Metaframe XP Printing Issues

[andyshriver]

I posted this in the Remote Access Issues furom, but, by virtue of the fact that I have received no responses, I can only guess that I chose the wrong forum. In any case, in our main office, we have a Citrix MetaFrame XP server (installed over Windows Advanced Server 2000) through which remote users access applications on a file server to which the Citrix server is connected. Each computer has the Citrix ICA client installed locally. Users are able to initiate Citrix sessions and access applications with no problems, but, when they want to print their documents created through the Citrix-based applications, they cannot. The documents sit in each user's respective Citrix print queues, but they will not print. Clearing the Citrix queue from a user's desktop doesn't work, as one document will always be trying to delete itself. Printing from local (non-Citrix) applications is no problem. It should be noted that this problem only recently began to happen and did not occur immediately upon implementation of the Citrix server. Does anyone have any ideas? Thank you in advance.

 

[ascotta]

It could be a number of things.

Firstly are the drivers for the printers installed locally on the Citrix server.

Secondly It may be that you have orphaned printeres. This means that a user has had some prints in the queue when they logged off. This means that although they see the printer, it will never actually print to it. In this case what you need to do , is to stop and start the spooler. Get all users off the system. Delete all client printers. You may need to stop and start spooler to do so. Get the users to connect again and try printing.

My guess is second, as it used to work. A reboot would fix too, but that is a bit drastic.

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

Cheers
Scott

 

[chrispybee]

Here's a tip for you. Dont use Citrix for printing. It's crap and doesn't work. Are you using KIX for your login script. If so, I could pass you a kix script that I wrote which allows a user to print to there local printer, no matter where Geographically where they are sat, it will still print to the localized printer. Let me know if you wish to have a look at the code.

One other (simpler) thing you can do is to disable printing via Citrix and on your printer server, you can create groups to access the printer, Assign the users to the group and when they log in, should get the correct printer.

 

[andyshriver]

Thank you all for your feedback on this issue.
Scott - The orphaned print jobs occured, I believe, because the remote users having those issues have been connecting to the web via ISDN, which caused timeouts and unexpected Citrix session terminations. We are pretty certain that either those reasons or the users' lack of patience caused the print jobs to remain in the queue. Restarting the spooler service did the trick.
Chrispybee - I am not familiar w/KIX scripts (there was a great rock band by that name). Are you saying that my remote users log on using a KIX script and can then print the apps on the Meta Frame server? Please educate me.

Many thanks.

 

[chrispybee]

Basically, YES. Here is how it works (sorry if I bore you!!)

1. Runs a little application to get the "Clients" physical IP Address, not the Citrix server IP.
2. It then scans a list of IP's that you list, when found a match will assign a printer to that local IP.

So if you have a printer in US = IP address 192.168.0.50
When you go onto that subnet 192.168.0.x then it will match that printer to you. Cool eh?

This means that your remote users can print when they come to HQ.

PM me if you require it..

 

[ascotta]

Kix is great, for some stuff. I certainly wouldn't say that citrix is crap for printing. Never found a problem that could not be fixed. Permanantly. Either through, installing the correct drivers, mapping printer drivers properly, or education of the users. However, netowrking printers is a much better idea.

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

Cheers
Scott

 

[chrispybee]

Yeah ascotta, the kix script I wrote was for networking printers. In my last job we had around 25 - 30 networked printers in district offices and when we use citrix to print the files, we had massive issues. There was a period where some people would find various ways of network printing without installing and using citrix for printing.

Maybe I needed educating a little more on Citrix but I found lots and lots of other techies having massive headaces with network printing within a citrix enviroment.

 

[ascotta]

Well I have been doing this for a few years, and to be honest, I can think of some real weird issues. I would say 95% were using the wrong printer driver. I use kix all the time, but importing print servers into the farms has relieved such a big headache. The only ones that are fun, are novell ones.

I didn't say it was easy, but persistance is a virtue. Oh and don't use Lexmarks. Danger Danger ring bell.

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

Cheers
Scott

 

[andyshriver]

Thank you both for your insight and advice. Bummer about the Lexmark issue, as one location has a Lexmark connected locally to a workstation there. All of the other print devices are HP, so we're ahead of the game there. After having restarted the spooler service and installed the appropriate driver (for the Lexmark) on the server, we have had (he said with a gambler's grin) no printing issues since. Thank you both again!!

Andy

 

[ascotta]

Lexmarks have been known to cause BSOD's and other issues. Not all of them but some. You can get round it by using other drivers, if necessary.

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

Cheers
Scott

 

[MarkCox]

I got tired of chasing multiple printing issues inside of Citrix and settled two years ago with a third party printing solution and have been happy ever since. Check out news about the newest version of Metaframe and see that they dumped the whole current printing code for a system that ignores the differences in drivers and hands the print jobs down in raw compressed code to the client driver. Requirements to print in a terminal session requires the driver names to be identical as on the server and the client driver has to be installed on the server. This is always difficult to keep matched. I settled on TriCerat's Simplified Printing Solution.

 

[ascotta]

We will see At least I got USB to work on it tho'.

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

Cheers
Scott

 

[paul100]

Hi,

Sorry for butting in on this thread. I was looking for folder redirection issue solutions, but was interested in Chistybee's kix script and was wondering if I could get a copy of it..

Thanks

 

[chrispybee]

Hi paul, let me help you on both issues.

If you can send me your email addresss, I will email the required files.

Also what version of Windows are you using. If it's windows 2003 server, you will need to add a registry key for redirection.

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders\

My Documents is the Personal Key and so on.

Hope this helps you out.