How do I add add print drivers to Windows 2K Terminal Server? 1

[SkinnyT]

Our site recently brought a new print server online and the print drivers are for NT/2000/9x. I was wondering how do I add XP printer drivers to Windows 2000 Terminal Server? Thanks in advance for your help.

Terry Odom
Desktop System Administrator
Web:

http://www.terrellodom.net

E-mail: findme@terrellodom.net

 

[monsterjta]

I believe it's the same for 2003 Server. If so, go to Printers and Faxes. Click File on Menu. Go to Server Properties and click on the Drivers tab. Add you print drivers here.

Hope This Helps,

Good Luck!

 

[AJP69]

STOP right there. You need to be careful about installing any old printer driver on a terminal server.

If you do chances are you will create a whole host of problems for yourself. Bad drivers can cause the spooler to break, this stops printing dead, then when you put it back on printouts go all over the place and not to the intended user.

With TS you need to only install the very minimum of print drivers and then you just want the basic files needed to print not all the other crap they ship these days.

So if you have 6 different types of HP printer, then get them to all use the same PCL6 driver.

At this point you will hit on one of the "features" of W2k, namely that it insists that the name of the driver is identical on the workstation and server. I don't mean the name you call it but the windows name of driver.

This manifests itself with 1105, 1106 and 1111 errors in the event log when the users of unmatched printer drivers log on and fail to match their printer drivers.

Now you could go and install the exact workstation driver but as I warned earlier, this is not always reliable and can be damaging.

Alternatively you could work out the names of the workstation drivers and edit the NTPRINT.INF on the server to match drivers to existing drivers, but there is a better way.

Some very clever people at Microsoft have created a tool called the "Terminal Server Printer Driver Redirection Wizard".

This very clever tool goes through the event log and gathers all the 1105, 1106 and 1111 errors. It then presents you with each unmatched driver and asks you to match it to a choice of installed printers. For any printer you don't want to support you can leave it or assign it to a text printer.

The tool does require a reboot but that is a small price to pay. What is more impressive is that when you add more printers and run the wizard again, it asks you if you want to start over, modify or delete the existing settings.

You can download the "Terminal Server Printer Driver Redirection Wizard" and read about the issue at

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/239088.

 

[monsterjta]

You are absolutely correct, AJP69. I figured I would just answer the question. I do print mapping on my TS servers as well. I map almost all HP LaserJet drivers to the HP LaserJet4 driver. Works well.

Do you know a good resource for available generic drivers for the different manufacturers and models of printers? I'm having a tough time mapping an HP DeskJet 5550 USB and Lexmark Z25-Z35. I might just tell these customers they are not supported, as I've seen Lexmark drivers crash the spooler way to often.

Good call!

Hope This Helps,

Good Luck!

 

[AJP69]

I have a fairly strict policy when it comes to printers, this is sometimes difficult as I do not have control of the client workstation IT.

First off I say no to printers that do not have a processor (i,e, those that use windows).

I also say no to printers that are connected via serial port and would be wary of any latency produced by USB if it was not well implemented by HP.

Like you, I usually try to map an old printer in the same family, sometimes it works sometimes it does not. I usually try the manufacturers site for a terminal services driver, if not available I then install on a scratch workstation build and dig out the drivers. Then I will test in the lab, if all goes well I put the lab server on the cluster and ask users if they are able to print. If there are no problems I leave it for a few weeks and keep an eye on the spooler and the event logs.

If a printer such as Lexmark supports PCL6 I map it to a basic HP printer like a laserjet 2100. If there are print tray errors I try to mimic the tray layout.

When you ask "How do I know which printer drivers work with Terminal Services?" The official word from MS is

All of the Microsoft-supplied printer drivers are tested with Terminal Services and guaranteed to work. Before using a third-party printer driver, make sure it has been certified for Terminal Services. There is a Windows Hardware Quality Labs (WHQL) program for getting third-party printer drivers certified on Terminal Services. Please ask your printer driver vendor to secure such certification.

This came from a useful but basic FAQ on Terminal Services:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/community/en-us/terminal/terminal_faq.mspx

 

[monsterjta]

I'll tell ya, AJP69, up until a few days ago I didn't know about the nice little Print Mapping tool that MS released. I've been laboriously configuring these PrintMaps manually for months. I stumbled across that tool just a few days ago, and I'm lovin' it! It get's a little confusing juggling a bunch of notepad windows around for various clients.

 

[AJP69]

You are so right!

I think before that tool was created TS admins used to hide in closets at the mere mention of printing!

 

[monsterjta]

I write 10 lines of code out of the kindest of my heart, for my fellow nerds, and I get 1. Markdmac drops a link and gets 3. What has this thread come too!

I'm giving myself a medal

That seems to be the generally theme here. Just razzin' ya.

 

[monsterjta]

Oops...wrong thread. Forget the last entry folks!

 

[SkinnyT]

Thanks for the help everyone.

AJP69,
You mentioned, "STOP right there. You need to be careful about installing any old printer driver on a terminal server."

The server already has drivers for printers supporting NT/2000/9x. In addition to those I wanted to add the XP drivers for these printers.

The problem I've been having is that users with
XP who have tried to add printers at thier workstations lately are denied due to lack of permissions for some reason. I was told that this could be resolved by adding the XP version of the drivers for the printers.

I guess I should have gone into more detail about the problem I was having but feel free to chime in anyone has any additional input in regard to this.

Thanks again everyone!!!

 

[AJP69]

The problem is that XP was developed 2 years after 2000 and workstation drivers have become huge ugly things that not only print but fix bad breath and a host of other things you don't need. Just check the system tray of the workstation and the CPU usage in task manager, some manage to conflict with the AV just for fun.

You simply can't just add these drivers but you can remove drivers that are not in use, even just the win98 versions.

The problems on the workstation can manifest in a number of ways, we have an app that gets very upset.

In the first instance go get that wizard and run it, if it shows you the printer that has the fault you are in business, you just need to think about what existing driver you will map it to.

Most office printers support PCL6 so a mapping to an old laserjet like the 2100 is OK and keeps you "in era". Follow that with a quick overnight reboot and you are done.

You might want to tell us what printer it is (please do not say it is an all in one with a fax and scanner)

I don't let users add anything to anything, the whole point of Active Directory that came with W2k was to LOCK EM DOWN!

Seriously how can you support things when they come from the "lets try this and see what happens" school of thinking.

Try the wizard and report back what happens.