PSF/AIX Changing Output Destination (4324, IPDS, SAP)
ITEM: RTA000149294
Q:
Topic thread:
Printer Systems (PRINT)
PSF/AIX
PSF/AIX is set up to print IPDS to NP24 via Ethernet.
The print definition in PSF/AIX has no output bin selection (blank)..
so customer's job picks up the default printer definition to the
NP24 side stacker with the first job.
Customer needs to change the destination to accommodate a form which
will not feed through the side stacker. When the printer is not
active (in ready mode) the user can change the output destination
to the "main" tray; however, when the next job follows, it
continues to go to the side stacker...up until the printer is
stopped and restarted from PSF/AIX.
Is there a parm settable in the PSF/AIX definition which would cause
this to be recognized...we have the end of job timeout set to 15 so that
the printer goes into "Ready" mode, so that the operator can
change the output destination at the printer.
The output is generated from SAP...so we want to avoid having to define
yet another print queue to just handle the output bin selection.
A:
If what you're asking is if PSF/AIX can be set to recognize printer
configuration settings physically set at the printer's operator panel,
the answer is no. What is in the datastream will always override a
printer's operator panel settings. It's designed this way because the
assumption is that the person or application who generates the data
stream knows best and thus won't have to rely on the goodness of the
previous user or job to leave the printer in a certain state. So, no,
there's no way to tell PSF/AIX to ignore what's in the datastream and
instead use the operator panel settings at the printer.
I can come up with a number of ways to specify an output bin, but they
would affect all jobs for that destination, not just a particular job.
I think you'll need to create a new SAP destination for this particular
job. In the /usr/lpp/psf/sap2afp/printer.tab file, you could equate that
Dest with a new three-letter System name, i.e.,
Dest=OUT2 System=NAL Queue=psfq Node=0.0.0.0
Then you could copy AIXLD to NALLD and AIXAFP to NALAFP, and modify
the NAL* copies to issue the desired enq commands with the -ooutbin
keyword. (The AIX* shell scripts are in the /usr/lpp/psf/sap2afp
directory.) This would route any job (including headers and trailers)
that was sent to SAP output device "OUT2" to the specified outbin.
Did I understand your question correctly?
Q:
Thanks for the suggestion on adding the SAP Dest.. Customer feels
that the number of SAP Printers is confusing so they don't want to add
any more. I just want to be sure that we have no other option...
Just to clarify...PSF/AIX is picking up the output bin selection set at
the op panel of the 4324...the bin destination PSF/AIX uses is the one
set at the 4324 op panel at the time the printer is initiated at AIX.
A subsequent op panel bin change is not recognized until the printer is
drained and restarted (or powered off which causes a drain anyway).
As I look at the documentation, not specifying an output bin on the
PSF/AIX queue indicates it will use the default bin selection at the
printer. However, this seems to be a incomplete statement as it does
not recognize a change at the printer after startup.
Also, where is the BIN numbering documented for the 4324 for use with
the -o outbin parm, so I know what bin number maps to what physical
bin? I'm not hit upon this yet.
Finally, they have expressed an interest in PSM or Infoprint Manager in
the long term printing solution...I just participated in an Infoprint
Manager install last month with BAAN. Does the SAP interface with
Infoprint Manager provide any benefits vs SAP2AFP with PSF/AIX? Would
it allow us to avoid the multiple SAP printer definitions they are
concerned about?
A:
In regards to your question about SAP support in InfoPrint Manager,
the support in 2.1.1 is essentially the same as in PSF/AIX 2.1. In
a future release of InfoPrint Manager, there will be a number of
enhancements, the most significant of which will be improved
notification. However, I don't think it will address the issue you
raise in this question. I'll be getting additional information on
our SAP support the week of 4/27, and if I learn differently, I'll let
you know. In the meantime, take a look at libraried item RTA000148214.
When PSF/AIX is enabled for a printer, it does an IPDS OPC (Obtain
Printer Characteristics) command to discover the settings at the
printer. That's how it knows what the default output bin is set to
at that time. The only way for PSF/AIX to know that something has
changed at the operator panel is if the printer returns an IML NACK,
which would in turn cause PSF/AIX to issue another OPC. I've confirmed
with product engineering that the Network Printers do not return an
IML NACK for an operator panel change. Here are the PE's comments:
This request would not be appropriate to implement. It would imply
that we should give an IML NACK for every op-panel change. (It would
be extremely difficult to only give an IML Nack for a default paper
change.) An IML Nack also has the problem of losing all downloaded
resources and other sundry problems.
So the only way for PSF/AIX to become aware that the operator has
reset a value at the printer panel is either to stop/restart PSF/AIX
(psfctl -dtu ) or power the printer off and back on.
I found this information in a previous item for PSF/MVS. I don't have
a copy of the Coax/Twinax Configuration Guide handy at the moment, but
Section 4.4 describes PSF Input Trays and Output Bins for the NPs:
PSF Bin 1 pulls paper from Tray 1 (top).
PSF Bin 2 pulls paper from Tray 2 (middle).
PSF Bin 3 pulls paper from Tray 3 (bottom).
PSF Bin 100 pulls paper from the AUXTRAY.
PSF Bin 65 pulls paper from the Envelope Feeder.
Thanks for using ViewBlue.
(Reviewed 2/1999)
S e a r c h - k e y w o r d s:
psf/aix psf/6000 infoprint manager ipmgr psf output bin np network
printer 4324 4317 4312 4320 sap r/3 baan operator panel console
configuration selection reset
WWQA: ITEM: RTA000149294 ITEM: RTA000149294
Dated: 02/1999 Category: XPSF6000
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