deployment based on your organization’s infrastructure and whether it’s a cloud-first or hybrid environment.
Automating Printer Installation with PowerShell
PowerShell provides a flexible solution for automating printer installations. You can script the entire process—from driver installation to printer configuration—ensuring that each device gets the correct settings. By using PowerShell with Intune, you can deploy scripts as Win32 apps, enabling centralized control and automation for all your printer-related tasks.
Handling Printer Drivers in Intune
Packaging Printer Drivers for Deployment
Printer drivers need to be properly packaged for deployment in Intune. This can be done by collecting all necessary driver files (INF, CAT, and DLL) and using the Win32 Content Prep Tool to package them. Once packaged, the driver files can be distributed to user devices via Intune’s app deployment functionality.
Ensuring Driver Compatibility
Printer drivers must be compatible with the operating system and hardware configurations of your devices. It’s essential to test drivers before deployment to ensure they work seamlessly across your user base. For environments with multiple printer models, carefully managing driver versions is critical to avoid conflicts and installation failures.
Common Issues with Driver Deployment
Some common issues during printer driver deployment include incomplete installations, incorrect driver versions, or permission errors. These issues can typically be mitigated by ensuring that drivers are signed and compatible with both 32-bit and 64-bit systems. Including detection logic in your deployment scripts can help identify and resolve these issues proactively.
Executing Registry Changes Through Intune
Using Win32 Apps for Registry Modifications
Modifying registry settings is a common task in printer deployments, especially when specific configurations need to be applied at the system level. In Intune, this can be accomplished by using Win32 apps to deploy PowerShell scripts that execute registry changes. Packaging these scripts as Win32 apps ensures that the registry changes are made consistently across devices.
Handling 32-bit vs. 64-bit Registry Paths
One common issue when deploying registry changes is ensuring that the changes are applied to the correct registry path. On 64-bit machines, scripts running in a 32-bit context may inadvertently modify the WOW6432Node registry key instead of the 64-bit registry. To address this, it’s critical to specify that your script runs in a 64-bit context using the sysnative path in your PowerShell commands.
How to Remove and Install Printers in Intune (Detailed Answer to the User’s Question)
Removing Universal Print Printers Under User Context
When removing printers that were installed per user, it’s essential to run the script in the user context. This is because Universal Print printers are typically deployed at the user level, and any removal operations need the correct permissions to access and remove these printers. You can use a PowerShell script to locate and remove the Universal Print printers from each user’s profile.
Installing New Printers with System Privileges
The installation of new printers can often be done under system privileges, which allows you to manage drivers and printer ports without requiring user input. The system context ensures that the printer is installed for all users on the device, making it available whenever someone logs in. A properly structured PowerShell script can automate this process, ensuring consistent deployment across multiple devices.
Using Scheduled Tasks for Registry Changes
To handle registry changes that require system-level access, you can create a scheduled task within your user script. This task can be set to run as the SYSTEM user, allowing you to apply the registry changes after the user context script finishes. This method avoids potential permission issues and ensures that all necessary configurations are applied correctly.
Ensuring Registry Changes Are Applied Using 64-bit PowerShell
When deploying registry changes, it’s crucial to run the script in 64-bit PowerShell if you’re modifying system-level registry keys. Use the sysnative path in your script to ensure the changes are applied in the correct context. This prevents your modifications from being mistakenly applied to the 32-bit registry, which could lead to errors and inconsistent configurations.
Best Practices for Deploying Scripts in Intune
Structuring PowerShell Scripts for Complex Tasks
When writing scripts for complex tasks like printer installation, it’s essential to break them down into smaller, manageable components. This includes separating printer removal, installation, and configuration into distinct functions, making it easier to troubleshoot and modify the script as needed.
Running Scripts Under Different Contexts
Some tasks, like printer removal, need to be run under the user context, while others, like driver installation or registry changes, require system privileges. Using scheduled tasks or employing system-level scripts in Intune ensures that each part of your deployment has the necessary permissions.
Setting Up Scheduled Tasks for Delayed Operations
Certain operations, like registry changes, may need to occur after the initial script runs. Scheduled tasks allow you to execute scripts at a later time or under different permissions, ensuring that all parts of your deployment complete successfully.
Common Challenges and Solutions
Debugging Issues with Printer Deployments
Printer deployments can fail for several reasons, such as network configuration errors or driver compatibility issues. To debug these, check the Intune logs and use PowerShell’s built-in error handling to capture and log any issues that arise during deployment.
Handling Multi-Location Printer Setups
If your organization operates across multiple locations, managing printer deployments can become more complex. Use location-specific profiles in Intune to assign printers to specific user groups or devices, ensuring that employees have access to the correct printers based on their location.
Troubleshooting Registry Change Issues
Registry changes can sometimes fail to apply, especially when scripts run in the wrong context. Make sure your script targets the correct registry path (32-bit vs. 64-bit) and use detection rules in Intune to confirm that the changes have been successfully applied.
Tracking and Monitoring Intune Deployments
Tracking and monitoring deployments in Intune is crucial to ensuring that your printer installations and registry changes are successful. The Intune admin center provides detailed reporting on app and script deployments, including success and failure rates. If issues arise, logs can help you pinpoint the problem and take corrective action quickly.
By using these monitoring tools, ECS LEAD ensures that all our deployments are carefully tracked, giving us the confidence that our clients’ infrastructure remains stable and secure. As a company, we specialize in providing comprehensive IT solutions, including Intune management, app packaging, and deployment services. If you’re looking for expert help with your Intune deployment, ECS LEAD is here to guide you every step of the way.
Future Trends in Intune and Printer Management
As organizations move toward cloud-first strategies, the integration of services like Universal Print will continue to evolve. Intune is positioned to offer even more advanced features for managing complex print environments, with better support for hybrid setups and cloud-based infrastructure. Keep an eye on upcoming updates to ensure your organization is ready to leverage the latest in print management technology.
