Providing client access to local printers
Terminal Services provides printer redirection which routes printing
jobs from the Terminal server to a printer attached to the local
computer of the client.
Print redirection can be disabled on a per-connection basis using
Terminal Services Configuration, see To connect client drives and
printers at logon Or, on a per-user basis using Active Directory Users
and Computers or Local Users and Computers, see To connect client
printers at logon
There are two ways to provide client access to local printers:
Automatic printer redirection - for 32-bit Terminal Services clients
that are included in Windows 2000.
Manual printer redirection - for 16-bit clients, Windows-based
Terminals, and local printers that require drivers other than those
shipped with Windows 2000 Server.
Note
Bidirectional printing is not supported.
Redirected printers are available for use with applications running on
the server. Redirected printers appear in the Printers folder in
Control Panel and are named in this format: Client printer name/Client
computer name/Session number.
Clients see only their own redirected printers in the Printers dialog
box.
Automatic printer redirection
For 32-bit Windows 2000 Terminal Services clients, printer redirection
is automatic when the local printer uses a driver that is installed on
the Windows 2000 server.
When a client logs on to Terminal Services, local printers attached to
LPT, COM, and USB ports that are installed on the client computer are
automatically detected and a local queue is created on the server. The
client computer printer settings for the default printer and some
properties (such as printing on both sides of the page) are used by
the server.
When a client disconnects or ends the session, the printer queue is
deleted and any incomplete or pending print jobs are lost. Information
about the client's local printers and settings are saved on the client
computer. On subsequent logons, the printer queue is created using the
information stored on the client computer.
If a printer driver is not found on the server, an event is logged and
the client printer is not created. To make the printer available, the
driver must be manually installed on the server.
Manual printer redirection
Printers attached to LPT and COM ports on the client's local computer
can be manually redirected for use with Terminal Services clients.
Note
Manual redirection of printers connected through USB ports is not
supported.
To manually redirect a client printer, contact your administrator and
provide the name of your computer (or IP address for a Windows-based
Terminal). The client must be connected to the Terminal server during
manual redirection.
The administrator uses Add Printers in Printers in Control Panel to
manually add the printer. The administrator uses the client computer
name to select the printer port from the list of available ports in
Add Printer. Ports for all clients currently connected to the server
appear in the Port list. Terminal Services client ports are listed as
follows:
Port Description
TS computername:PortX (where Port is the type of port and X is the
port number)
When a client disconnects or ends the session, the printer queue is
deleted and any incomplete or pending print jobs are lost. Information
about client local printers and settings are saved on the client
computer. On subsequent logons, the printer queue is created using the
information stored on the client computer.
Note
When automatic redirection for 32-bit client printers fails, an event
is logged. This event in the log should contain information about the
reason for redirection failure and, if applicable, which server-side
driver is missing.
When the client disconnects or logs off, the printer queue is deleted,
and incomplete or pending print jobs are lost.
After the initial manual redirection, printers are automatically
redirected during subsequent logons. |
