72 Byte Terminal Server Printing issue

[mkirkaero]

I am new to Terminal Server and Citrix.
A consultant setup our Terminal Server and Citrix metaframe before I started working here.

Our remote people have a problem when they print.

The print job will hang in the print spooler on the Terminal Server.
When you look at the print job it is always 72 bytes.

This does not happen all the time but often enough.

I am using HP 4100, 4050 model printers because they will use a generic HP4 driver so that they use the HP4 driver loaded on the server and not the (UPD PCL5 Driver) from Citrix.
This has helped the problem but not fixed it.

It is Terminal Services problem or is it Citrix?

Any help on this would be awesome.
Thanks in advance.

 

[ascotta]

This looks like the classic orphaned printer.

Is it a client autocreated printer ?


[blue]Arguably the best cat skinner around ! [/blue]

Cheers
Scott

 

[mkirkaero]

Yes it is autocreated.

If the server has the right driver it will list the client like this:

CLIENT/MIKE#/HP LASERJET 4

IF it does not have the driver it looks like this:

CLIENT/MIKE#/PANASONIC DP2310 [UPDCL5c]

I know the guy who set it up had to tell Citrix not to use certain drivers I believe Citrix uses a 4500 driver usually for the UPD but he changed it which helped some.

 

[ascotta]

Looks like a driver issue that has a problem with what it is trying to print.

Try HP LaserJet, or try installing the DP2310 driver, if you can find it. Alteernatively try LaserJet II or III, I have sometimes found this better that HP LaserJet 4.

[blue]Arguably the best cat skinner around ! [/blue]

Cheers
Scott

 

[mkirkaero]

I am sorry I gave you the wrong impression of the problem from my example.

It is not a problem specific to either driver or printer I used an my example.

I was trying to show you what a autocreated client looked like with a driver that was on the server and one that was not.

This problem could happen at anytime with any printer.

I had a guy say he thought it was a specific problem to Terminal Services and printing but that was all he said.

I have found that Terminal Server has problems printing PERIOD.

There are several flavors of software out there just for printing from Terminal Services.

 

[ascotta]

Well I have been doing this for years, and have not come across a problem that could not be fixed.

What I have found is that if users l;eave prints in their queues and then log off, they can see their printer but never again will it work until a reboot.

If you suspect this may be the problem, I have a solution to this.

1) Log everyone off that server.
2) stop and start the spooler
3) remove any client printers
4) stop and start the spooler
5) let them at it again.

That is what I meant about orphaned printers.

[blue]Arguably the best cat skinner around ! [/blue]

Cheers
Scott

 

[mkirkaero]

OK cool
I understand what you meant now.

I have had that issue also from time to time.

Your comments to my issue are very much appreciated.

 

[ascotta]

No problemo, Incedentaly I did get something of the same issue at a Great Plains site. It was driver related then. Once we figured out the right driver to use it went away. We were connecting to LAN printers. i.e. Wkstas that had printers shared on them and were connected to by other clients, these were created in autocreated printers and gave me much grief.

[blue]Arguably the best cat skinner around ! [/blue]

Cheers
Scott

 

[mkirkaero]

I so went down that road in the beginning.

I was using a HP series 2 driver for the longest time and was having print jobs hang at 72 a little to often so I switched to HP laserjet 4 and it happens very seldom now really.

The problem is that my manager who is not computer Savvy thinks because he is my boss he should never have a problem.

His print jobs will hang once or twice a month and he freaks out.

I have people who print to funky little inkjets and they hang a couple times a week and they do not complain, they call me I clear there jobs out of the qeue and they reconnect and print.

My opinion is that it is the cost of doing business remotely and for the record I have never heard of a 100% solution to doing it.

 

[ascotta]

Oh you are so close to the truth there. Any more right and you'd be wrong.

Your last statement is so true.

[blue]Arguably the best cat skinner around ! [/blue]

Cheers
Scott