Can not use wsd port for Branch Office Direct Printing

Question

Recently, I tried to setup a Branch Office Direct Printing (BODP) Environment by a wsd port(direct discovery) printer. I found that in some environments BODP function doesn't work normally.
I setup the BODP environment like following below.
In server side ,I add the [Print and Document Service] -> [Internet Printing]in server role.
and then I use [Add a printer using a TCP/IP address or hostname] dialogbox, select [ Web Service Device] and assign printer ip address to discovery printer device directly.
After installing the printer driver,I share it and enbable the Branch Office Direct Printing in [Print Management].
In client side,I access the server share driver and install it.
I shutdown the server and start printing in client side.

According to the different combination of server-client, the behave is difference.
The BODP function is OK in Server 2012 + Windows10 build 1703 environment.
But it doesn't work in Server 2012 + Windows10 21H2 or Server 2019 + Windows10 1703 environment.

I compared the OK with NG environment. I found that there is a "wsd backup port data" in client PC registery. Something like the following. But I can't find the this data in NG environment.
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Print\Providers\Client Side Rendering Print Provider\Servers\192.168.21.210\Monitors\WSD Port\Ports\WSD-0d42fab2-9944-4aa3-99d6-b67018853b2f.006f]
"RemoteURL"="http://192.168.21.69/StableWSDiscoveryEndpoint/schemas-xmlsoap-org_ws_2005_04_discovery"
"GlobalId"="urn:uuid:a87ff679-a2f3-e71d-9181-a67b7542122c"
"ServiceId"="http://a87ff679-a2f3-e71d-9181-a67b7542122c/PrintService"

I want to know whether some sepcification was modified in newer OS ? and how can I use BODP function in newer OS by wsd port printer?
Thank you in advance.

Answer 1

Hello @bin jiang

Thank you for your post.

I would suggest to go through the following articles shown below:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/windows/it-pro/windows-server-2012-r2-and-2012/jj134152(v=ws.11)

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/wsdapi/resolve-message > A Resolve message is sent by UDP multicast to port 3702. Unicast Resolve messages are not supported.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/openspecs/windows_protocols/ms-wstc/b46e33e5-f905-4fb9-bea1-e5a8bcf226d7

Looking forward to your feedback,

Best Regards,

Please "Accept the answer" if the information helped you. This will help us and others in the community as well.

Answer 2

Hello @risolis

Thank you for your reply!

I finished reading those articles. But unfortunately! They can not help me to resolve my problem.
and I think BODP function support a WSD print device by directed discovery.

> Functions with both TCP and Web Services on Devices (WSD) print devices (directed discovery only, not multicast)

I want to emphasize that when I use point and print driver, the wsd port printer driver can work normally in all environments. So I think it is no problem about WSD protocol.
The key(problem) is that it can not work normally when I use Branch Office Direct Printing in some newer OS environment.(but in some older OS environment BODP can work normally)

!!! More detail, in some newer OS environment, when I use client PC to connect shared driver in Server, the client spooler.exe can not create the following registry data in client PC.
But spooler.exe do it in older OS environment like Server 2012 + Win10 build 1703. <--- En!!! Its BODP works normally.

I think maybe the registry data is a key for BODP when using a wsd port print device.

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Print\Providers\Client Side Rendering Print Provider\Servers\192.168.21.210\Monitors\WSD Port\Ports\WSD-0d42fab2-9944-4aa3-99d6-b67018853b2f.006f]
"RemoteURL"="http://192.168.21.69/StableWSDiscoveryEndpoint/schemas-xmlsoap-org_ws_2005_04_discovery"
"GlobalId"="urn:uuid:a87ff679-a2f3-e71d-9181-a67b7542122c"
"ServiceId"="http://a87ff679-a2f3-e71d-9181-a67b7542122c/PrintService"

Answer 3

Hi there,

Are you using all V4 drivers?

Do all of your drivers support client-side rendering and is it enabled?

I would suggest you check the Limitations of Branch Office Direct Printing

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/windows/it-pro/windows-server-2012-R2-and-2012/jj134152(v=ws.11)

Also, check for Branch Office Direct Printing Event IDs for quicker troubleshooting.

The Branch Office Direct Printing events are logged in the Applications and Services Logs/Microsoft/PrintService/Admin event log Here is a link that has some additional troubleshooting steps which you can try and see if helps in overcoming your issue

https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/Azure/en-US/ae5dd3f7-69ee-47ee-bf2d-ec3d49ebcc5e/branch-office-direct-printing-not-working?forum=winserverprint#:~:text=If%20server%20side%20rendering%20(SSR,because%20it%20depends%20on%20CSR.&text=If%20printer%20pooling%20is%20enabled,Direct%20Printing%20is%20not%20compatible.

Hope this resolves your Query !!

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Answer 4

Hello @Limitless Technology

Thank you for your reply!

Are you using all V4 drivers?
Do all of your drivers support client-side rendering and is it enabled?

Use the V3 XPS driver. CSR is turned on.
Both Windows8 and Win10 1703 are working fine.
But the client will not work properly with Win1021h2 or Win11.

Also, check for Branch Office Direct Printing Event IDs for quicker troubleshooting.

Thanks for the reminder, I'll try it out.

By the way, the registry structure of WSD under the new OS environment seems to have changed, I don't know if that is the reason.
The new OS environment adds the "Adapters" key value.

Answer 5

@bin jiang BODP should work with WSD Ports on the print server but is there a specific reason to go this route?

Does the printer support a Standard TCP/IP Port? Does BODP work when the transport is using this port type?

You had mentioned adding [Internet Printing] with the Print And Document services role. Any particular reason for doing this? Internet Printing was added in the year 2000. BODP was added in 2008. Internet Printing should not interfere but it is absolutely not used for BODP.

I'm seeing the same Windows 11 client failure as mentioned above so keep you testing based on Windows 10 and provide Windows feedback if you find a specific Windows version that is not working.

Thanks