Sharing a Xerox PCL6 printer on a Windows 2016 Standard

[iMag]

It's a pity to find out that Xerox cannot cooperate with MS upon V4 driver architecture.

I don't know what exactly V4 means (except that this is a next security level for printer drivers and it is needed for printers to work on the last versions of MS OSs). I admit that it's not easy at all to follow all that MS could impose manufacturers in order to be compatible with MS products. But!... it's strange that Canon has Generic Plus PCL6 driver that is installed flawlessly to the print server and network PCs connect to it very nice, and the driver already contains features specific to Canon printers.

As for Xerox Easy Desktop Experience, - yes, it installs and enables Xerox printer-specific features. But having previous experience, one might happen to fill himself cheated with such an approach, ins't it?

By the way, thank you for the link provided regard deploying software via GPOs. This is very usefull when managing a Directory Service. I wish it was usefull for a network without Directory Services too.

[MRCAnalyst]

V4 drivers requiring the additional application is nothing that Xerox can avoid as I understand it. Xerox is just working with what Microsoft gives them to work with when it comes to the V4 driver architecture and its 'class driver' idealogy.

The Print Experience is provided as a .msi file so it can be deployed via various silent/automated methods. I have only supported one very large scale implementation of the V4 driver, an NFL franchise, and they installed the app via Group Policy. I only provided the .msi to the admin and they handled the deployment. But I think that you're looking for instructions like the ones at the link below.

Link: https://newhelptech.wordpress.com/2017/06/29/step-by-step-deploying-software-using-group-policy-in-w... 

I don't know why your PCL drivers fail to install. If there is an associated code when the error pops up than researching that on Microsoft Technet is a good place to start.

[iMag]

MRCAnalyst, thanks for your post.
Regard your suggestion to install V3 drivers via local port. I know about this method since it was requested to connect W7 Home Edition to networked printers. It works fine, of course. But for my case, instead of dealing with local port to the printer server, I can make a TCP/IP port directly to the printer. So, this method is not really convenient.
As for Xerox Desktop Print Experience, in my opinion, it is a bit excessive to install one more software on the PCs throughout the organization. In our world of complicate things, keeping them simple is definitely a clever concept.
More of this, it doesn't look like Xerox Desktop Print Experience can be silently deployed and run from command line (or some script) via GPs to install printers on the networked PCs. Am I missing smth?

By the way, still wondering - why PS v3 is installing fine on the target PC whilst PCL6 v3 does not?

[MRCAnalyst]

I'm sorry to hear that you're having trouble getting support for your printers. Having eyes on with you will certainly help diagnose your permission error that you're getting. But I can provide additional information about the V4 drivers and I have one suggestion to try for connecting your clients successfully.

V4 Drivers

If you want to see the full printer properties on your client PC's than you'll need to also install the 'Xerox Desktop Print Experience'. That is the application that provides a familiar driver interface. It's provided as a .msi file which makes automated deployment easier. Unfortunately it cannot be installed automatically by connecting to a printer share and it does need to be installed separately.

Note: The V4 driver architecture was introduced with Windows 8. Windows 7 clients cannot use V4 drivers.

Connecting to your existing V3 printer shares

I offer you this suggestion to try connecting to your printer shares that are giving you permissions errors. It's not ideal, because it's not as easy as just clicking on the share, but it might work. Please try the following.

• Open Control Panel->Devices and Printers
• Click Add a Printer
• Select 'The pinter that I want wasn't listed'
• Click 'Add a local printer or network printer with manual settings'
• Select 'Create a new port:' with the Port Type: of 'Local Port' and click Next
• In the port name box that opens enter the SMB path for the printer share. ie: \\<server name>\<printer share name> and click OK.

I have had many instances where this connection method works when clicking on a share from the server fails.

Good luck!

[iMag]

Hi CheryIO-Xerox
Thank you for suggestion. It's a shame, but there is no "local Xerox Support Department" in our place. Actually, in our country.
I'll try to pick up your colleagues from a next country, but not sure they have an answer either.
Will keep you updated.

[CherylO-Xerox]

Hi iMag, 

  I see no one has responded to this post yet. So, at this point I would recommend contacting your local Xerox Support Department to speak with a Product Specialist for more assistance. Please call 1-800-821-2797 or 1-800-835-6100.

[iMag]

We have two printers: a VL B7025 and a WC 7835. The intention is to install them on a Windows 2016 Standard Server and share them to networked computers. No AD/LDAP here. Client computers: W7 and W10 professional.

We have downloaded and added to the W2016 drivers:

• VersaLink_B7025-B7035_5.658.3.0_PCL6_x64, V3 driver
• WC78XX_5.433.16.0_PCL6_x64, V3 driver
• UNIV_5.759.5.0_PCL6_x64, V3 driver
• WC78XX_5.433.16.0_PS_x64, V3 driver

Any driver from this list is installed without issues to the Server, but when it comes to installing to a client PC - PCL drivers fail with the error: "Windows cannot connect to the printer. Access is denied.". At the same time, PS driver is shared OK without issues.

Further testing would be V4 drivers downoaded again from the official Xerox support site. These drivers like PS driver, installed successhully on the server and on the client PC as well. But when a user opens printing preferences, he gets a generic interface that misses Xerox features.

So, the only successfull installation is for WC7835 PS driver, while VLB7025 does not work on network. How shall we correct this issue?