Issues with network printers and users ability to print to them.

Question

I am running into a case where I have network printers running through our Windows 2012R2 file/print server. I have users who used to print to specific printers that all of a sudden stopped while other users can still print to those printers. I have removed and re-added the printer at the user's station. I have stopped and started the print spooler on both the server and the station. I have upgraded the printer driver on the server. We use HP universal PCL6 driver to keep them compatible with some of our applications. I have even removed the printer from the server and rebuilt it with no change.

Has anyone run into this and do you have a solid answer for this situation?

Answer 1

@Barry Wells

When you state, can't print to them, does this mean, they print but the application hangs so there is no output or they get an error, or something else?

I worked with Dan here in this forum to track down an application hang with Kyocera print drivers due to the new RPC authentication layer added last year.

I need to write up the results and post them here.

If the users get an error, what is the error code?

Thanks

Answer 2

Hello,

These are HP printers and we are using the HP Universal PCL6 driver across the board. They don't receive an error as such. The job shows in the print queue on their system in the list as SPOOLING. It just stays there in that mode and never prints. I can send a job to the printer after they send one and mine will come out. After setting my initial question, I ran a test by opening that print queue on our print server and watched while the sent a job. The job never shows up on the server and simply sits in a SPOOLING status on their's.

I ran one final test where I bypassed the print server by setting the printer up on their stations manually by IP. This resulting in their ability to print again. I consider this a temporary fix until I can find the answer to the initial issue.

Answer 3

@Barry Wells

Are you blocking port 135 on the print server? That would block the RPC authentication protocol from authenticating the client system?

There are some setting changes you can try from the linked Microsoft articles. https://www.papercut.com/support/known-issues/?id=PO-598#mf

If you want to just disable the new protocol, that might be the quickest solution.

Your clients all have the latest security updates, correct.? You will need these so an unauthenticated user can't drop a file into the print system.

If you wanted to learn a bit more about the new defaults from Microsoft, I discuss the changes in this podcast https://www.papercut.com/blog/print-geeks-012-deepcuts-printnightmare/

Answer 4

Hi there,

If you have made any recent updates I would suggest you to remove them as Windows Update has an history of affecting network drivers.

If you are not aware of any error made I would suggest you to use the below tools to find what is causing this issue.

Process Monitor is an advanced monitoring tool for Windows that shows real-time file
system, Registry and process/thread activity. You can get the tool from here
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/procmon
System Monitor (Sysmon) is a Windows system service and device driver that, once
installed on a system, remains resident across system reboots to monitor and log
system activity to the Windows event log.You can get the tool from here
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/sysmon

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Answer 5

Hello,
As far as blocking port 135, we don't block any ports on the internal network. I realize this may be a bad assumption on my part but if the port was block then no one should be able to print to the printer versus only a couple of people.

As far as a patch that is now preventing a couple of users from printing may be the culprit but I am not aware of anything that would be applied to these two desktops but not to others. I will try the tools mentioned to see if that will shed some light. Thank you to both for the recommendations you have provided.