Did you spin up a brand new 2012/R2 server in hopes of being up to date and getting the latest features and compatibility? Now, when you go to add the additional drivers, the button is greyed out! How do you manage your 32-bit and 64-bit drivers for all your operating systems? There are two problems here that people run into.
First, the button can be greyed out when trying to use different driver versions and names between 32-bit and 64-bit (manufacturer specific). This issue started in Windows Server 2008 R2, when you went to add 32-bit and 64-bit drivers, they had to be the exact same driver version and name. Most people found this by trial and error. Fast forward to Server 2012 and Server 2012 R2 and the problem still exists.
The second reason for seeing this greyed out button is due to the driver class (Microsoft’s driver class). Starting with Windows 8 (could be back-installed to Windows 7) and Server 2012, Microsoft provided a class 4 driver for printing. These driver classes have been unchanged for 12 years (since v3 was released in Server 2000). There are some benefits of using this new class of driver, but that does also mean you still have class driver conflict now and you must set up all your printers from scratch to use this new benefit.
Class 4 drivers are provided from Microsoft, and can only be used and applied through Windows 8 or Server 2012/R2 machines. They control the updates, bug fixes, etc. This causes the problem that if you want an update, you must run Windows updates. What if you need a fix today, not on your scheduled maintenance window in three more weeks? Another issue here is operating systems that don’t support these drivers, or you call the printer manufacturer with an issue and they say to grab their latest version for the fix? Well, that is a class 3 driver, so now you need to change that driver on the server.
PrinterLogic provides the resolution for all of these issues. PrinterLogic gives you full centralized printer management for the entire company without the need of any print servers. This means none of the driver names, version, class or OS version conflicts apply. You can have a different driver for every operating system dating back to Windows XP 32-bit, all the way up to Windows 10 64-bit. The driver names can be the same or different. The version can be the same or different.
PrinterLogic will also provide you a solution to manage all of your Mac workstations and any Debian flavor of Linux. Say goodbye to driver issues and hello to the new way to centrally manage printing, with no print servers, no driver conflicts and no down time. Contact us today see a demonstration of the software and a free proof of concept to see it in action live in your environment.