Is this a bug in Server 2008 core? It works on all previous versions of NT.

Question

Apparently, regardless of privileges, Services on Windows Server 2008 can only change the owner of a print job, with SetJob, if they are running from the SYSTEM Account.

Here is a sample RPC Client and Server (source code and executables) that works on all versions of Windows Server, except Windows Server 2008.

http://www.fastergames.com/SimplePrintForServiceAndClient.zip

The sample code is a slightly modified version of the old Simple RPC Client and Server sample.  Here is a link to the original sample code.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa231716(VS.60).aspx

My modified Server code includes a PrintFile function that creates a "Hello World" print job.  The name of the printer and the UserName to use for the owner of the job are specified as parameters to the call.  The PrintFile function attempts to change the ownership of the print job using SetJob and the JOB_INFO_2's pUserName field. 

The modified Client code allows the specification of the printer and the owner on the command line.

Prior to Windows Server 2008, this same code has been successfully changing the owner of print jobs since the beta releases of NT 3.51.

If not being able to change print job ownership in Windows Server 2008 via the SetJob and JOB_INFO_2's pUserName field is by design.  What is the new method of changing the ownership of print jobs?

Answer 1

Hi,

This forum is for development questions for the Server Core installation option of Windows Server 2008. You should try the Print/Fax TechNet forum at: http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/winserverprint/threads or search the knowledge base at http://support.microsoft.com.

Andrew

Answer 2

Hi Andrew,

Thanks for giving it a shot...

The knowledgebase at http://support.microsoft.com, doesn't seem to indicate that the functionality should have changed in Windows Server 2008, so I suspect it should still be working.  The KB does indicate that a Hotfix was created to fix Terminal Services when it appeared to have similar problem changing the owner of the print jobs in Windows Server 2008.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/958741

(unfortunately this Hotfix didn't have any effect on the problem I am having)

The TechNet WinServerPrint Threads was one of the first places I posted... (back in February, when I first started trying to track this down).  The TechNet WinServerPrint forum responded that this is a development issue, so it belongs in an MSDN forum.

http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/winserverprint/thread/dc51adc7-c5c2-4289-9e78-6dbc3cb816bc/

Since February, I have been directed to, and posted this question in about 1/2 dozen different forums.  And each of them has ended up asking me to post it to a different forum.  In most of those cases, I had previously posted to the suggested forums.

There doesn't appear to be a Print related MSDN forum.  The MSDN Forums that seemed like they might be related to printing issues, redirect me to TechNet forums.  And when I posted in them, they either suggested the TechNet WinServerPrint Forums, or MSDN Forums.

I found and posted the question in a TechNet forum dedicated to Windows Vista Printing.  And the response was that since it worked in Windows Vista, it was the wrong forum and I should post the question in an MSDN forum.

http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/itprovistaprinting/thread/b77408ad-721e-4afb-87e9-caa2b864a017

Most suggestions have been to either post in other forums or re-read documents that I have pretty much memorized.

This was sort of a last ditch post, since none of the Print related forums were able to help.  I thought, well, since this is a problem that only occurs when running from a service on Windows Server 2008.   And "Windows Server Forums  >  Server Core Developers" seems like a forum that should have more information about the differences encountered when developing services for Windows Server 2008 than any other forum.  I will give this forum a try.

I can always write a service that runs from the SYSTEM account and submits print jobs for other users.  It is actually fairly simple (as can be seen from my sample code).   It just adds another service to a list that is already so long, another one won't matter.  But creating a service, just to do this, seems wrong.  It wouldn't feel so wrong, if restricting the changing of the owner of print jobs from privileged services was intentionally added to Windows Server 2008.  But I haven't seen anything to indicate that this change is intentional.  It feels like it is just something that was accidentally broken in Windows Server 2008.

I would really like to find a place to post this, that will end up tracking down an answer...  But I don't think that is ever going to happen.

Steve

Answer 3

Hi Steve,

Sorry to hear that you have been bounced around. Not being a printer expert, I checked into the options to get some assistance. For print development questions, there is an alias that you can email and they should be able to help you out: [e-mail].

Hopefully they can help you get to the bottom of this,

Andrew

Answer 4

Thanks Andrew!

Answer 5

We have the same problem in an internal program as well. Did you ever hear back from Microsoft on this?

Answer 6

Hi TDalaa,

None of the msdn or technet posts resulted in any answers other than try somewhere else... 

I never did hear back from [e-mail].  I have sent reminders, but no replies... 

This Saturday, June 13th, 2009, someone inside Microsoft actually downloaded the sample code that illustrates the bug...  The last time someone at Microsoft downloaded the code was on March 3rd, 2009, and nothing came of that.  But I am still hopeful.

I'm sorry to hear you are having this issue also, but it is sort of nice to know I am not alone in this...

12 weeks ago, I put this issue on http://connect.microsoft.com.  On the Connect site, issues like this seem to get a little more attention.  However having more people validating that it is an issue couldn't hurt.  If you could post some follow ups to my messages, it may help.  If you search http://connect.microsoft.com site for Setjob, you should get 2 hits.

http://connect.microsoft.com/WindowsServerFeedback/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=425977

http://connect.microsoft.com/WindowsServerFeedback/feedback/Workaround.aspx?FeedbackID=425977

Thanks,
Steve

Answer 7

Steve - sorry you aren't getting a response on the alias Andrew mentioned. Can you resend and I will follow up here to get you some sort of answer.  Thanks.

Adrian

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Adrian

Answer 8

Hi Adrian,

I just resent the message.  The subject of the message is "FW: Possible bug in Windows Server 2008's SetJob".  When it left here it received a time stamp of 11:19am PST on Jun, 22, 2009. 

Thanks for following up on this,
Steve

Answer 9

Hi Adrian,

I noticed that the sample code hasn't been downloaded by anyone in the U.S., since some one at MS downloaded it on June 13th.

Have you had any luck following up?  Is there anything I can do to help?

Thanks,
Steve

Answer 10

As of yet, I have heard nothing from [e-mail].  They never responded.  And Adrian[MS], who appeared to be taking an interest in the problem, seems to have vanished.

This thread was the closest I came to possibly getting this issue resolved.  And it didn't lead anywhere that resolved the issue.

Steve

Answer 11

Hi Steve, I don't monitor this forum and Andrew just made me aware of your post above. I checked with the people that were following up and it looks like they sent you a response last week. You should have mail from Jon Kay on my team. If you don't have that by now, let me know. I'll check back here later in the week.

Thanks,

Adrian

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Adrian

Answer 12

Hi Adrian,

Thanks for your help with this.

I received the email from Jon a couple days after my last post.  He said they have identified the problem.  It was identified too late for a fix to be included in Windows Server 2008R2.  So the problem exists in both Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008R2.

He has forwarded the problem to the Windows Servicing Group.  I suspect this means they will be deciding on whether or not to produce a hot fix for this.

I plan on updating all my threads on this issue with the final results I receive from Jon or the Windows Servicing Group.

Thanks again Adrian!

Steve

Answer 13

The latest news from the Windows Servicing Group is that they plan to release a fix for Windows Server 2008R2 but not for Windows Server 2008.

They did not know when they will be releasing the fix.