Issue:

Wyse ThinOS fails to auto-create local/USB printers using the Citrix Universal Print Driver when connecting to XenApp 7.8 on Windows Server 2008 or 2012 servers.

The issue occurs if the local Wyse ThinOS printer “identification” field is set to use the “PCL5” driver which ThinOS is set to use by default. On Windows Server 2008 R2 and 2012 servers running Citrix XenApp 7.8, and other versions, they do not have the specific PCL5 driver, “HP Color LaserJet 4500 PCL 5”, installed by default. This specific HP driver is the PCL5 driver that the Citrix Universal Print driver uses and is not installed by defaults so it needs to be manually installed.

Resolution:

The required Windows PCL5 driver that the Citrix UPD leverages, “HP Color LaserJet 4500 PCL 5”, needs to be manually installed on the Windows Server 2008 or 2012 servers. Citrix identifies this issue in the following CTX article:

CTX140208 – Non-Windows Clients may not Autocreate Printers on Windows Server 2012 using the Citrix UPD

“As non-windows clients do not support EMF or XPS drivers, they will attempt to use PS or PCL drivers. In Windows Server 2008 R2 or Windows Server 2012, PCL5c, PCL4, and PS drivers may not be installed by default. To install them, launch the Print Server Properties window and click Windows Driver Update.”

The default Citrix UPD drivers are the following and the PCL5c is the one generally missing:

Details:

By default, the server does not have the “HP Color LaserJet 4500 PCL 5” installed as shown under print server properties. As shown in the registry, the Citrix UPD uses this driver to map the PCL5c driver and since its missing, auto creation from ThinOS fails.

By default, Wyse ThinOS is set to use a PCL5 driver under “Printer Identification” field so when the printer is auto created it attempts to map to the PCL5 driver on the server which is missing so auto creation fails.

By default, the Citrix UPD is set to “Use universal printing only if requested driver is unavailable” and the UPD driver preference order is set to; EMF;XMS;PCL5c;PCL4;PS.

As noted above, “non-windows clients do not support EMF or XPS” so the first driver it attempts to use is PCL5c which is not installed by default so auto creation from Wyse ThinOS PCL5 fails. If Wyse ThinOS “Printer Identification” was set to use PCL4 or PS then auto creation would succeed as those 2 drivers are installed by default.

This issue and resolution is also documented in the following PDF Technote – Wyse ThinOS and Citrix UPD Fails to Autocreate Printers.