Sage 100

I have a client the just moved from an internal server to a cloud hosted Server. (Sage100 version 2017) This is a one-user hosted server with plenty of RAM and processor. The client reported slow printing; I logged into the cloud server and sure enough it was slow (30 seconds to print a 3 page chart of accounts); Preview was a little faster but still took 10 seconds. I reported it to the cloud IT support and they said they logged in and could preview in 1 second or less, but they did not have any way to print. That got me thinking! I turned off my redirected printers before logging into the server and sure enough I could preview same report almost instantaneously. I've logged in and out with and without redirected printers and can confidently say that redirected printers are slowing this down. My question is: Does anyone know what can be done? This is a cloud hosted server, Is it even possible to install a network printer remotely on a hosted server? I wouldn't think so, but maybe there is a way. This is Sage 100 standard so we don't have CS ODBC, but I don't think that would help anyway, they are logging in directly to the server where Sage100 is installed. Would installing the print drivers on the server speed this up? if so is there any trick to installing them and making Sage use those rather than the redirected drivers? This is not urgent but the client is looking for an resolution, so any help is appreciated.

I want to follow along on this one as I have two clients with the same issues. I have read redirected printers can be an issue (when combined with a slower internet connection).

I'm tagging along with Larry for the same reasons.

Crystal reports uses client-side printing, and Sage 100 Standard uses client side processing. The print data has to be passed to the client to be assembled for printing. How is the client connected to the server? Is it a vpn and a remote client, or is the client on the server (like remote desktop).

They are logging in through remote desktop directly on the Sage100 server which I think rules out all network connections.

You can have IT turn off the redirection of the printers.

BTW. This isn't a tested solution just brainstorming.

Set up a vpn. Create a static IP for the printer. Install the print driver on the remote server and print to the IP port.

that sounds like it might work, I'll see what the hosted server's IT gurus think. I have already asked them about installing the printer drivers to see if that helps and I've not heard back from them just yet.

I have had issues several times with re-directed printers and always turn off the redirection if the printer is not needed.

I guess that gets to the heart of my question, if they turn off redirected printers, I don't think they can print.

That is why I mentioned printing over a vpn directly to an ip address. You don't need re-direction. You aren't re-directing anything just printing from the server to the printer. If the client is on the same subnet as the server via a vpn then the printer is local to the server.

If only a single user than this will work. Multiple users from multiple workstations to multiple printers is not a really valid option. All of this is prefaced on a VPN being able to be established between the two locations.

if the multiple users are at the same location and using the same printer then it will work. If there is more than one printer at the same location then you have to set up a printer for each device. Same as a local area network. Even if the users are in two different offices a vpn can be established at each office. Of course, the more WAN bandwidth the more efficient all of the devices operate.

If you have five users at the same location connected via a vpn and all five send a job to the printer at the same time, the print jobs will spool on the server. The last person to send the print job may have to wait in line for the print out, but the printing should use the same network resources. Of course it isn't going to work very well if your vpn is established using a 2400 baud dial up modem. You need to have some dedicated bandwidth.,

I guess what I was saying is that the administration gets more complicated as you get more variables (true with everything I guess).

@GeorgeKhairallah you might be of assistance here :)

I've done this a couple of ways. For re-directed printers, you want to experiment with whether installing the manufacturer's driver helps or hurts performance. To do this successfully, you must match the driver version with the client's version exactly. If a manufacturer's driver is not available, terminal services will attempt to use ""Easy Print"" which is like ""Plug-and-Pray"". If this is not workable, a VPN as Doug suggested is the best choice however your cloud service may prohibit it. If that's the case, you may want to look at ThinPrint and its competitors.

just so you don't think I've forgotten everyone, the hosting IT people are currently installing a matching driver I sent to them today. I will then email the client and ask them to test again. I probably won't hear back until tomorrow.

I just turned on my client to paperless and directed the printing to a driver on the server to a local printer. I am still getting long delays. What is going on with Sage printing inside a terminal server environment.

we have had problems when the Terminal server uses PCL5 drivers.