US 11,886,760 B2
Print driver store for redirection printing in a virtualized computing environment
Hui Zhang, Beijing (CN); Weigang Huang, Beijing (CN); Kun Shi, Beijing (CN); Mangui She, Beijing (CN); Hui Yuan, Beijing (CN); and Gang Si, Beijing (CN)
Assigned to VMware, Inc., Palo Alto, CA (US)
Filed by VMware, Inc., Palo Alto, CA (US)
Filed on Feb. 25, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/184,603.
Claims priority of application No. PCT/CN2021/070788 (WO), filed on Jan. 8, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0222019 A1, Jul. 14, 2022
Int. Cl. G06F 3/12 (2006.01); G06F 9/451 (2018.01); G06F 9/455 (2018.01)
CPC G06F 3/1225 (2013.01) [G06F 3/1203 (2013.01); G06F 3/123 (2013.01); G06F 3/1284 (2013.01); G06F 9/452 (2018.02); G06F 9/45541 (2013.01); G06F 9/45545 (2013.01)] 21 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method to use a print driver store to provide print drivers to a host device that runs a virtual desktop in a virtualized computing environment, the method comprising:
receiving, by the host device from a client device when a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) connection for a VDI session is established between the client device and the host device, printer information that identifies a physical printer coupled to the client device, wherein a native print driver for the physical printer is installed at the client device;
determining, by the host device, whether the native print driver for the physical printer is locally installed at the host device;
in response to determining that the native print driver is missing from the host device and in response to unavailability of an installer kit, at the client device for the native print driver, which causes the native print driver to be unable to be installed at the host device by being provided from the client device, searching, by the host device, the print driver store for the native print driver;
in response to locating, by the host device, the native print driver in the print driver store, obtaining, by the host device, the native print driver from the print driver store and installing, at the host device, the native print driver obtained from the print driver store; and
instantiating at the host device, by the host device, a virtual printer corresponding to the physical printer and associating the installed native print driver obtained from the print driver store with the virtual printer.