Printing from VM window using Parallels and headless mac?

[gpspad]

I have a mac mini setup with parallels and I am running windows 7 in a parallels v10 window. I remote login with the microsoft windows remote client, but I am having trouble setting up the network printer in the windows 7 VM. The printer is setup on another headless mac mini that acts as a server running OS X server.

I have gone through a bunch of tutorials on the parallels website that show how to setup a mac printer on windows but nothing is working. I even tried setting up apples windows bonjour service for windows in the windows 7 VM, but when I start it, all I get is "bonjour service not available".

I am sure I am missing something with the fire wall settings, but I don't know much about that stuff. Any suggestions?

 

[organicCPU]

As I don't use Parallels, I won't be able to help you much. Nevertheless a few thoughts.

Is the Mac mini (VM) able to access and print from macOS apps to the Mac mini (printing server)?

Which networking mode is configured in Parallels (Bridged, Shared or Host-Only)?

According to Parallels using Bonjour, you must use Bridged networking mode.

A network attached printer should be possible to be configured in Bridged or Shared networking mode.

I can imagine that if you simply share a USB printer from your Mac mini (printing server) and have this printer selected as your default printer on the Mac mini (VM) that the configuration in Parallels is simply done like the printer would be directly attached via USB to the Mac mini (VM).

If that all doesn't help, you possibly need to configure CUPS manually, but chances are high that parallels has an easier solution for your needs. Since there is Parallels 12 out, you might have some incompatibilities with Parallels 10 depending on your macOS version installed.

FYI: Port 631 is the one that handles printer sharing (IPP)

Good luck!

 

[DJLC]

So — if I'm understanding correctly....

The VM is running on what I'll call Headless Mini Server 1. The printer is shared from what I'll Headless Mini Server 2.

HMS1 should have the printer on HMS2 added and should be able to print successfully from Mac applications. Your client Mac should also be able to print to the printer on HMS2 from Mac applications.

If that is the case, there are three options to print from the VM, connected thru Microsoft Remote Desktop on Mac:

1. Configure a virtual printer in Parallels for the virtual machine. It should automatically detect the printer connected to HMS2 that was added on HMS1. Print jobs will be queued by Windows, sent thru Parallels, and be submitted by HMS1 to HMS2.
2. Configure printer redirection in Microsoft Remote Desktop on your client Mac. Print jobs will be queued by Windows, then sent via RDP to your client Mac, which will then be submitted by your client Mac to HMS2.
3. Install Bonjour Print Services for Windows inside the VM and add the printer shared from HMS2. Windows will directly submit print jobs to the server.

 

[gpspad]

So — if I'm understanding correctly....

The VM is running on what I'll call Headless Mini Server 1. The printer is shared from what I'll Headless Mini Server 2.

HMS1 should have the printer on HMS2 added and should be able to print successfully from Mac applications. Your client Mac should also be able to print to the printer on HMS2 from Mac applications.

If that is the case, there are three options to print from the VM, connected thru Microsoft Remote Desktop on Mac:

1. Configure a virtual printer in Parallels for the virtual machine. It should automatically detect the printer connected to HMS2 that was added on HMS1. Print jobs will be queued by Windows, sent thru Parallels, and be submitted by HMS1 to HMS2.
2. Configure printer redirection in Microsoft Remote Desktop on your client Mac. Print jobs will be queued by Windows, then sent via RDP to your client Mac, which will then be submitted by your client Mac to HMS2.
3. Install Bonjour Print Services for Windows inside the VM and add the printer shared from HMS2. Windows will directly submit print jobs to the server.

Thanks for the reply, you got the setup right. I have one mac mini acting as a server and one running parallels with windows 7. I connect to both machines via another mac on a LAN network. I can print to the mac mini acting as a print server from either mac. The only problem is from the VM running windows.

I have been able to get parallels to add a generic print driver in the windows VM, it just popped up in there. I can not get this windows VM to recognize the printer and install the proper print driver.

Also I tried installing bonjour for windows; and it does install, but when i run it I get "Bonjour services not avaialble".

I tried installing iTunes for windows just incase it needed that, but that also does not like the VM environment; it installs, but will not run. I though the idea was that the VM was just like windows on any other computer, something is different and both programs don't like the VM environment.

I might be over my head with this stuff, it seems like the VM is a lot fussier that a normal windows setup.

 

[DJLC]

Thanks for the reply, you got the setup right. I have one mac mini acting as a server and one running parallels with windows 7. I connect to both machines via another mac on a LAN network. I can print to the mac mini acting as a print server from either mac. The only problem is from the VM running windows.

I have been able to get parallels to add a generic print driver in the windows VM, it just popped up in there. I can not get this windows VM to recognize the printer and install the proper print driver.

Also I tried installing bonjour for windows; and it does install, but when i run it I get "Bonjour services not avaialble".

I tried installing iTunes for windows just incase it needed that, but that also does not like the VM environment; it installs, but will not run. I though the idea was that the VM was just like windows on any other computer, something is different and both programs don't like the VM environment.

I might be over my head with this stuff, it seems like the VM is a lot fussier that a normal windows setup.

My only thoughts —

When Parallels adds a printer, I'm pretty sure it *should* be a generic driver. Windows is passing a raw print job to Parallels, which is then presenting it to the Mac driver. Ie., Parallels takes care of that bit. But I'm not sure if maybe Parallels is then displaying an OS X print dialog, which in your scenario you wouldn't see.

Bonjour — I'd try uninstalling all Apple software on the VM, reboot it, and reinstall just Bonjour Print Services for Windows. Unless for some reason it doesn't like the virtual network adapter...

Oh, and if you have antivirus, maybe switch it off to rule that out. Maybe it hates Bonjour.

 

[flyinmac]

Sounds unnecessarily complicated.

I don't use parallels. But I use VMware. And in VMware, if I have a printer set up on the host machine, I don't even have to add a printer to the VM. I just select the check box that says forward print jobs to the host printer. And I'm done.

I would think parallels should have the same function.

Just add the printer on the host machine. And tell your vm to use the host's printer.

 

[DJLC]

Sounds unnecessarily complicated.

I don't use parallels. But I use VMware. And in VMware, if I have a printer set up on the host machine, I don't even have to add a printer to the VM. I just select the check box that says forward print jobs to the host printer. And I'm done.

I would think parallels should have the same function.

Just add the printer on the host machine. And tell your vm to use the host's printer.

It's literally the same exact function, yes. But does VMWare display a macOS print dialog after it receives the forwarded print job from the VM? I'm thinking that's the issue here... in OP's scenario, he wouldn't see the macOS print dialog presented by the hypervisor.

 

[flyinmac]

It's literally the same exact function, yes. But does VMWare display a macOS print dialog after it receives the forwarded print job from the VM? I'm thinking that's the issue here... in OP's scenario, he wouldn't see the macOS print dialog presented by the hypervisor.

In VMware, I don't get presented with a dialogue box in OS X when I print from Windows. I only get the usual Windows print dialogue box, just as I would if I printed from Windows on a real PC.

 

[BrianBaughn]

I don't know exactly how Parallels handles networking or what the settings look like...but in Virtualbox if I set up the Network Adapter as "Bridged Adapter" my VM gets a local IP from my router and can see local network printers and other devices on the network. Not sure how macOS Server printers fit into that scenario, either.