Quite a specific case this one, but something I’ve seen quite often when people are using Remote Desktop (RDP) to work remotely.
Basically, with RDP, you can map the printers on your local workstation to the server you’re connecting to, so you can print from applications from the server, and hey presto, it comes out of the printer sat next to you.
This relies of course on you having installed the driver for your local printer, on the server to which you’re RDP’ing.
What I’ve noticed on several occasions though, is if you have a printer which has a non-local port, for example a DOT4 port (used mainly for printer/scanner/fax/teasmaids), or an IP port (i.e. printers with a HP JetDirect card), even if you have the correct driver installed on the server, when you connect via RDP, your printers are still not mapped.
“Why?”, I hear you ask. After a bit of digging, I found this MS knowledgebase article. Essentially, any ports not starting with COM LPT or USB are not redirected as default.
Why MS decided, in their infinite wisdom, to do this, I’m not sure. However, there’s quite a simple registry fix for this one, shown in the article.
Why have I written a blog post about this fascinating topic? I’ve noticed that this has foiled RDP users on many occasions as it’s quite a common set of circumstances; increasingly so with the prevalence of using RDP to access a centralised server for out-of-office working.
Daniel Foster,
Technical Director