Workaround for Printers Sharing not working after Mac OS X Security Update 2009-001

[davidliu]

This post is a heads up for those of you using VMware Fusion's Printers Sharing feature (technically ThinPrint. Turned on by VM Settings -> Printers) on a Mac OS X 10.5.x host. This feature will not work if you install the recent Mac OS X Security Update 2009-001. After installing the security update and rebooting your Mac, the shared printers will no longer show up in the Windows virtual machines. We are investigating the issue and I wanted to provide a workaround for now:

1) If your printer is set up as a network printer, switch to Bridged networking (http://communities.vmware.com/docs/DOC-2527), disable Printers Sharing in VM Settings, and configure the network printer directly in the Windows virtual machine.

2) If your printer is connected to the Mac as a local printer on USB port, you can either:

2.1) switch to Bridged networking, grab the USB printer in the virtual machine directly and set it up as if it is physically connected to the VM, or

2.2) share the printer on Bonjour network, install Bonjour for Windows in your virtual machine, and configure it as a network printer in the VM

3) If you absolutely have to use Fusion's shared printer feature (ThinPrint), reinstall Mac OS X 10.5.6 (and not Security Update 2009-001) to get ThinPrint printer to show up. As some pointed out, this is far from an ideal workaround because you will be running your Mac without the latest security update, but I wanted to list it as an option.

Here is a video tutorial from VMware Fusion 1 that walk you through options 1), 2.1), and 2.2):

Edit Feb-18: reorg the workaround and added link to the Fusion 1 printing video tutorial.

David Liu

Product Manager

VMware

[mudaltsov]

Generally, keeping an old cupsd binary shouldn't cause any problems with OS X updates, since it would be either left alone or overwritten by the update. The workarounds I posted will keep a backup copy of the newer cupsd binary, so that it can be restored if necessary (or you can re-apply the security update to do it).

We're working with ThinPrint to fix the issue and allow printer sharing to work with the new cupsd binary, and will be releasing an update when it's ready.

[divalasvegas]

Hi mudaltsov,

I am a laymen, albeit an ambitious one and while I probably shouldn't even be on this forum, I have printed out your workaround for changing the cuspsd. I get everything except something embarrassingly basic. Once I click on the dmg of the Mac OS X Update Combined, how do I copy the text you showed and where? In the terminal window? I just figured out how to open the terminal utility. Is that what you mean by terminal. I copied the information line by line in there. Now what?

Help?!

Thanks

Michelle

[fuzzy-wan]

>I get everything except something embarrassingly basic. Once I click on the dmg of the Mac OS X Update Combined, how do I copy the text you showed and where> I don't know what terminal means.

If you're old enough to remember MS-DOS, Terminal is similar — you type in commands and things happen. :smileygrin: It's what computers were like before the Mac turned everything upside down, but with OS X we've gone full circle. Best of both worlds...

You'll find Terminal in Applications/Utilities/. Hopefully that will help you get started, but keeping asking questions if it doesn't.

[divalasvegas]

Unfortunately I am old enough (lol) but what do I do once I copy and paste the info you provided in there line by line?

[fuzzy-wan]

I haven't had to do it myself (yet), but pasting mudaltsov's lines of code into Terminal is what does the actual work — once you've finished the last step, you should be all done.

[WoodyZ]

what do I do once I copy and paste the info you provided in there line by line?

Just follow the steps under the one that applies to you and that's what you have to do.

[divalasvegas]

Thanks ... just confused by what to do once I put the commands in. I have never used terminal before. I am very green at this. Do I just press return when I am done in terminal and then install the combo? Sorry ... layman here!

[WoodyZ]

You do not install the combo update if you have already installed the Mac OS X Security Update 2009-001.

You follow the direction to backup the cupsd binary file and then install only the cupsd binary file from one of the .dmg files as noted by mudaltsov's directions.

Yes after copying and pasting one command line at a time in Terminal you press Enter and wait for the $ prompt to return before proceeding to the next command.

[WoodyZ]

Check your Private Messages.

[divalasvegas]

Okay thanks,

One more question ... what if I screwed up and installed the combo update because I am such a genius? How can I fix that so my computer is still secure?

[divalasvegas]

Dob;t kill me ,,, new to the forum. How do I do that (Private messages?)

[divalasvegas]

Duh ... just figured it out. (Private messages.) Thanks.

[tvincy]

I set up a network printer for my mac, but I am unable to install under method 1) using the bridged or NAT modes. I'm using http://Default Mask:631/printers/Queue Name or http://IP Address:631/printers/Queue Name and its unable to connect. I have enabled sharing on Mac OSX but disabled on VMWare. Am I doing something wrong? Or is it time to try hardwiring the printer via USB? I never have any issues printing in MAC mode but unfortunately I need to print from the software I use in windows.

