Preps 5 - Old Windows 2000 Server Required?!

[ipp.spardee]

Hello,

I started with this company almost 2 years ago as an assistant IT manager and was completely new to the prepress / printing environment.. I was hoping that someone could help me figure this one out..

We use Preps 5 on 3 PowerMac G5 computers, and it seems that it is also tied to an old Windows 2000 server.

We also use Prinergy 5, which was set up on two newer Server 2008 boxes, one as a hot spare.

When the old Windows 2000 server is down, the Preps 5 software cannot start and displays error messages stating that the licensing server can't be found, etc..

My question is: Is there more to it than the Floating License service on the server? Does Preps have an actual workflow service running on the server. I know that the server is also running Oracle database software, but may have been for an older version of Prinergy no longer used (unless it is still required for Preps 5)... but I do know that this old server was also used previously to run Prinergy, before they updated to Prinergy 5. I'd like to be able to migrate all Preps related services on the old server to a newer server, as the server is now blue screening periodically due to hardware failure... We don't have a support agreement on the old server...

Any advice appreciated, thanks!

Sam

 

[ipp.spardee]

Another note, I do not have access to the old database to try and find any info related to Preps...

 

[Joe]

I think you will need Kodak to switch the floating license over to the newer server. There is a possibility it is already setup on the newer server but your Preps installs are still pointing at the old server. On each Preps station go into the license manager in Preps and try pointing it at the newer server either by server name or IP address and see if finds the floating license on the newer server.

 

[ipp.spardee]

It turns out, after viewing File > About Preps -- they are pointed at one of our newer servers. It is just odd though, because if the old server gets turned off, Preps throws up error messages. Hmm... I'll have to do some more digging. By the way, I couldn't find out how to switch the floating license server. I went through all menu options and found nothing regarding switching license server -- this is Preps 5.3.3, does it have the capability to do that??

 

[ipp.spardee]

Also, I read some topics on the net that said about adding the licensing server to the hosts file... perhaps that was because Preps need an IP address instead of FQDN?

 

[Joe]

It couldn't hurt to add the server in each clients hosts file. Also if the old server is in the hosts file remove it.

 

[Joe]

I just tried this on an old G5 running Preps 5.3.3. I included my Prinergy server, which is the floating license server, in the G5 hosts file and it found the license server when I started it up. There is no license manager in Preps 5.3.3 so it should just find the server on the network and adding that server to your hosts may help you.