Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Gaurav Daga

Vladimir Stoyanov

Makarand V Patwardhan

Nelly L Porter

Mahadeva K Alladi

In client-server architectures, systems and methods for XPS based printer redirection are disclosed. In an implementation, a client computing device issues a print command to print an application hosted on a server computing device. The server computing device implements a generic printer driver to emulate exact properties of a client printer driver installed in the client computing device. The generic printer driver redirects one or more calls related to printer settings to the client printer driver. The client computing device returns the printer settings which are combined with the application (to be printed) to generate an XPS file. The XPS file is redirected to a printer connected to the client computing device for printing.

Printer redirection

User interface ('UI') redirection for a local device, such as a printer that is operatively coupled to a client, is provided by an arrangement in which a dummy driver is installed on the terminal server. When an application on the terminal server makes a call to show a UI, the dummy driver redirects the call to a process operating on the client that exposes the specific UI associated with the local device. User input to the UI indicative of preferences and/or other user-selected parameters is recorded and passed to the terminal server through the dummy driver and reported to the calling application. In an illustrative example, the terminal server and client communicate over a virtual channel using a remote desktop protocol in order to redirect print jobs to a local printer that is coupled to the client either directly or over a network such as a local area network.

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Redmond, WA, United States of America

Gaurav Daga