LPR Command to Remote Printer on RAS Connection Does Not Work

ID: Q237420

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Windows NT Server, Enterprise Edition versions 4.0 SP4, 4.0 SP5
Microsoft Windows NT Workstation versions 4.0 SP4, 4.0 SP5
Microsoft Windows NT Server versions 4.0 SP4, 4.0 SP5

SYMPTOMS

If an LPR command is issued to a print server that is connected to the network with Remote Access Services (RAS), the print command may not succeed and the event log on the server may contain the following information:

Event 4008
Printer \\IP Address\Printer Name (LPD IP address) specified in the request from IP Address (of requesting host) does not exist: request ignored

CAUSE

Starting with Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 4 (SP4), when the LPD server receives an LPR print request, it attempts to open the printer as \\IP Address\Printer Name. The problem is that the IP address of the computer is obtained by the spooler during spooler initialization. Because the RAS session is established after the spooler has started, the spooler cannot find the printer.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Windows NT 4.0 or the individual software update. For information on obtaining the latest service pack, please go to:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/servicepacks/

Q152734 How to Obtain the Latest Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack

For information on obtaining the individual software update, contact Microsoft Product Support Services. For a complete list of Microsoft Product Support Services phone numbers and information on support costs, please go to the following address on the World Wide Web:

http://www.microsoft.com/support/supportnet/overview/overview.asp

The fix in this article includes the fix for the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

Q239907 Too Many Local Printers Can Cause Unsuccessful Boot

NOTE: If you install this fix, and then upgrade to Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 6 without setting the UseSoftwareHive key discussed in article Q239907, you lose all your printers.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. This problem was first corrected in Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 6.

Additional query words:

Keywords : kbprint kbbug4.00 kbfix4.00 NT4SP6Fix
Version : winnt:4.0 SP4,4.0 SP5
Platform : winnt
Issue type : kbbug