12. 3.    Create Printer Compatibility Driver Mappings

Now that we have set the environment, we need to create compatibility mappings for all the printers that will need to be supported.

Mapping of printer drivers refers to identifying printer drivers for the same printer that have different names on different client platforms. You need to use mapping if the printer drivers you will be using on MetaFrame XP servers have different names than the drivers used by client computers.

The corresponding printer driver for the client printer must be loaded on the server. The driver names must match exactly, otherwise the printer will not map.

With Windows NT Workstation / Windows 2000 / Windows XP as the client machine, this is not really an issue. Windows NT Workstation / 2000 / Windows 2000 / Windows Server 2003 use standard NT driver naming conventions. The issue is more common with Windows 95, 98 and Me client machines. The driver names will occasionally differ slightly between Windows NT and Windows 9x thus causing the printer to fail in being auto-created.

As an example, you might have the following driver name on your Windows 95 client machine: HP LaserJet 4/4MP. When you install the same driver on MetaFrame XP Server, the driver name may appear as HP LaserJet 4. Absence of the /4MP portion of the driver name will mean this printer will not be mapped. Thus, you need to create a compatibility mapping in the Management Console for MetaFrame XP to create the relationship between the two drivers.

During installation, the data store imports printer driver mappings from the Wtsuprn.txt or wtsprnt.inf files on the server. If duplicate mappings are found, they are not written to the data store. You can use Management Console for MetaFrame XP and or Project Compatibility to manage printer driver mapping for the server farm.

During startup of the IMA service, the Wtsprnt.inf file for all servers in the farm is populated from the mapping information stored in the data store. If the file does not exist, the IMA service creates it. If the file exists, it is overwritten with the mapping information contained in the data store. Manual imports of existing Wtsuprn.txt or Wtsprnt.inf files can be performed using the qprinter command. For more information, see How to manually import an existing wtsuprn.inf file

12. 3. 1 How to View Failed Auto-created Client Printers

I have always liked to be proactive instead of reactive! I liked it when my customers would call me to report a user that was not able to print and I would have already known and made the change. This really looks good and gives your customers positive feeling about the services they are paying for. Not to mention I firmly believe if you get a call from a customer telling you that they cant print then you have not done you job. You need to set make sure you set the proper expectation that printers not found on the List of Supported Printers will require additional configuration.

My favorite feature of MetaFrame XP is that it logs failed auto-created printers to the Application Log on the MetaFrame XP Server that the auto-creation failed.

The following explains how to extrapolate the pertinent information you will need to add a compatibility drive mapping and or a terminal services compatible native driver.

1.      Open the Event Viewer on a MetaFrame XP Server and open the Application Log. You will want to browse through the log and look for failed MetaFrameEvents messages.

2.      Double click on the event to open the Event Properties box. In the description box, you will be presented with the following information that will be useful in presenting failed auto-creation and for notifying the user(s) in question that the problem has been solved.

1.       Client Name: This is the user who experienced the failed auto-creation (DABCC-demo). After adding an appropriate compatibility mapping, you might want to notify the user that you have solved the problem. Just by sending a simple email, you will go miles in setting the perception that you are doing your job.

2.       Printer: This is the UNC path to the printer that failed to auto-create (Client\DABCC-demo#\Napa01)

3.       Printer Driver: This is the client printer driver name that tried to map to a server driver. This is the name you will want to associate with a server driver name.

Now that you have this information, you will want to setup a printer compatibility mapping as shown earlier in the document or use Project Compatibility to manage the failed printer drivers for you.

The following is a screen shot of a failed auto-created printer:

12. 3. 2 How to Setup Printer Compatibility Driver Mappings

The following explains how to add driver compatibility mapping through the Management Console for MetaFrame XP.

1.      Click Start Click Programs Click Citrix Click Management Console for MetaFrame X

2.      Enter an admintrator account and click OK.

3.      Double Click on Printer Management Click Drivers Click the Mappings button (as shown below)

4.      The Driver Mapping dialog box opens (as shown below). Click Add

5.      The Add Mappings dialog box opens asking for a Client Driver and Server Driver. Enter the Client Drivers name as listed in the client printer properties sheet on the clients local machine.

6.      Enter the Server Driver you want to map the client printer to.

Note: An example WTSPRNT.INF file is listed later in this chapter.

7.      Click OK

8.      Repeat to configure additional compatibility mappings.

You have now succesfully added a Printer Driver Mapping. Have the user log on and verify the printer autocreates.

12. 3. 3 How to Import Printer Compatibility Mappings

When migrating from MetaFrame 1.8 and or to save time, you might want to import client printer driving mappings from a text file, WTSUPRN.INF file.

To accomplish this task Citrix developed the QPRINTER.EXE command line utility. In testing, I have found that this tool only works if the MappingFileName is named WTSUPRN.INF and it is stored in the %systemroot%/system32 directory. It must follow the WTSUPRN.INF format.

Another pitfall is that it will only support a file with 256 characters that are imported, before it errors and cause the IMA service to fail. I recommend to remark out (;) all but ten lines per import and to then to remark out (;) all but the next ten until you are finished.

In order to import the printer driver file from the command line type:

C:> qprinter /IMPRMAPPING C:WTSUPRN.INF

Note: If for any reason, you receive an error you will need to manually start the IMA service.

QPRINTER.EXE Command Line Arguments:

Note: QSERVER.EXE is not installed by default. It can be located on the MetaFrame XP with Feature Release 3 Server CD in the \support\debug\i386 folder.