We are encountering a peculiar printing problem in our Citrix environment involving the Ricoh Universal Print Driver and user code authentication. Our setup, which previously functioned seamlessly, is now facing issues after migrating users to a new Citrix farm.
The Scenario: User Code Authentication Fails with Citrix UPD v4.5
In our previous Citrix environment (Presentation Server v4.0), users were able to print successfully to a Ricoh MPC5000 using user code authentication. The configuration involves:
- Printer: Ricoh MPC5000 Multifunction Printer
- Authentication: User Code Authentication enabled on the printer.
- Client Driver: PCL6 driver installed on users’ local Windows machines.
- Server Driver (Old Citrix Farm): No Ricoh drivers installed on the Citrix server. Relying on Citrix Universal Print Driver v4.0.
- Printing Process (Old Citrix Farm): Users connect to Citrix sessions and utilize the Citrix Universal Print Driver. The driver, version 4.0, successfully retrieved user code settings from the local client’s network printer driver, allowing authenticated printing. Users could verify and adjust settings via the “Local Settings” button in the print dialog.
Recently, we migrated some users to a new Citrix farm (Presentation Server v4.5). The core setup remains identical, but these users are now unable to print when user code authentication is enabled.
The Problem Manifests: Print Jobs Disappear in New Citrix Farm (v4.5)
With the new Citrix farm (v4.5) utilizing Citrix Universal Print Driver v4.5, the printing behavior has changed drastically.
- Symptom: When user code authentication is active on the Ricoh MPC5000, print jobs initiated from Citrix sessions in the new farm are simply deleted. They do not print, and no error messages are displayed to the user.
- Workaround (Partial): Disabling user code authentication on the Ricoh printer temporarily resolves the printing issue. However, this is not a viable long-term solution due to security and tracking requirements.
- Universal Print Driver Version Difference: The key difference between the working and non-working environments appears to be the version of the Citrix Universal Print Driver (v4.0 vs v4.5).
- Local Settings Check: Users can still access the “Local Settings” within the Citrix Universal Print Driver v4.5 print dialog, but it seems the user code information is not being correctly passed or utilized in the new Citrix farm environment.
Potential Causes and Troubleshooting Avenues
We are seeking insights into why the user code authentication is failing with the Citrix Universal Print Driver v4.5 in the new Citrix farm. Here are some potential areas we are considering and would appreciate community expertise on:
- Citrix Universal Print Driver v4.5 Compatibility: Is there a known compatibility issue with Ricoh user code authentication in Citrix Universal Print Driver v4.5 that was not present in v4.0? Are there specific settings or configurations within v4.5 that need to be adjusted?
- User Code Setting Propagation in v4.5: Has the method by which Citrix Universal Print Driver retrieves local printer settings changed between v4.0 and v4.5? Could this be impacting the transmission or recognition of user code information?
- Citrix Farm Policy Differences: Are there differences in Citrix policies between the old and new farms that might be inadvertently blocking the user code authentication process? We have attempted to maintain identical configurations, but subtle differences might exist.
- PCL6 Driver Interaction: Could the interaction between the local PCL6 driver and the Citrix Universal Print Driver v4.5 be problematic? Are there specific PCL6 driver versions recommended or known to be problematic with Citrix UPD v4.5 and Ricoh user code authentication?
- Firewall or Network Issues: While less likely as basic printing functions work without user codes, could there be any firewall or network configurations in the new Citrix farm that are interfering with the user code authentication process specifically?
Seeking Community Expertise
We are keen to understand if anyone else has encountered similar issues with Ricoh Universal Print Drivers and Citrix Universal Print Driver v4.5, particularly concerning user code authentication. Any insights, troubleshooting steps, or potential solutions would be greatly appreciated as we aim to restore seamless printing functionality for our users in the new Citrix environment while maintaining necessary security measures.
