RES PowerFuse and Printing explained. Part I: Drivers

What is the role of RES PowerFuse regarding printer drivers?
Only one simple answer: there is NO role for RES PowerFuse here at all.

What is the role of RES PowerFuse regarding the connection of printer objects?
RES PowerFuse delivers a list of printers to a Microsoft Windows API, which will be mapped at logon. If there is no driver available and the user has sufficient permissions, the driver will be installed during the printer connection (default Microsoft Windows behaviour). RES PowerFuse still does NOT manage the driver.

Is there a role for RES PowerFuse regarding printers at all?
Ofcourse there is. RES PowerFuse is actually ‘only’ a database with a set of conditions and rules (Access Control, PowerZones, Workspace Control) to define in which situation which printer should be mapped for the user. There are some additional settings like ‘Fast connect’, ‘Wait for task to finish before continuing’ and ‘Failover’ available, but it still does NOT affect the printerdriver in any way.

This article will not get further into the role of RES PowerFuse concerning printers and it will not explain features. It shows the importance and impact of printer drivers. It will give some best practices concerning printerdrivers and some guidelines for troubleshooting.

Examples of frequently reported printer issues are:

• It takes approximately 20 to 30 seconds to connect a printerobject at logon (visible in RES PowerFuse splashscreen)
• Despite a network printer object is defined in RES PowerFuse, the printer isn’t available in the user session
• Network printers connected with RES PowerFuse are causing print spooler crashes

Most of these issues are Microsoft Windows Terminal Server related. As you probably all know, you can’t just recklessly install every printerdriver on a Terminal Server. You will run into problems like slow performance, crashing printer spoolers and in worse case BSOD’s. There are some conciderations to take here.

Some best practices regarding printer drivers:

• Selecting the right printer drivers can save you from a lot of troubles (like mentioned above). In general it is recommended to use drivers with a “Designed for Windows” logo. A usefull Microsoft article can be found here: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc784348(WS.10).aspx
• An overview of printer drivers which can be used on Terminal Servers, in order of preference from most preferred to not preferred can be found here: http://www.virtualizationadmin.com/articles-tutorials/terminal-services/printing/windows-terminal-services-printing.html
• Besides choosing the right drivers, there are also some basic rules to keep in mind: Keep the amount of drivers low and All the printer drivers need to be available on all Terminal Servers. http://www.virtualizationadmin.com/articles-tutorials/terminal-services/printing/managing-printer-drivers.html

When printerdrivers are suspected to cause performance and stability issues, an intensive troubleshoot path starts. Below some best practices to discover the root cause and troubleshoot these issues:

• Once getting into trouble the searching starts for bad printer drivers: http://www.virtualizationadmin.com/articles-tutorials/terminal-services/printing/hunt-bad-printer-driver.html
• Make sure no additional print monitors are installed. Check this at the following location in the registry: [HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Monitors]
  The default installed print monitors should be:
• Make sure there are no Kernel Mode drivers (NT4 drivers at Server Properties applet) installed. Kernel Mode drivers are copied to %systemroot%\system32\spool\2, if this folder exists and contains printer driver files, they should be removed and replaced for User Mode drivers, check: http://www.virtualizationadmin.com/articles-tutorials/terminal-services/printing/surviving-printing-citrix.html
• To get a clear view at printer(driver) issues from a RES PowerFuse perspective, disable “Fast Connect” and enable “Wait for task to finish before continuing”:
  Now you are able to check the Workspace Analysis – User Eventlog (via the RES PowerFuse Management Console), to determine how long it takes to connect printer object(s) at logon. If there are errors generated by the OS during the connecting of the printer, they are also reported here.

  

When such a delay at logon of a RES PowerFuse session occurs while connecting the printer object(s), it’s almost certain a driver issue. To exclude RES PowerFuse here, create a logon script outside of RES PowerFuse, which will connect the same printer object(s). If the delay also occurs, start troubleshooting the printer drivers.

Despite the fact RES PowerFuse does not fulfill a role regarding printer drivers, drivers can cause a lot of troubles concerning performance and stability especially in Terminal Server environments. Eventually the user will suffer the pain of ‘bad’ printer drivers, such as slow performance at logon, no available printer objects in the session or a failure when trying to print. Regarding user sessions, ofcourse RES PowerFuse fulfills a major role. To prevent (by selecting the right drivers) or troubleshoot such issues, this blog provides you with some useful articles and guidelines.

Sources: www.microsoft.com; www.citrix.com; www.virtualizationadmin.com

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Roland van Dorp & Martin Lako