Printing Architecture in a Meta Frame Environment Rodney

Printing Architecture in a Meta. Frame Environment Rodney Rock Eastern Canada Systems Engineer Douglas Brown Systems Engineer

Non Disclosure Agreement This presentation is confidential. By virtue of your relationship with Citrix, you are bound to retain in confidence all information in this presentation. Citrix Confidential

Citrix® Meta. Frame XP™ Presentation Server Agenda § How Printing Works § How Meta. Frame Printing Works § Client/Server Printing within Meta. Frame XP § Meta. Frame Universal Printer Driver § Printer Driver Replication § Printer Compatibility § Printer Bandwidth § Debug / Troubleshooting Citrix Confidential

How Windows Printing Works Print Device Print Driver Network Print Server Printer Metafile Print Queue Citrix Confidential

How Windows Printing Works § Windows Application § Print Spooler § Printer Text Three core components to understand Citrix Confidential

How Windows Printing Works Windows Application Process § Output generation for Printing – Formatting pages – Adding page Numbering § Graphic Device Interface (GDI) § Enhanced metafile (EMF) – NOT printer-specific – Middleman Citrix Confidential

How Windows Printing Works Print Spooler function § Receive EMF § Translate EMF file to. SPL § Print Spool file – Detailed specific instructions in native language § Resolution, paper tray, form feed and the rasterized image § Quality insurance – Print spooler transfer to Printer Citrix Confidential

Print Spooling Process Citrix Confidential

How Windows Printing Works Final Phase § Printer – Receives spool file – Printer outputs file – NO MATTER WHAT ! Citrix Confidential

How Windows Printing Works Basic Printer Terminology § Locally-connected printers – physically connected – defined by a port § Network-connected printers – connected to a network (TCP/IP) – print queues managed by network print servers. § Client-defined printers – connected by a cable or port, locally-connected printers, printers connected over a network and virtual printers § Server-defined printers – specified on the Meta. Frame XP Presentation Server Citrix Confidential

ICA Printing Virtual Channel ICA Display Client Drive Mapping Transport Protocol ICA Client Printer Mapping Client LPT Port Mapping Downstream Audio ICA Protocol can support for up to 32 virtual channels Printing over ICA uses a unique virtual channel Citrix Confidential

How Windows Printing Works § Print Monitor – Communicates directly with the print device – Spooler chooses the appropriate print monitor based on the port assigned to the print device § CDMPROV. DLL § CPMMON. DLL § WIN 32 SPL. DLL Citrix Confidential

Server- Defined Printers Citrix Confidential

Server-Defined Locally-Connected Printer § Locally Server connected printer § Print job formatted on MF server § MF server acting as a print server for the ICA § MF server de-spools print job Citrix Confidential

Server-Defined Network-Connected Printer § UNC Path connect § Print to a network connected printer § Print job is formatted on MF server § Print job spools is redirected to the MF server § Spools on the print server § De-spools the print job Citrix Confidential

Server- Defined Printers Considerations Locally Server connected Network Server connected § Small environment § Larger environments § Printers not shared across many servers § Printers must be available across many servers § Only access to defined printers with MF. § Independent on server connection § Server resources are consumed due to print queues § MF server can management. off load print queues and spooling Citrix Confidential

Client-Defined Printer on the Citrix® Meta. Frame XP™ Presentation Server Citrix Confidential

Client-Defined Printer on the Citrix® Meta. Frame XP™ Presentation Server § Synchronous printer creation § Asynchronous printer creation § Synchronous Versus Asynchronous § Default setting for auto-creation is asynchronous Citrix Confidential

Client-Defined Printer: Auto. Creation Process Citrix Confidential

Client-Defined Locally-Connected Printer § User prints to local connected printer § Print job is formatted on the MF server § Print job is spooled on MF server § Print job is routed to the Citrix print monitor § Citrix print monitor directs print job across ICAPVC § Spools on the client device § Client device de-spools Citrix Confidential

Client-Defined Locally-Connected Printer § Auto-created a particular naming convention Citrix Confidential

Client-Defined Network-Connected Printer § Print to a network connected printer defined on the client device § Print job is formatted on MF § Job spools on the Meta. Frame server § Redirected to the print server UNC location § Print job spools on the print server § Print server de-spools Citrix Confidential

Client-Defined Network-Connected Printer § Auto-created a particular naming convention Citrix Confidential

Printer Management Properties UNC connection Citrix Confidential

Meta. Frame Universal Print Driver § Need Feature Release 3 § Driver supports PCL, Post. Script and Windows printers § 600 dpi print resolution and color printing Citrix Confidential

Meta. Frame Universal Print Driver § User prints § UPD generated a print job in PCL 5 c format § PCL 5 c interpret renders the print job § ICA client local print driver and print services output the print job on client device § PCL 5 c renders the print job § ICA client uses local print driver and services to outputs to local device Citrix Confidential

