2.2 Protocol Summary
The member protocols of the Print Services system include the protocols that are described in this section, IPP [RFC8011] [RFC8010], and the Line Printer Daemon Protocol [RFC1179]. The Print Services system uses the print data formats of XPS [MSFT-XMLPAPER] and EMFSPOOL [MS-EMFSPOOL].
The following table provides a comprehensive list of the member protocols of the Print Services system.
|
Protocol name |
Description |
Specification short name |
|---|---|---|
|
Print System Remote Protocol |
This protocol supports synchronous printing and spooling operations between a client and server, including print job control and Print Services system management. This protocol also provides status notifications, which are defined by the Print Services system, to the print client. An enhanced replacement for this protocol is the Print System Asynchronous Remote Protocol [MS-PAR]. |
|
|
Print System Asynchronous Remote Protocol |
This protocol supports printing and spooling operations between a client and server, including print job control and Print Services system management. This protocol also provides status notifications, which are defined by the Print Services system, to the print client. This protocol is designed to be used asynchronously by print clients whose implementations enable them to continue execution without waiting for a remote procedure call (RPC) method call to return. This protocol is an enhanced replacement for the Print System Remote Protocol [MS-RPRN]. |
[MS-PAR] |
|
Print System Asynchronous Notification Protocol Specification |
This protocol is used by print clients asynchronously to receive print status notifications from a print server and to send back responses to those notifications. A set of notifications and responses are defined together as a notification type. In contrast to the status notification capabilities that are included in the Print System Remote Protocol and the Print System Asynchronous Remote Protocol, the RPC interfaces and methods that are defined by this protocol provide a transport mechanism for arbitrary, IHV-extensible notification types. This protocol is used by IHV-provided components that are running on the print server to trigger the display of a user interface on the print client. |
|
|
Web Point-and-Print Protocol |
This protocol is used in conjunction with IPP and enables a client to download printer driver software from a print server in the client network, from a website, or directly from a printer. This protocol is based on HTTP. |
|
|
Enhanced Metafile (EMF) Spool Format |
EMFSPOOL defines a metafile format that can store a print job in portable form. The stored print job contains information for printing a document outside the control of the original application, either on the same computer or on another computer. An EMFSPOOL metafile is played back when its records are parsed and processed, and the print job is sent to its destination. |
[MS-EMFSPOOL] |
|
SMB access protocols |
These protocols are used in the Print Services system for communication with legacy Windows print clients and print servers to submit print job information. "Legacy" is collectively used for those print clients and print servers that do not support the Print System Asynchronous Remote Protocol. This group of protocols is used by command-line-based copy to printer share operations. |
|
|
Remote Administration Protocol (RAP) |
This protocol performs remote administrative functions, including share maintenance and printer maintenance on LAN Manager servers. It is used in the Print Services system for communication with legacy Windows print clients or print servers to manage print queues. "Legacy" is collectively used for those print clients and print servers that do not support the Print System Asynchronous Remote Protocol. |
|
|
Group Policy: Deployed Printer Connection Extension |
This protocol supports managing connections to printers that are hosted by print servers and shared by multiple users. The print server component of this protocol enables an administrator to configure printer connections. The print client component of this protocol enables a user to discover the printer connections that have been configured. |
The protocols that are used by the Print Services system perform roles as follows:
Printing: The Print System protocols and the SMB access protocols are used for this role.
Managing print jobs: The Print System protocols are used for this role. RAP is used for this role for print clients and print servers that do not support the Print System protocols.
Managing the Print Services System: The Print System protocols are used for this role. RAP is used for this role for print clients and print servers that do not support the Print System protocols.
Receive notifications about general printing status: The Print System protocols are used for this role.
Receive notifications about specific printing status from IHV-defined components: The Print System Asynchronous Notification Protocol is used for this role.
Respond to notifications about specific printing status to IHV-defined components: The Print System Asynchronous Remote Protocol is used for this role.
Download printer drivers to a client: The SMB access protocols and Web Point-and-Print Protocol, based on HTTP, are used to download printer drivers from a website, a printer, or a print server in the same network as the print client.
Store print jobs: The EMFSPOOL protocol and XPS are used as payloads for print jobs.
Configure print clients: The Group Policy: Deployed Printer Connections Extension [MS-GPDPC] is used for this role.
The following tables show the member protocols of the Print Services system. They are grouped according to their primary purpose.
Protocols in this table enable print queue connection and printing from Internet clients.
|
Protocol name |
Description |
Specification short name |
|---|---|---|
|
Internet Printing Protocol |
Used in the Print Services system for printing from non-Windows clients, or in cases where network security requirements mandate firewall settings that preclude use of the Print System Remote and Print System Asynchronous Remote Protocol Protocols. |
[RFC8011] [RFC8010] |
|
Web Point-and-Print Protocol |
This protocol is used in conjunction with IPP and enables a client to download printer driver software from a print server in the client network, from a website, or directly from a printer. This protocol is based on HTTP. |
[MS-WPRN] |
Protocols in this table enable printing and IHV plug-in-defined communication.
|
Protocol name |
Description |
Specification short name |
|---|---|---|
|
Print System Asynchronous Remote Protocol |
This protocol supports printing and spooling operations between a client and server, which include print job control and Print Services system management. This protocol also provides status notifications that are defined by the Print Services system to the print client. This protocol is designed to be used asynchronously by print clients whose implementations enable them to continue execution without waiting for a remote procedure call (RPC) method call to return. This protocol is an enhanced replacement for the Print System Remote Protocol. |
[MS-PAR] |
|
Print System Remote Protocol |
This protocol supports synchronous printing and spooling operations between a client and server, which includes print job control and Print Services system management. This protocol also provides status notifications, which are defined by the Print Services system, to the print client. An enhanced replacement for this protocol is the Print System Asynchronous Remote Protocol. |
[MS-RPRN] |
|
Print Asynchronous Notification Protocol |
This protocol is used by print clients asynchronously to receive print status notifications from a print server and to send back responses to those notifications. A set of notifications and responses are defined together as a notification type. In contrast to the status notification capabilities that are included in the Print System Remote Protocol and the Print System Asynchronous Remote Protocol, the RPC interfaces and methods that are defined by this protocol provide a transport mechanism for arbitrary, IHV-extensible notification types. This protocol is used by IHV-provided components that are running on the print server to trigger the display of a user interface on the print client. |
[MS-PAN] |
Protocols in this table enable printing from clients that are only capable of Print Services system (PSS) version 1.0 support. For more information about PSS versioning, see section 2.6.
|
Protocol name |
Description |
Specification short name |
|---|---|---|
|
Remote Administration Protocol (RAP) |
This protocol performs remote administrative functions, including share maintenance and printer maintenance on LAN Manager servers. It is used in the Print Services system for communication with legacy Windows print clients or print servers to manage print queues. "Legacy" is collectively used for those print clients and print servers that do not support the Print System protocols. |
[MS-RAP] |
|
SMB access protocols |
These protocols are used in the Print Services system for communication with legacy Windows print clients and print servers to submit print job information. "Legacy" is collectively used for those print clients and print servers that do not support the Print System protocols. This group of protocols is used by command-line copy to printer share operations. |
[MS-CIFS], [MS-SMB], [MS-SMB2], and [MS-FSCC] |