AIX Printer Migration

There are few things in IT more utterly and completely baffling than the AIX printer subsystem.  While powerful it accomplishes its task with more arcane syntax and scattered settings files than anything else I have encountered. So the day inevitably comes when you face the daunting task of copying/recreating several hundred print queues from some tired old RS/6000 we'll refer to as OLDHOST to a shiny new pSeries known here as NEWHOST.  [Did you know the bar Stellas in downtown Grand Rapids has more than 200 varieties of whiskey on their menu?  If you've dealt with AIX's printing subsystem you will understand the relevance.] To add to this Sisyphean task the configuration of those printers have been tweaked, twiddled and massaged individually for years - so that rules out the wonderful possibility of saying to some IT minion "make all these printers, set all the settings exactly the same" [thus convincing the poor sod to seek alternate employment, possibly as a bar-tender at the aforementioned Stellas].

Aside: Does IBM really truly not provide a migration technique?  No. Seriously, yeah. 

But I now present to you the following incantation [to use at your own risk]:

scp root@OLDHOST:/etc/qconfig /etc/qconfig
stopsrc -cg spooler
startsrc -g spooler
rsync --recursive --owner --group --perms \
  root@OLDHOST:/var/spool/lpd/pio/@local/custom/ \
  /var/spool/lpd/pio/@local/custom/
rsync --recursive --owner --group --perms  \
  root@OLDHOST:/var/spool/lpd/pio/@local/dev/ \
  /var/spool/lpd/pio/@local/dev/
rsync --recursive --owner --group --perms  \
  root@OLDHOST:/var/spool/lpd/pio/@local/ddi/ \
  /var/spool/lpd/pio/@local/ddi/
chmod 664 /var/spool/lpd/pio/@local/ddi/*
chmod 664 /var/spool/lpd/pio/@local/custom/*
enq -d
cd  /var/spool/lpd/pio/@local/custom
for FILE in `ls`
 do
   /usr/lib/lpd/pio/etc/piodigest $FILE 
 done
chown root:printq /var/spool/lpd/pio/@local/custom/*
chown root:printq /var/spool/lpd/pio/@local/ddi/*
chmod 664 /var/spool/lpd/pio/@local/ddi/*
chmod 664 /var/spool/lpd/pio/@local/custom/*

Execute this sequence on NEWHOST and the print queues and their configurations will be "migrated". 

NOTE#1: This depends on all those print queues being network attached printers.  If the system has direct attached printers that correspond to devices such as concentrators, lion boxes, serial ports, SCSI buses,.... then please do not do this, you are on your own.  Do not call me, we never talked about this.

NOTE#2: This will work once.  If you've then made changes to printer configuration or added/removed printers do not do it again.  If you want to do it again first delete ALL the printers on NEWHOST.  Then reboot, just to be safe.  At least stop and start the spooler service after deleting ALL the printer queues.

NOTE#3: I do not endorse, warranty, or stand behind this method of printer queue migration.  It is probably a bad idea.  But the entire printing subsystem in AIX is a bad idea, sooo.... If this does not work do not call me; we never talked about this.