Mapping Print Drivers Citrix Confidential

Mapping Print Drivers Citrix Confidential

Print Drivers Replication Tip Printer driver replication can be CPU intensive on the source server. To improve performance, avoid replicating drivers while the farm is under heavy load, such as when many users are logging on. Citrix Confidential

Print Drivers Replication § Data store tracks printer drivers installed – IMA Service leveraging sub-key – Definition of printer on local server § HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrent. Control. SetControl PrintEnvironmentsWindows NT x 86DriversVersion-3 Citrix Confidential

Print Drivers Replication § § § § § Print driver and target MF server are selected Info for replication is written to a job entry in the Data Store on source, target, driver name and file paths Printer subsystem manages pending and active replication jobs Pending and active replication jobs IMA printer subsystem on source will activate replication via the target by checking the queue Ima schedules a file distribution for each target Transmission for each driver Distribution jobs verify and the deploy Replication job is done item is deleted for IMA / DS queue. Citrix Confidential

Auto Print Drivers Replication § Auto-replicated are selected § IMA Service start-up § Drivers that are flagged § IMA Service completes its start-up Citrix Confidential

Auto Print Drivers Replication § Scheduled for replication § Overwrite existing drivers § Numerous print drivers IMA § Auto-replication lists Citrix Confidential

Print Drivers Replication Guidelines § Same operating system § 24 hours § CPU-intensive § Size of the queue generated Citrix Confidential

Network Print Server Importing Process § XP Presentation servers enumerate the printers and related attributes § Printers and attributes are added as records to the data store database § User logs on, the printer is added through an add printer connection § Unassigned network connected printers are deleted within the session Citrix Confidential

Import a print server § Printer Management § Import Network Print Server § Server identifies the print server § Connected As identifies a domain user that has rights to use the printer or leave blank for all users Citrix Confidential

Bandwidth Management § ICA printing virtual channel § Limiting Bandwidth § ICA data stream Citrix Confidential

Debug / Troubleshooting QPrinter options § /replica § Displays all the current replication entries queued for distribution and not yet completed. § /imprmappingfilename § Imports printer mappings from the file specified by mappingfilename into the data store. The file format can be in either the Wtsprnt. inf format or the Wtsuprn. txt format. Citrix Confidential

Debug / Troubleshooting Citrix Confidential

Debug / Troubleshooting QPrinter Qprinter is a command line utility used to monitor the progress of the printer driver replication queue and to import printer name mapping parameters into the data store. § Syntax § qprinter [/replica] § qprinter [/imprmappingfilename] § Parameters § mappingfilename § Specifies the full path to the text file containing the printer mapping parameters to import. The parameter itself can have no Citrix Confidential more than 256 characters and cannot

Debug / Troubleshooting § § Suggestions for Troubleshooting UPD Printer creation Verify that the client is 6. 20. 985 or higher for 300 DPI and 7. 0 for 600 DPI. Verify that the relevant server has an FR 1 license installed or for UP 2 Fr 3 Verify printer/driver selections in Printer Properties Dialog of the CMC will allow UPD printers to be created Make sure the printing virtual channel is enabled in the connection settings Citrix Confidential

Debug / Troubleshooting § If the problem occurs with Win 2 K, try the UPD on an Win 2 K 3 server, and vice-versa. § Capture the actual PCL 4 and or PCL 5 data stream from the UPD by setting Print To File when printing from a server based application. § See if it can be printed correctly [ COPY /B OUTPUT. PRN LPT 1: ] § Ultimate workaround: Obtain and install the printer’s native printer driver. Citrix Confidential

Debug / Troubleshooting § Remove UPD – FR 2: Remove HKLMSoftware. CitrixUniveral. Print. DriversPCL 4 reg key – FR 3: Remove PCL 4 and/or PCL 5 c from the Driver List reg value at HKLMSoftware. CitrixUniveral. Print. Drivers § UPD and native drivers creation behaving consistently – Connected directly as \serverprintername – Printcfg. exe simply cannot detect this case Citrix Confidential

Debug / Troubleshooting § Win 2 K SP 4 – Q 824309, Q 822428 and CTX 102523 § default the printer with the first one of the alphabetical order. – "rundll 32 printui. dll, Print. UIEntry /y /n "printer" command place it in a usrlogon. cmd script § imporing of Linux based Print server through the CMC – add the following line to the smb. conf file – use client driver = yes – Restart Samba (generally /etc/rc. d/init. d/smg restart) Citrix Confidential

Project Compatibility § From my experience, 9 out of 10 environments suffer from failed auto-created printers § In order to auto-create client printers: – Client print driver name is required to be identical to the server’s print driver name – The corresponding server printer driver must be loaded on the server Citrix Confidential

Project Compatibility § Enumerates Meta. Frame servers in the farm § Parses event logs to find failed printers § Presents failed driver with a recommended driver § Allows to edit and or remove mappings from IMA § Web-based Database updates Citrix Confidential

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