e789pr Command

Purpose

Initiates an HCON printer session.

Syntax

Previously Defined Printer Session

e789pr SessionName [ -D Filename ]

Non-SNA Printer Session

e789pr -ASeconds [ -D Filename ]

LU1 Printer Session

e789pr [ -L Position ] [ -P Length ] [ -p Characters ] [ -U ] [ -D Filename ]

LU3 Printer Session

e789pr [ -A Seconds ] [ -E ] [ -L Position ] [ -U ] [ -D Filename ]

Description

The Host Connection Program (HCON) e789pr command initiates 3286/87 printer emulation sessions. The e789pr command allows connection to an System/370 or System/390 host using one or more adapters. This command can be repeated to start more than one printer session.

The e789pr command provides 3286/87 emulation support by operating system printers that support PC-ASCII data stream. Standard SNA character string (SCS) and 3270 compatibility mode printer emulation are supported. To print in a DBCS environment requires a printer with field outlining capability.

Printer emulation is supported under these environments:

• Non-SNA DFT (3270 compatibility mode)
• SNA Standalone
  • LU1 (SCS) and LU3 (3270 compatibility mode)

The following 3286/87 printer capabilities are not supported:

• APL/TEXT
• Programmed symbols
• Operation switches or keys such as PA1, PA2, cancel print, and buffer reprint
• Color and highlighting

Notes:

1. The session error information is logged on a per session basis in a file:

   hconprintlog.*

   where * is the session short name.
2. For non-SNA DFT sessions, the 3270 Connection Adapter must be configured with the printer session address using SMIT or the chdev command.
3. Only HCON users can own sessions and use the e789pr command, since only HCON users can own sessions.

Flag

Parameter

Non-SNA Flag

LU1

LU1 bases itself off of SCS data stream. This SCS data stream can contain special SCS control codes that set up the characteristics for the job being printed. The characteristics are:

• top margin
• bottom margin
• left margin
• right margin
• maximum printer position
• maximum page length
• horizontal tab stops
• vertical tab stops
• vertical tab stopsline density (lines per inch)
• print density (characters per inch)
• print quality

  Note: Several non IBM printers do not support the print quality flag.

Each of the LU1 SCS Control Code printer setups begin with the EBCDIC characters 0x2B.

The LU1 printer bases a job on the receipt of an End Bracket from the Host. When an End Bracket is received from the Host it is considered the end of the job and HCON will print the data that has been received from the Host. If no data exists to print then HCON just ignores the end bracket. An example of this condition is in the case of an MVS/TSO Host,. It will sometimes send the SCS Control codes, containing the Set Horizontal Format and Set Vertical Format in a single chain containing the Begin and End Bracket. Since NO printable data was contained in the Bracketing sequence, the setup that was given is held on to and the job is not printed (NO data to print). MVS/TSO then follows this bracketing sequence with the REAL data to be printed.

Note: HCON LU1 will also print a job if data is left to be printed and an UNBIND is received from the Host.

LU1 Flags

Note: The order of setting up the LU1 printer characteristics are as follows: Any time a value is set up using the SCS Control Codes it is used NO MATTER what, this overrides the defaults set up by HCON and the values specified by the above flags. If SCS Control Code values are not specified for a specific printer characteristic and the printer characteristic is settable by a flag or parameter on the e789 or e789pr command then that value is used, else the default values are used.

SCS Specific Control Code Values

LU3

LU3 bases itself off of regular 3270 data stream. It prints data stream much like LU2 displays the data stream on the screen (terminal). Because LU3 prints data stream, it is NOT advised to print files using LU3, because if a file is greater than the screen size and the Host were to send a 3270 command, where the number of bytes is greater than a screen size, HCON will display a program check and not print the data.

LU3 HCON can control printing in one of 2 ways.

• The same method as LU1, by use of the stop print bit or end bracket eject.

  This method was added by APAR IX51639, and is turned on via the -E flag. The default is off.

• The default method is based on an alarm or timer system.

  This means that HCON will set an alarm within the code that wakes up every specified amount of time (default is 10 seconds and is referred to as the "alarm" time) and checks the printer spool file for data. If data exists in the file (we have received printable data from the Host) HCON checks to see if the last time the file was written to is greater than the specified "alarm" time. If true then the job is printed, otherwise HCON will set the alarm back up again and wakes up after the specified time.

  Note: When an alarm is set up, HCON does not just wait for this event to occur. Data and so on can be processed during this time.

Default values for the printer characteristics are those that are set up in the definitions for the printer as defined on the RS/6000.

LU3 Flags

To suppress form feeds, set the environment variable QPRTZFLAG before you start the e789pr session. For example, set the environment variable to QPRTZFLAG=dummy .

This sets the -Z flag of the qprt command, called by e3789pr, to Z!.

Examples

To start a printer session, use the SMIT control menu option or enter:

e789pr a

The printer session is established in the background if it has been previously defined using SMIT or the mkhcons command.

Files

Related Information

The 3270 Emulator, HCON Sessions and Session Profiles, HCON Utility Program Overview, and List of HCON Commands.