Print Driver Store for Virtual Desktop Printing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Printing in virtualized computing environments, such as those supporting virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), is prone to issues like unavailability and incompatibility of print drivers, leading to failed print jobs and poorer quality output due to the lack of native print drivers on the agent side.
Innovation Solution
A print driver store is implemented to upload and manage native print drivers, ensuring their availability by searching for and installing them on the agent side if not locally present, and using universal print drivers as a fallback when native drivers are unavailable.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If native print drivers are not pre-installed on the agent side, then device complexity is reduced, but print job reliability deteriorates due to driver unavailability and incompatibility
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by collecting and storing native print drivers from multiple sources (client devices, print servers, cloud repositories) before they are needed. The print driver store pre-provisions a comprehensive driver library that can be rapidly deployed to agent devices when printing is required, eliminating the need for pre-installation on each agent while ensuring driver availability.
Solution Approach 2:
A print driver store is introduced as an intermediary component between client devices and agent devices. This centralized repository mediates the driver distribution process, allowing agents to obtain appropriate native print drivers dynamically without requiring pre-installation or direct client-agent driver sharing. The intermediary resolves compatibility issues by providing a curated collection of tested drivers.
2Adaptability or versatility
If universal print drivers are used instead of native print drivers, then device compatibility is improved, but print output quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies local quality by providing different driver types based on specific printer requirements. Instead of using a single universal driver for all printers, the print driver store contains native drivers tailored to specific printer models and families. The system selects the appropriate driver type (native or universal) based on the specific printer being accessed, ensuring optimal print quality for each local printing scenario while maintaining overall system versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the driver selection parameter dynamically based on printer characteristics. When a printer is identified, the system queries the print driver store for the most appropriate driver type, preferring native drivers that match the specific printer model. This parameter change from fixed universal driver to dynamic native driver selection resolves the quality- compatibility tradeoff by adapting the driver choice to each specific printing scenario.
3Reliability
If print drivers are collected from multiple sources and stored centrally, then driver availability is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The print driver store is segmented into multiple independent collection points and storage zones. Drivers are collected from distinct sources (client devices, print servers, cloud repositories) and organized in the store by printer type, operating system compatibility, and driver version. This segmentation allows independent management of driver sources and simplifies the overall system architecture by breaking down the complex driver management task into manageable, modular components.
Data Source
AI summary
A print driver store is usable for redirection printing in a virtualized computing environment that supports virtual desktops. Native print drivers are uploaded to the print driver store from a client side. When an agent attempts to instantiate a virtual printer at the agent side that corresponds to a physical printer at the client side, the agent checks to determine if a native print driver for the physical printer is installed at the agent side. If the native print driver is not installed, then the agent obtains the native print driver from the print driver store and installs the native print driver at the agent side. The agent completes the instantiation of the virtual printer at the agent side and associates the native print driver with the virtual printer.