ThinPrint – How To

For the installation of single components, see the Quick Installation guide of Thin­Print Engine on print servers.

Network printers – ThinPrint Clients on Windows print servers

Preconditions

• The following components are installed on terminal servers or virtual desktops:
  • the virtual printer driver TP Output Gateway
  • the ThinPrint mapping component AutoConnect
• The ThinPrint Engine is installed on the central print server.
• The following components are installed on a local Windows print server:
  • printers
  • ThinPrint Client (TCP/IP type)

Determining printer IDs

• On the local print server (in this example: lps-8): Open the ThinPrint Client Manager to determine the IDs of the printers (in this example: ID 1 for Lexmark and ID 2 for HP).

Creating ThinPrint Ports and printer template

• On the central print server: Open the ThinPrint configuration.
• In the tree on the left side, select ThinPrint→ ThinPrint Engine→ Port Man­ager.
• Create at least one ThinPrint Port (with default settings). To do so, click New ThinPrint Port (top arrow).

AutoConnect on the central print server

To avoid having to create each printer manually you can use AutoConnect to retrieve the printer list from the ThinPrint Client and, thereby, have them created on the cen­tral print server automatically. (In larger environments you can use Management Center or Management Services.)

• To do so, open the central print server’s printers folder or the Print Management and create a ThinPrint printer template (in this example: _#TPOG) which, with the help of AutoConnect, can be used to retrieve the printers from the local print server. Select TP Output Gateway as the printer driver, so you can use the ThinPrint Driver Free Printing print mode. Connect the printer object to the new ThinPrint Port.

• In the properties for the template (here: _#TPOG), enable port pooling on the ThinPrint Ports, if you want more than one printer to be able to print at the same time.

• To let AutoConnect know which template will be used for printer creation, a new row must be added to the Dynamic Printer Matrix: ThinPrint→ ThinPrint Engine→ AutoConnect→ Dynamic Printer Matrix. Enable at least the col­umns W (for Windows) and T (for TCP/IP) and in the Target Printer column, enter the template name without an underline (_) and without hash sign (#), i. e.: TPOG.

• On the central print server, run AutoConnect from the Command Prompt. In doing so, specify the address of the ThinPrint Client in question (in this example: lps-8) using the parameter -a:

tpautoconnect -a lps-8

• Share the printer objects. Include both the client machine’s own printer names and the client machine’s name in the share name to ensure that the share names are unique on the central print server, in this example:

Lexmark T630 _ lps-8 and
HP Color LaserJet 4700 _ lps-8

The result is shown in following screenshot.

• Verify that the option Auto-create and delete printers→ At session logon/logoff is disabled on the central print server to avoid dele­tion of auto-created printers by AutoConnect with session logoff.

AutoConnect in the terminal session

The ThinPrint component AutoConnect connects the above applied printers into a session on a terminal server or virtual desktop (= printer mapping).

AutoConnect has two tables to set up the mapping rules:

• Dynamic Printer Matrix and
• Map Additional Printers

Dynamic Printer Matrix is the more easily operated of the two tables. Functioning under the assumption that there is a ThinPrint Client present on the client side, it requests information from the client about its printers, then uses that information for processing the mapping rules. Thus, AutoConnect attempts to create exactly one printer object for each printer for which it receives a report back from ThinPrint Cli­ent.

In contrast, when using the Map Additional Printers table, all those printers that are in the table and for which a rule applies, are created in the session, regardless of the presence of a ThinPrint Client.

Alternative 1 • Dynamic Printer Matrix

Advantage: Printer names don’t have to be entered

Disadvantage: Requires ThinPrint Client

Proceed as follows:

• Go to Dynamic Printer Matrix on the Active Directory server, on the terminal server, or on the virtual or physical desktop (see ThinPrint group policies).
• Enter a new row with the following content in its Target Printer column:

\\server_address\share_name, in this example:
\\cps47\%LCPRN%_lps-8
(%LCPRN% is a variable for printer names. To run properly, the print server’s share names and the client machine’s printer names must match.)

• Click OK to close Dynamic Printer Matrix.

