ScrewDrivers Essentials - The Core for printing over RDP, ICA or PCoIP
As the name implies this is the entry level product which covers the traditional printing to client printers, aka traditional ScrewDrivers. The product includes a server and client component and allows for printing from your session host over your connection protocol (RDP, ICA or PCoIP).
From version 7 this also includes the universal scanning product previously named Simplify Scanning, which solves your remote scanning driver problems.
The above picture shows the architecture of the product with a printer/scanner configured and the connection to the session agent where the universal printer/scanner is built at login.
Features of ScrewDrivers Essentials
This is a very powerful entry product, if you need to print to locally configured printers from a session running over RDP, ICA or PCoIP this is most likely a good choice. With the release of v7 client printing is also supported to Linux devices (open RDP).
To get started you will only need a client and the remote server, so no extra infrastructure is required.
By installing the server side and client component on your remote server and client you are good to go. When you login to your remote session the server component will detect that the client is installed. The client will then send the different printer properties available on the locally installed driver and the server side universal driver will build the printer(s) based on this information. This will give you printers in your session with a similar name to the one locally installed, with all the printer settings you are used to see locally.
Benefits of ScrewDrivers Essentials
ScrewDrivers Essentials - Configuration Overview
This article will cover configuration of ScrewDrivers Essentials which is the entry product of ScrewDrivers 7.
Architecture
ScrewDrivers Essentials architecture is very simple with no more than 3 components.
- Licenser Server
- ScrewDrivers Essentials Server
- ScrewDrivers Client
License Server
The license server is the same for all versions of ScrewDrivers and is installed on a Windows Server, and will handle licensing requests from the ScrewDrivers Essentials Server.
Each license server can handle 1 license key per product version. In picture below you can see that 1 single server hosts 2 different license types.
When the license subscription contract is renewed you simply click on the renew button next to your license, and the expiration date will change.
If you need to move your license to a different license server you have to deactivate the license on your server to activate it on the new server.
Essentials Server Configuration
All configuration of ScrewDrivers Essentials is stored in the registry of the server side component, this could be a Terminal Server, Citrix Server, Windows Virtual Desktop or other VDI server that the user is connecting to.
The advantage of this is that there are few things that could go wrong as the registry on the server should be available at all times.
As a disadvantage it means that the settings applied, are applied for all users that have the client component installed and connect to the server.
General Configuration - Server Side
After installing ScrewDrivers Essentials on your session host (RDS/Citrix/VDI etc) you will have ScrewDrivers Endpoint in your start menu.
This will open the configuration for the server component, all settings here are server wide. If you need granularity in your assignment, you should look at ScrewDrivers Pro or Enterprise Edition.
Most settings are self-explanatory but below the image there are some pointers.
General Config - Printer Creation
These settings are similar to what you have in RDS printer creation settings, but it is totally separate. In fact you can run ScrewDrivers side-by-side other solutions.
To not cause confusion for your users, we recommend that you disable other print solutions when using ScrewDrivers.
The "add client´s first x printers option allows for adding a certain number of printers from the client. The printers will be added in alphabetical order, unless override is made on client.
Usually we recommend to use "Add All Client Printers" or "Add Only the Clients default Printer". If you haver printer drivers that you do not wish to add, you can block certain drivers on the denial setting.
General Config - Extended Settings
These settings can usually be left as they are for most configurations but may need some tweaking.
- Set default printer as default is a common setting. If you have network printers added with GPO that is set as default, you need to turn this off to have the network printer as default.
- Allow default printers spoofing. This allows you to have a different default printer in the session than you have locally. The printer that will be default is set on each client, and the server setting allows this feature to be used.
- Recapture default printer. This will check the default printer setting after x seconds, normally this is needed if you have a GPO or script changing the default printer. Or you could be running a other universal print product (Easy Print or Citrix UPD) that will create their printers and set the default printers slower than ScrewDrivers. This will ensure the ScrewDrivers printer to be set as default.
- Monitor default printer. These 3 settings allow for changing default printer or adding/removing printer during a session without having to logout/login again.
- Delete printers on session disconect, add on reconnect. This should normally be enabled, so that printers are added on reconnect from the same or different client.
Printer Configuration - Naming
This is an important part of the configuration for most installations. As the name implies it controls the naming of your users printer in their session.
There are 4 preset configurations available made up by 3 components:
Printer Name = The actual printer name on client
MACHINE = Client Name
SESSION = Session ID
You may also select "custom" and specify your name as you need it to be. This is normally needed if you have an application that will store the printer name between sessions.
Note that Names without "Session" IS SUPPORTED, but you need to be aware that the name needs to be unique on the server.
Usually this means that you will select "Custom" and specify "Printer" - "Machine" or similar. Giving the printer the same name from that specific client at each login (client name should be unique).
If you need to be able to have printers shared between users (the same printer name for many users) you can look at ScrewDrivers Pro that allows for this using print servers.
Printer Configuration - Extended, Action and Export Options
When using ScrewDrivers printers there are some additional features that can be used when needed. These features can be configured from the following configuration pages.
Print Job Settings
This allows you to enable the use of Seconf Print Dialog, that is useful if you need to use features that are not detected and presented on the universal printer (As an example stapling).
NOTE The use of Second Print Dialog can also be controlled on the client side, on a per printer basis.
All settings can be enabled on the button to the left, and then preset using the options to the right. The options include:
Deny = Do not use
Force = Enable and do not allow user to change
Suggest = Enable but allow user to change
Print Job Rendering
This should only be used when troubleshooting, print jobs should be printed correctly without changing these settings.
If you experience output issues, please contact support to look into the cause of the issue so that a fix may be developed.
Action
The Action configuration can be used to run commands at the time of print or export. This can be used for starting workflows.
Most commonly the configuration is hidden for users.
Export
It is possible to generate a PDF file instead of print out to paper, this file can be saved on server or client side of the connection.
The PDF file is not in a searchable format so depending on your needs it may be better to use a PDF printer made for the purpose.
ScrewDrivers Spool and Print Options
These settings control the print driver "advanced" features that can be seen on the advanced tab for the printer properties.
These settings can usually be left as they are unless directed by support to do otherwise.
ScrewDrivers Denial Settings
General Settings
These settings allow you to control if local and network printers should be created on the session host at login.
Local printers = local ports including TCP/IP printers
Network printers = Printers that print to a \\server\printer port
Drivers Settings
If you do not want to add certain printers to the session, you can deny them here using the name of the driver (not the printer name)
Licensing Configuration
This configuration controls where the session host gets their ScrewDriver license. In this case it is pointing to a license server where the license pool is installed.
It is also possible to have a license that is node locked
Logging
When troubleshooting the use of logs may be of need as directed by Tricerat Support, this is where you enable/disable the creation of log files.
NOTE that logging can slow down your server and should not be enabled unless directed by support.
About ScrewDrivers
This will show you what version you have installed on your server
