Print driver store for redirection printing in a virtualized computing environment

A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, which in response to execution by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform 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, wherein the method comprises:

• receiving, by the host device from a client device, printer information that identifies a physical printer coupled to the client device;
• determining, by the host device, whether a 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:
• 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;
• and
• in response to determining that the native print driver is installed at the client device and is usable at the host device:
• receiving, by the host device from the client device, at least one print driver file corresponding to the native print driver installed at the client device;
• installing at the host device by using the at least one print driver file, by the host device, the native print driver;
• and
• instantiating at the host device, by the host device, the virtual printer corresponding to the physical printer, and associating the native print driver installed using the at least one print driver file received from the client device with the virtual printer.

A host device in a virtualized computing environment, the host device comprising:

• one or more processors;
• and
• a non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, which in response to execution by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations to use a print driver store to provide print drivers to the host device which runs a virtual desktop in the virtualized computing environment, wherein the operations comprise:
• receive, by the host device from a client device at a client side 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;
• determine, by the host device, whether the native print driver for the physical printer is locally installed at the host device;
• in response to determination 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, search, 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, obtain, by the host device, the native print driver from the print driver store and install, at the host device, the native print driver obtained from the print driver store;
• and
• instantiate at the host device, by the host device, a virtual printer corresponding to the physical printer and associate the installed native print driver obtained from the print driver store with the virtual printer.