• Create logon scripts for the users, with the following content (exam­ple):

c:
cd C:\Program Files\Common Files\ThinPrint\
tpautoconnect -d
tpautoconnect -a lps-8
(-dl deletes local printers, -dn deletes connections to printer shares, -a specifies ThinPrint Client’s address)

• Perform an update of the group policy for the terminal servers and/or virtual desktops.
• Start a session on the terminal server or virtual desktop, and perform test prints on the automatically mapped printers.

Alternative 2 • Map Additional Printers

Advantage: ThinPrint Clients are not required

Disadvantage: A rule has to be entered for every printer.

• Go to Map Additional Printers table on the Active Directory server, on the ter­minal server, or on the virtual or physical desktop (see ThinPrint group policies). Enter a new row with the following content in its Target Printer column:

\\server_address\share_name, in this example:
\\cps47\Lexmark T630_lps-8
\\cps47\HP Color LaserJet 4700_lps-8
Click OK to close Map Additional Printers table.

• Perform an update of the group policy for the terminal servers and/or virtual desktops.
• Start a session on the terminal server or virtual desktop, and perform test prints on the automatically mapped printers.

Network printers – ThinPrint Clients on gateway appliances

Preconditions

• The following components are installed on terminal servers or virtual desktops:
  • the virtual printer driver TP Output Gateway
  • the ThinPrint mapping component AutoConnect
• The ThinPrint Engine is installed on the central print server.
• The following components are installed on a gateway appliance – e. g. ThinPrint Hub or TPG-125 from SEH – (or on a local print server running a non-Windows OS):
  • printers
  • ThinPrint Client (TCP/IP type)

Determining printer IDs

• In the gateway appliance’s ThinPrint Client: Determine the IDs of the printers (in this example: ID 1 for Lexmark and ID 2 for HP).

Creating ThinPrint Ports and printers

• On the central print server: Open the ThinPrint configuration.
• Select on the left side (in the tree): ThinPrint→ ThinPrint Engine→ Port Manager.

• Create multiple ThinPrint Ports with their default settings. To do so, click New ThinPrint Port (top arrow in screenshot above).
• Open the central print server’s printers folder or Print Management and create ThinPrint printer objects with which it is possible to send print jobs to the local print server. In each case select the native printer driver.

Please observe the printer name syntax:
printer_name#client_address:printer_ID, in this example:
Lexmark T630 # lps-8 :1 and
HP Color LaserJet 4700 # lps-8 : 2

Note! From Windows 2012 R2 type-4 drivers can’t be connected to third-party printer ports. For this reason, you use type-3 drivers with ThinPrint Ports.

• Share the printer objects. Include both the client machine’s printer names and the client machine’s own name in the share name to ensure that the share names are unique on the central print server, in this example:

Lexmark T630 _ lps-8 and
HP Color LaserJet 4700 _ lps-8

• Enable Port Pooling on the ThinPrint Ports, for both printers, if you want for more than one printer to be able to print at the same time.

V-Layer

• Use the V-Layer mode to connect the Output Gateway, rather than the native printer drivers to the terminal sessions. To do so, navigate to ThinPrint→ Thin­Print Engine→ V-Layer in the console tree. Then select Enable V-Layer (in the context menu) for all printers that use a native driver.

The result is shown in following screenshot.

AutoConnect

For information on mapping printers from the central print server to the terminal ses­sions see the section AutoConnect in the terminal session of the first scenario (see above).

 

Printers connected locally to workstations or thin clients

Requirements

• The following components are installed on terminal servers or virtual desktops:
  • The virtual printer driver TP Output Gateway
  • The ThinPrint mapping component AutoConnect
• ThinPrint Engine is installed on the central print server.
• The following components are installed on the workstation or the thin client:

-Printers

-ThinPrint Client (TCP/IP type)

Determining printer IDs

• On the workstation (in this example: ws-87): open the ThinPrint Client Manager to determine the IDs of the printers (in this example: ID 1 for Kyocera).

• Proceed as described in Creating ThinPrint Ports and printer template (see above). Add a printer with the following name:

Kyocera FS-C8100DN#ws-87:1

• Assign this printer to the same port pool.

