Terminal Server printing to a local USB printer

  • Thread starter Thread starter Mr. Anonymoose
  • Start date Start date
M

Mr. Anonymoose

What is the straight poop on TS printing to a local USB
printer?

Is it supported?

Do I have to edit the ntprint.inf? Sources say no, don't
do it as it will fail checksum.

Do I have to install the driver on the server? Sources
say no, this is the major cause of exception errors on
the server.
 
USB printers are supported, yes.
Some USB printers create a local port named DOT4. In that case,
you'll have to make a change in the registry on the client:

302361 - Printers That Use Ports That Do Not Begin With COM, LPT,
or USB Are Not Redirected in a Remote Desktop or Terminal Services
Session
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=302361

Theoretically, editing ntprint.inf can be a problem because of the
checksum. Although this very seldom is a problem in the real
world, the recommended approach is to create a custom
ntprintsubs.inf. Check:

239088 - Windows 2000 Terminal Services Server Logs Events 1111,
1105, and 1106
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=239088

I would *never* install a 3th party printer driver on a Terminal
Server, as many of them are not (completely) TS-compatible and can
cause your spooler to crash or even your server to blue-screen.
Use the above method instead to map those printers to a native
driver.
 
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