Any assistance would be much appreciated.

[WoodyZ]

There are several different ways to setup printing in a Guest and you should start your own thread using Start a discussion after you've read so you can provide the relevant information regarding your situation.

[tvincy]

Woody,

It seems like I am having the exact same issue as everyone else on this thread, so I would rather keep my post on this thread.

Here's my info:

VMWare Fusion 2.0

Imac (2008 build)

Virtual Machine = Windows XP Service Pack 1

Unable to print on my Virtual Machine after installing Security Update 2009-001 on 3/14

Worked perfectly (with no tweaks) before security update.

I have installed a network printer so I followed the steps in the workaround (#1) - but received an error message "Windows cannot connect to the printer. Either the printer name was typed incorrectly, or the specified printer has lost its connection to the server."

Need hand holding

Willing to try anything as printing essential to my business.

[tk1234]

tvincy

I also had problems connecting under NAT to a network printer (USB on Airport extreme) - a lot of addresses mentioned here didn't work - I did the following to make it work:

1. Start "Terminal" utility on Mac and run "ifconfig" - take note of the vmnet8 and vmnet1 "inet" addresses

2. In your virtual machine windows, run "add printer", and per woody's tutorial, set up a printer connected to the network

3. Type as follows: http://vmnetx inet address:631/printers/printer_name_on_mac

4. In (3) above, note that vmnet1 worked for me (vmnet8 did not), and that the printer name on mac MUST be put in exactly as spelled with caps, with underscore between words, even though it doesn't appear that way on the mac

Good luck.

[WoodyZ]

3. Type as follows: http://vmnetx inet address:631/printers/printer_name_on_mac

It is not "printer_name_on_mac" it is "Queue_Name_of_target_Printer" The Queue Name is not the same as the Printer Name and one must use the Queue Name and that can be found by doing the following...

Apple Menu > System Preferences... > Print & Fax > select the target printer and click Open Print Queue... button > then click the Info icon on Toolbar > On Info sheet look at "Queue Name:" (Hint: You can actually highlight it and copy and paste it.)

4. In (3) above, note that vmnet1 worked for me (vmnet8 did not)

The vmnetn that is use is based on the Network configuration of the Guest and if the Guest is configured as NAT then vmnet8 is used and if Host Only then vmnet1 is used.

[tk1234]

It is not "printer_name_on_mac" it is "Queue_Name_of_target_Printer"

Point taken - it turned out to be the same thing, once the underscores were inserted

The vmnetn that is use is based on the Network configuration of the Guest and if the Guest is configured as NAT then vmnet8 is used and if Host Only then vmnet1 is used.

My VMware Fusion session based on Bootcamp is indeed configured as NAT. However, the vmnet8 address was not accepted by Windows (could not connect the printer), but vmnet1 did work. I am running Fusion 2.02, OS X 10.5.6 with all updates, Windows XP SP2 on Bootcamp partition. Sharing is turned on for the printer in question, Network is NAT, Printer is disabled. Any guess why vmnet8 does not work and vmnet1 does? Should I look for anything in ifconfig to understand this? For the record, I also tried to input the computer name as many different ways as I could, and it wouldn't accept them in any form. Where should I be looking for that in it's correct form?

Message was edited by: tk1234

Update: Was able to get the "computer name" working, but only by adding ".local" to it. ie, http:/MyComputer.local:631/printers/etc

[tvincy]

So far I've tried these iterations to no avail:

NAT / vmnet8 inet address

NAT / vmnet1 inet address

Host-only / vmnet8 inet address

Host-only / vmnet1 inet address

I also wasn't sure if it was vmnet or vmnetx and then the inet address, so I tried both for each iteration.

Each time received message "Windows cannot connect to the printer. Either the printer name was typed incorrectly, or the specified printer has lost its connection to the server."

As a last resort I tried http://mycomputername.local:631/printers/QUEUE name and oddly enough I received a different error message (and delay was much longer). "Windows Cannot Connect to this Printer. Operation could not be completed."

Do you have any other suggestions?

[WoodyZ]

It seems like I am having the exact same issue as everyone else on this thread, so I would rather keep my post on this thread.

I understand that you might think it's the exact same issue as everyone else on this thread however when you are asked to start your own discussion thread it is being done so for good reasons and I wish you would have done so! Even if you have the exact same issue there are times that it make it easier to branch to ones own discussion thread to keep from needless cluttering up an already lengthy thread and in a case like this where you have been unable to follow the known good working directions that have been published then it's time for you be in your own discussion thread when you are asked to do so.

Need hand holding

Just one of several of the good reasons under the conditions to be in your own discussion thread.

Willing to try anything as printing essential to my business.

Obviously not since you were unwilling to follow directions!