Hello,
I have a problem that will not just go away. I have two Windows 2012 R2 servers: one with RDS installed for 30 users with an appointment application and one "back-end" server were print queues and database are running.
So basically, users can connect to network printers by clicking on a link that points to the "back-end" server. In Windows 2008 R2, this is so simple but in Windows 2012 R2, I am experiencing tons of issues (with both V3 and V4 drivers). By the way,
printer redirection in RDS (remote desktop) is disabled and forbidden by GPOs. I am listing the issues here to see if someone experienced them before:
1. After a disconnection between the printer and the RDP session (the servers are in a remote site as the printers are local and printing through a site-to-site VPN tunnel as they are all IP printers). Example: a power failure will set a particular printer
at "offline", which is normal and eventually, it comes back online. But then, the problem starts: the printer "loses" it "default printer" status and none of the printers for a specific user are showing as default printer in his
printer list. If I try to set again the desired printer to default, it is already "set as default" but the green "tick" is not showing on the printer icon and printing fails.
2. When the above happens, I usually try to delete the printer from the user session and reconnect to it. But then, it is even worse: the specified printer is now showing "twice" in the list of "device and printers" for a specific
user while working OK for another (when you right click the printer, you see two instances of it). This is interfering with our main application and a specific user session is non functional. A printer will also show in the "unspecified section"
3. Even a bigger problem: if I delete a particular printer from a specific RDS user session, the same printer disappears for all other users using that printer. So each time I try to fix a printer in one user session, I can expect a myriad of issues with the
other users.
4. The only way I found to fix this issue (so far) is by rebooting both servers at the end of the day and after power recycling the printer exhibiting the issue. The only other thing I could try (never tried it yet) would be to delete the affected user profile
and recreate it on the RDS server. But I do not know yet the consequences of that action (will everyone else lose the defective printer mapping as well???).
5. This issue doesn't seem to be driver or brand related as I had the issue with many printers of different brand. Both servers are virtual under Hyper-v (physical hosts are also Windows 2012 R2) and are running the latest integration version.
If anyone has experienced this issue, please let me know what you have to have done to resolve it. My next step is escalating this to Microsoft.
Thanks.
Benji.
Benjilafouine