Network Connect/Pulse user with remote printing

[netdefilr_]

I've done something similar in the past. I've added the Network Connect IP space to the Network Connect ACL and I was allowed to RDP into a users computer while they were Network Connected in. But...

A recent requirement was to have a user print. Instead of going the physical firewall route, I wondered if this would work the same way. By statically assigning a Network Connect IP per user -- As the server software knows the users printer IP -- the user can login, have the server print, and the traffic could hit the users Network Connect IP. The only kicker would be that the users computer would have to port forward to their printer. Perhaps all they need to do is enable printer sharing?

They would just need local subnet access right?

This idea is likely not to be used, but I think it would be a solution with less hardware and ipsec vpns to manage.

[mtessier_]

netdefilr, can you explain where the printer and print server are in your scenario? I'm not understanding what you're trying to do. Thanks.

[mtessier_]

I guess I don't understand where the web server comes into play. You can configure the IVE Network Connect settings to allow the user's local network routes to take precedence over the tunnel routes, which will allow them to reach local network resources like printers. This assumes that the print server is also local to the user or that the user is printing directly to the local printer. This configuration works well as long as you do not have duplicate subnets on either side of the VPN.

In your scenario it sounds like you want a user to initiate a print job on a remote web server and have that web server send the print job to a printer that is local to the user. Is that correct? This sounds like unnecessary complication to me, but I'm sure you have some kind of business requirement that you're trying to meet.

[netdefilr_]

The user connects to an SA or MAG using Network Connect.

Also gets a static IP address per user.

The webserver would understand this users IP address (somewhat hard coded into the software) and treat it like a printer.

When the user prints, the server treats the users NC IP as a printer. And maybe port forwarding occurs and prints to the users local network.

I was wondering if printer sharing would actually work in this situation. But the printer resides on the users side.