[gptalk] Re: GP Preferences / Vista / Printers / UAC

  • From: "Darren Mar-Elia" <darren@xxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <gptalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2008 07:59:20 -0700

No, not much help James. I was hoping it might throw at least an error code
or something. Sounds like a bug or issue to me. I will see if I can't find
an answer to this from the product group guys.

 

Darren

 

From: gptalk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:gptalk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of James F. Prudente
Sent: Friday, September 05, 2008 7:37 AM
To: gptalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [gptalk] Re: GP Preferences / Vista / Printers / UAC

 

Hi Darren,

 

If the PC does not have the printer driver already installed, the GPP
printer install hangs. On the other hand, if the driver already exists on
the workstation, GPP printer mapping works properly. I don't know if it's
UAC or not, but GPP printer processing certainly seems to hang while
attempting to install the driver. I'm just assuming it has something to do
with UAC since by default, UAC balks when a (any) user tries to install a
print driver.

 

The preferences are not set to run in the user's security context, but one
of the sites I was looking at indicates printer mappings always run in the
user's context anyway.

 

At your suggestion, I enabled verbose logging. I began with making sure the
printer driver was not on the workstation, and then logged on. The login
hung at applying the GPP printer settings. The last few lines of the trace
file are as follows:

 

2008-09-04 15:10:22.633 [pid=0x4dc,tid=0xf8c] Starting class <Printers>.

2008-09-04 15:10:22.633 [pid=0x4dc,tid=0xf8c] Handle Children.

2008-09-04 15:10:22.633 [pid=0x4dc,tid=0xf8c]
{9A5E9697-9095-436d-A0EE-4D128FDFBCE5}

2008-09-04 15:10:22.633 [pid=0x4dc,tid=0xf8c] Starting class <SharedPrinter>
- HP Officejet Pro K850 Series (HS Room 127).

2008-09-04 15:10:22.649 [pid=0x4dc,tid=0xf8c] Set user security context.

2008-09-04 15:10:22.649 [pid=0x4dc,tid=0xf8c] Set system security context.

 

After that, I installed the printer driver, simply by connecting to the
printer object on the print server manually. (Again, there's no issue in
doing this while logged on.) I deleted the printer object, leaving the
driver in place, rebooted, and attempted to log on again. This time, the
printer installed as expected. The resultant trace log is larger, so I'm
just including a few lines after where the log stopped above:

 

2008-09-05 10:25:21.649 [pid=0x4d8,tid=0x898] Starting class <SharedPrinter>
- HP Officejet Pro K850 Series (HS Room 127).

2008-09-05 10:25:21.649 [pid=0x4d8,tid=0x898] Set user security context.

2008-09-05 10:25:21.649 [pid=0x4d8,tid=0x898] Set system security context.

2008-09-05 10:25:27.985 [pid=0x4d8,tid=0x898] Set user security context.

2008-09-05 10:25:31.294 [pid=0x4d8,tid=0x898] Set system security context.

2008-09-05 10:25:31.294 [pid=0x4d8,tid=0x898] Properties handled.

2008-09-05 10:25:31.294 [pid=0x4d8,tid=0x898] Handle Children.

2008-09-05 10:25:31.294 [pid=0x4d8,tid=0x898] EVENT : The user 'HP Officejet
Pro K850 Series (HS Room 127)' preference item in the '[TESTING] Map Printer
- HP 850 {D10B7AE1-5BD3-48B0-A3F1-FDB9B46FF4A6}' Group Policy object applied
successfully.

2008-09-05 10:25:31.294 [pid=0x4d8,tid=0x898] Completed class
<SharedPrinter> - HP Officejet Pro K850 Series (HS Room 127).

2008-09-05 10:25:31.294 [pid=0x4d8,tid=0x898] Completed class <Printers>.

2008-09-05 10:25:31.294 [pid=0x4d8,tid=0x898] Completed package execution.

2008-09-05 10:25:31.294 [pid=0x4d8,tid=0x898] Completed execution of apply
package.

2008-09-05 10:25:31.294 [pid=0x4d8,tid=0x898] GPH data file :
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Group
Policy\History\{D10B7AE1-5BD3-48B0-A3F1-FDB9B46FF4A6}\S-1-5-21-1060284298-11
7609710-725345543-16634\Preferences\Printers\Printers.xml

2008-09-05 10:25:31.325 [pid=0x4d8,tid=0x898] Updated GPH.

2008-09-05 10:25:31.325 [pid=0x4d8,tid=0x898] Completed apply GPO.

2008-09-05 10:25:31.325 [pid=0x4d8,tid=0x898] Completed GPO post-processing.

2008-09-05 10:25:31.325 [pid=0x4d8,tid=0x898] Completed get next GPO.
[SUCCEEDED(S_FALSE)]

2008-09-05 10:25:31.325 [pid=0x4d8,tid=0x898] Completed calculate
precedence.

2008-09-05 10:25:31.325 [pid=0x4d8,tid=0x898] Completed get RSoP class.

2008-09-05 10:25:31.325 [pid=0x4d8,tid=0x898] Completed initialize
namespace.

2008-09-05 10:25:31.325 [pid=0x4d8,tid=0x898] WQL : SELECT * FROM
RSOP_PolmkrSetting WHERE polmkrBaseCseGuid =
"{BC75B1ED-5833-4858-9BB8-CBF0B166DF9D}"

 

There are then a number of <PROPERTY> <VALUE> entries.

 

Does that help at all? Doesn't mean much to me, unfortunately.

 

Martin - Yes, the GPP CSE is installed, and as noted has no problem creating
printer objects if the driver already exists on the client.

 

Thanks all,

James

 

 

From: gptalk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:gptalk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of Darren Mar-Elia
Sent: Thursday, September 04, 2008 1:59 PM
To: gptalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [gptalk] Re: GP Preferences / Vista / Printers / UAC

 

James-

If UAC is not enabled, I'm not clear why you believe the GPP printer install
is hanging because of the UAC prompt? But, a couple of questions-do these
preferences have the option checked to run in the user's context? 

 

Have you tried enabled verbose GPP Printer logging? This might help narrow
the problem.


Darren

 

From: gptalk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:gptalk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of James F. Prudente
Sent: Thursday, September 04, 2008 9:57 AM
To: gptalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [gptalk] GP Preferences / Vista / Printers / UAC

 

Hi All,

 

For our Vista clients, we have UAC turned off, and users have all necessary
rights to install printer drivers from our print server. Users can add
printers without any problems either via directly accessing the UNC share,
browsing the server, or using the windows printer management web page. Login
scripts (vbscript) also will install the printer without any trouble.

 

However, if we use GP Preferences to install certain printers at login, the
machine will hang up (seemingly indefinitely) while "applying group policy
printer settings." I'm guessing UAC is looking for the OK to install the
driver and obviously can't get a response from the user. If the driver is
already on the machine, the printer connection will get created as it
should, without any delay. 

 

If the printer driver were not Vista compatible, users should not be able to
install it under any circumstances. Likewise, if UAC settings are wrong, it
should balk when attempting to install the driver regardless of the method.
Not sure why this would happen.

 

Any thoughts or ideas are appreciated.


Thanks,
James

 

 

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