1

Question is the gist of it. We have a client that VPN's into our network and uses Remote Desktop to access our software. She needs to print reports to her desk. When she tries to add a printer it, obviously, only sees our printers here because she's using Remote Desktop. I thought the solution could be to have her printer available on our network.

Any advice how to do this? Or better solutions...?

Thanks in advance.

(We have 4 servers. 2xWinServer 2003 and 2xWinServer2008)

gtaylor85
  • 199
  • 2
  • 3
  • 14
  • Wait, i'm confused. Is the software she uses installed locally on her machine, and she uses the VPN to establish a database connection, or something of the sort? – DanBig Jan 26 '11 at 20:09
  • Why can't she just add her printer by IP? – gravyface Jan 26 '11 at 20:14
  • No, she uses VPN to our APP server and the server is running the software. The software is old. In the software when she clicks File>print>add printer She sees only our printers here. – gtaylor85 Jan 26 '11 at 20:18
  • Huh? Is she connecting to an terminal server session? – DanBig Jan 26 '11 at 20:31
  • Is the software pulling up a list of printers that are installed on the APP server? – gravyface Jan 26 '11 at 20:32
  • Yes, she's on terminal server session, sorry. And yes, the software is showing all of our printers on our domain, where the app server is a DC. – gtaylor85 Jan 26 '11 at 20:45
  • I understand now, see my answer. – DanBig Jan 26 '11 at 20:59

3 Answers3

2

Have her connect via Terminal Services using the RDP client. Her local printers will be available in her RDP session as long as the server/computer she connects to has the correct drivers installed.

joeqwerty
  • 109,901
  • 6
  • 81
  • 172
2

There is a good chance that your terminal server doesn't have the driver files in its database. Find out the model of the printer she is using, and install those drivers on your terminal server, that way when she connects, it will automagically be a printer in her session. I bet if you check your event logs on the server she is logging into, there will be errors about printers not being recognized/installed.

DanBig
  • 11,423
  • 1
  • 29
  • 53
  • The driver was one of two issues. In the RDP setting under the local resources tab and the Printers box was unchecked. Thanks for your help. – gtaylor85 Jan 26 '11 at 21:38
2

Can't she just add the printer before she connects to the VPN? If that doesn't work it's just a case of configuring either split-DNS or a local subnet in her VPN client.

Chopper3
  • 101,299
  • 9
  • 108
  • 239
  • Yeah, I'm baffled at why she can't see her local network printers. – gravyface Jan 26 '11 at 20:15
  • I'm new to this, but, wouldn't it be just like her sitting in my server closet and clicking "add printer?" Of course she wouldn't see her printer that is in a different building. – gtaylor85 Jan 26 '11 at 20:22
  • gravyface, some VPN clients utterly cut you off from your local network once connects - hence the frequent need to just define it as non-tunnelled, same for DNS, just define 'stuff that's local' and it doesn't go up the tunnel. – Chopper3 Jan 26 '11 at 20:39