Printing in Terminal Services

[reicherb]

Is there a good way to print to a local printer using Terminal Services? I've got users that connect to their office network via a VPN connection and then use Terminal Services to run office applications. They need to printer to their local (at home) printer while in a Terminal Services connection. What is the best way to go about this?

Thanks.

 

[SaigonK]

32 bit clients should get native printer connections.


Here is some info for you, hope it helps!


These steps apply to a printer that is connected directly to a workstation's LPT1 port, using a standard printer driver that is provided with Windows 2000 server. When this workstation connects to a Windows 2000 server running Terminal Services, the 32 bit Terminal services client will automatically redirect the printer port. RDP then prints to the printer as a Windows Shared Printer (RDP096 printer number 5-99, not 1-4).
Make the connection with terminal services to the remote Windows 2000 server.
Select start-settings-printers, using the start button inside the terminal services Window (not the start button on the workstation). All printers connected to local LPT ports should display, something similar to: HP LaserJet 1100 (MS)/BARRY21/Session 1. If your printer does not display, this probably means the print driver for that particular printer is not a standard driver in Windows 2000. In this case the printer must be installed manually - see Microsoft Help system as define above.
Assuming you see your local printer, right click and select "sharing". Share the printer. For example, the print share name might be "Test44".
Start a command prompt inside the terminal services window, and type NET VIEW \\SERVERNAME, Where "Servername" is the name of the Server running terminal services. You should see your shared printer. For example, if the server name is "IRM", the command is
NET VIEW \\IRM

Set up the printer in RDP096, using the "W-Windows Shared" option. Select a printer number from 5-99. You cannot set this printer up as a local printer 1-4. In this example, the "printer server computer name" is "IRM" and the "printer share name" is "Test44". For details on setting up Windows Shared printers in RDP, use the following link: RDP Printing Setup.
Test the printer by pressing "F2-Print screen" from any RDP screen. The output should come to the local printer.
If the workstation is running Windows 95/98, the printer will have to be shared each time the terminal services connection is made. For Windows 2000 and XP workstations, once you share the printer one time it will remain shared each time the terminal services connections is made.

 

[Xtremetechie]

Good answer

 

[reicherb]

Originally posted by: SaigonK


If your printer does not display, this probably means the print driver for that particular printer is not a standard driver in Windows 2000. In this case the printer must be installed manually - see Microsoft Help system as define above.

It's not listed and in fact I have been seeing errors installing the printer in the system log. I guess I should have figured out what was going on. I guess I don't understand how to manually install the printer. I've tried to do so and keep getting an error that the device cannot be found. If it matters, the printer I'm using currently is a HP990 on a Win2k PC. What help system defined above are you referring to?

Thanks for the help.

 

[SaigonK]

Install the print driver on the Terminal server and it should work for you.
by the Microsoft help files i meant the windows help files. I should have been more exact.

 

[reicherb]

That's exactly it. I'm trying to install the printer and it isn't working. Is there a way to install the driver without installing the printer?

I appreciate the help.

 

[Tallgeese]

Any printer that will be used needs to have a 2000 driver, of course.
Best to use drivers that are included on the Windows 2000 CD.
Drivers furnished directly from the 3rd-party vendors have a tendency to make Terminal Servers unstable, in my experience.

You should make sure that print redirection has not been restricted by any custom policy or setting.

Normally I simply install the driver for any printer I need to support at the server console, assigning it to LPT1.
I immediately delete it then, but choose not to delete the driver files when prompted.

The drivers are still available then for installation to client sessions, but I don't have a bunch of printers junking up my server.

 

[reicherb]

Ok, I downloaded and installed the drivers for my HP DeskJet 990cse. HPs site said they were Terminal Services drivers (They aren't on the win2k CD). I installed the printer on LPT2 and then deleted it and left the drive files. This was all from a Terminal Services session. I logged out and then back in and the printer still didn't install. The only event log I get is that 990cse could not be installed. Am I doing something wrong? I'm working from a WinXP PC.

Thanks for the help.

 

[reicherb]

Any ideas?

 

[Tallgeese]

Install the printer at the server console, using an account with Administrator level rights.