Configuring Auto­Connect

In this scenario, ThinPrint Engine sends the print output to printers installed locally, either on workstations or on thin clients, so the ThinPrint Client is installed on those. Consequently, the printer mapping is carried out here with Auto­Connect’s Dynamic Printer Matrix. Proceed as follows:

• Go to Dynamic Printer Matrix on the Active Directory server, the terminal server or the virtual or physical desktop (see ThinPrint group policies).
• Enter a row with the following content in the Target Printer column:

\\server_address\share_name, in this example:
\\cps47\%LCPRN%_ws-87
(%LCPRN% is a variable for printer names. To run properly the print server’s share names and the client machine’s printer names must match.)

• Click OK to close Dynamic Printer Matrix.

Note! For multiple workstations with locally attached printers, the variable %LHOST% can be used (Variables) instead of the workstations’ host name. So only a single row is needed for all clients. For example, enter in the Target Printer column:
\\cps47\%LCPRN%_%LHOST%

• Perform an update of the group policy for the terminal servers and / or virtual desktops.
• Start a session on the terminal server or virtual desktop, and perform test prints on the automatically mapped printers.

 

Local printers for mobile or home users

Preconditions

• The following components are installed on terminal servers or virtual desktops:
  • the virtual printer driver TP Output Gateway
  • the ThinPrint mapping component AutoConnect
  • Virtual Channel Gateway, to deliver the print output via RDP, ICA or PCoIP

• ThinPrint Engine is installed on the central print server.

• • The following components are installed on the workstation or the thin client:
  • printers
  • ThinPrint Client (RDP type) or ThinPrint Client (ICA type) or VMware Horizon View Client (with embedded ThinPrint Client PCoIP type)

Procedure

• In the ThinPrint Engine configuration, select Port Manager on the left side.

• You can create multiple ThinPrint Ports with the property Use Virtual Channel Gateway. Do so by selecting, in each case, New ThinPrint Port (top arrow in screenshot above).

• Open the central print server’s printers folder, or Print Management, and create ThinPrint printer objects with which it will be possible to send print jobs to mobile or home users.

When creating the printer objects on the central print server, there are three cases to be distinguished:

• Case 1: Windows clients are used, and print jobs are sent only to the local default printer.
• Case 2: Windows clients are used. If more than one printer is used these are to be selected directly in the session.
• Case 3: Non-Windows clients are used. To be able to print using V-Layer, the native printer driver has to be assigned.

Case 1:

• Create a printer that uses TP Output Gateway as driver, and assign it to the ThinPrint Port of the type Use Virtual Channel Gateway, or to the respective port pool. Do not specify a printer ID. Share this printer: share name = printer name.

Case 2:

• For each printer model, create a printer that uses TP Output Gateway as driver. Assign the printers to the port pool of the type Use Virtual Channel Gateway. Do not specify printer IDs. Share these printers: share name = printer name.

Case 3:

• For each printer model, create a printer that uses its native driver. Assign the printers to the port pool of the type Use Virtual Channel Gateway. Do not specify printer IDs. Share these printers: share name = printer name.

V-Layer (case 3 only)

• If you created printers with native drivers (case 3), switch to V-Layerin the console tree. For each printer with a native driver, select Enable V-Layer.

The result is shown in following screenshot.

Configuring Auto­Connect

In this scenario, ThinPrint Engine sends the print jobs to printers installed locally, either on the workstations or on thin clients, the ThinPrint Client is installed on those. Consequently, printer mapping is carried out there by AutoCon­nect’s Dynamic Printer Matrix. Proceed as follows:

• Go to Dynamic Printer Matrix on the Active Directory server, on the terminal server, or on the virtual or physical desktop (see ThinPrint group policies).
• Add one or more row(s) with the following content in the Target Printer col­umn:

\\server_address\share_name, in this example:
\\cps47\mobile or home
\\cps47\%LCPRN%

Choose mapping rules so that for each client or user, only one row will match – here R (RDP) and I (ICA) for the ThinPrint Client type (in other words: printing via Virtual Channel Gateway), as well as W (Windows), and L (Unix / Linux), J (Java), and x (Mac OS or other) for the client machine’s OS.

Click OK to close Dynamic Printer Matrix.

• Perform an update of the group policy for the terminal servers and / or virtual desktops.
• 4Start a session on the terminal server or virtual desktop, and perform test prints on the automatically mapped printers.