SuperDude69
IS-IT--Management
Hello All,
I am encountering very strange Windows spooler behaviour.
My situation:
* A Server sends print jobs to a remote Client (Windows XP Professional)
* Print jobs get "stuck" in the remote Clients spooler
* Connection between the Server and the Client is by VPN
* The physical distance seperating the Server and the Client is about 1700 kilometers (I am located in Australia!)
* The Server has an ADSL2+ connection to the internet:
* The Client has an ADSL1 (High Speed) connection to the internet:
* I have changed the "broadband" profile on the Server connection (with the ISP - to increase reliability, and potentially sacrifice speed)
What I am seeing:
* Print jobs get stuck in the remote spooler with either "1" or "N/A" pages!
* Sometimes a stuck print job will start with "N/A" pages and then switch to "1" pages.
* Even though there are print jobs "stuck" in the spooler, printing is often possible whilst they are stuck (which is strange because I was always under the impression that
the Windows print spooler is a FIFO, but I am seeing LIFO behaviour [or a close approximation!]).
* After a random amount of time (usually 4 - 24 hours) the spooler will become truly stuck - and I need to reboot both the Server and the Client in order to get printing going again.
* The first few "stuck" print jobs appear to have a 84 to 85 second gap between them.
What I have done:
* Replaced the Client (firstly tried a Windows 7 Client, but after seeing the behaviour described I swapped to an XP Professional Client)
* Tried a different Client (and printer) on the remote end - saw the same behaviour
* Changed the "broadband profile" with the ISP on the Server side
* Replaced the Ethernet card in the Server
* Rebooted clients, the server, and restarted printers more times than there are characters in this thread post!
What I am contemplating doing:
* Changing the "broadband profile" on the Client connection
* Changing the MTU on both VPN Routers
Equipment in use:
* Client side router - Netgear ProSafe VPN Firewall SRXN3205
* Server side router - Netgear ProSafe VPN Firewall FVS338
* Both the Client & the Server also use Netgear DM-111P ADSL Modems (which are connected to their respective routers)
* The Server is a Theos Server
If anybody has ever seen anything like this, or thinks that they can shed some light on what I am seeing can you please let me know.
Kind Regards,
Davo
I am encountering very strange Windows spooler behaviour.
My situation:
* A Server sends print jobs to a remote Client (Windows XP Professional)
* Print jobs get "stuck" in the remote Clients spooler
* Connection between the Server and the Client is by VPN
* The physical distance seperating the Server and the Client is about 1700 kilometers (I am located in Australia!)
* The Server has an ADSL2+ connection to the internet:
* The Client has an ADSL1 (High Speed) connection to the internet:
* I have changed the "broadband" profile on the Server connection (with the ISP - to increase reliability, and potentially sacrifice speed)
What I am seeing:
* Print jobs get stuck in the remote spooler with either "1" or "N/A" pages!
* Sometimes a stuck print job will start with "N/A" pages and then switch to "1" pages.
* Even though there are print jobs "stuck" in the spooler, printing is often possible whilst they are stuck (which is strange because I was always under the impression that
the Windows print spooler is a FIFO, but I am seeing LIFO behaviour [or a close approximation!]).
* After a random amount of time (usually 4 - 24 hours) the spooler will become truly stuck - and I need to reboot both the Server and the Client in order to get printing going again.
* The first few "stuck" print jobs appear to have a 84 to 85 second gap between them.
What I have done:
* Replaced the Client (firstly tried a Windows 7 Client, but after seeing the behaviour described I swapped to an XP Professional Client)
* Tried a different Client (and printer) on the remote end - saw the same behaviour
* Changed the "broadband profile" with the ISP on the Server side
* Replaced the Ethernet card in the Server
* Rebooted clients, the server, and restarted printers more times than there are characters in this thread post!
What I am contemplating doing:
* Changing the "broadband profile" on the Client connection
* Changing the MTU on both VPN Routers
Equipment in use:
* Client side router - Netgear ProSafe VPN Firewall SRXN3205
* Server side router - Netgear ProSafe VPN Firewall FVS338
* Both the Client & the Server also use Netgear DM-111P ADSL Modems (which are connected to their respective routers)
* The Server is a Theos Server
If anybody has ever seen anything like this, or thinks that they can shed some light on what I am seeing can you please let me know.
Kind Regards,
Davo
