MVS Download: How do I eliminate separator pages?

ITEM: RTA000150102



Q:                                                                              
RESPOND ELECTRONICALLY.                                                         
Route = .                                                                       
Abstract: How do I eliminate separator pages.                                   
                                                                                
My customer is using MVS Download and would like to stop printing the           
dataset separator pages.  They have estimated that they are using about         
10% more paper due to this.  How can they turn only the dataset sep             
pages off?  Is there a parameter that needs to be set?  If not, can they        
use an exit?  Thanks                                                            
                                                                                
A:                                                                              
Under JES/MVS, a job with multiple datasets is sent to the printer as           
a unique job.  In contrast, when using MVS Download, all the datasets           
in a multi-dataset job are treated as different jobs, and each job would       
print through PSF/AIX with its own own set of header/trailers as                
specified in the PSF/AIX printer profile.  MVS Download does not treat          
multi-dataset jobs as a single job with ds separators.                          
                                                                                
So if your customer is seeing multiple *jobs* print, each with its own          
header and/or trailer (the defaults are to have both enabled), then             
they can deactivate the header and/or trailer for all jobs on that              
queue by using "smit psf_exits" to go to the User Exit Programs panel.          
They would then select Header Page or Trailer Page, then select the             
appropriate printer name from the pop-up list, change the value for             
Activate header page exit? (or trailer) from YES to NO, press ENTER or          
OK.  They will then need to recycle the PSF queue for the changes to            
the profile to take effect (psfctl -dtu printername).                           
                                                                                
If what the customer is seeing is actually a single job print with the         
appearance of multiple datasets with ds separator sheets, then the              
separator sheet must be included in the datastream coming from MVS.             
There's nothing that PSF/AIX can do to change that.                             
                                                                                
Does that make sense?  Thanks for using ViewBlue.                               
                                                                                
Q:                                                                              
The folks here in Arkansas are telling me that they DO HAVE the                 
separator pages turned on in JES but they are not printing.  What I             
understood you to say is that if separators are turned on in PSF/MVS            
and JES then we should be printing them regardless of whether the               
header/trailer pages are turned off in PSF/AIX.  What the customer wants        
is for the output to print with a single header and trailer but no DS           
separator pages.  Make sense?                                                   
                                                                               
A:                                                                              
What I tried to say was that MVS Download treats every dataset in a             
multi-ds MVS job as a separate PSF/AIX job.  With MVS Download, there           
is no such thing as a multi-dataset job from MVS that prints as a single        
PSF/AIX job. So it doesn't matter if they have dataset separators turned        
on in PSF/MVS or not -- each dataset in that multi-ds job on MVS will           
print as a separate job at PSF/AIX, each by default with its own header         
and trailer.  Since the datasets are broken apart into separate jobs            
by MVS Download, no JES separator sheets are used or even sent down to          
the RS/6000.                                                                    
                                                                                
So what your customer should be seeing if they submit a multi-dataset           
job to an MVS Download queue is that that multi-ds job is broken up into        
multiple distinct files, each of which is individually sent down to             
the mvsprsd daemon running on the RS/6000.  The mvsprsd daemon receives        
each file and submits each one to print as an individual job to a               
PSF/AIX printer.  By default, each of those jobs will print with its            
own header and trailer.  Thus, they would receive multiple jobs at              
PSF/AIX, each with its own header and trailer.  Activation of headers           
is done on a per-queue basis; there's no way to keep the headers on for         
just the first job that prints out of their MVS multi-ds job and turn           
the headers off for each subsequent job.  Likewise, activation of the           
trailer page is done on a per-queue basis -- no way to turn them off            
for all but one job.                                                            
                                                                                
I should also note that the jobs may not necessarily print at PSF/AIX           
in the same order as the datasets occur in the multi-ds job on MVS.             
Since these datasets come down as separate and distinct jobs, the               
first dataset that arrives might well take longer for PSF/AIX to                
process than a subsequent dataset; thus a subsequent dataset could             
be ready to print first and would do so.  There is currently no way             
in MVS Download (either with PSF/AIX or InfoPrint Manager) to modify            
this behavior (unless there would be some way through external                  
programming).  This is a concern for some customers, and it has been            
raised as an issue with the PSF/MVS business line manager.  If this             
is a concern for your customer, I'd recommend that you voice it to the          
PSF/MVS business line manager as well to add more weight to the                 
requirement.                                                                    
                                                                                
Let me know if this still isn't clear.                                          
                                                                                
Q:                                                                              
We did the services on this installation and the customer stated that           
he implied that they could write a 'script' to get around the problem.          
Is that accurate?  If so, where is it documented?  Thanks.                     
--------------------------- Survey Comment ---------------------------          
                                                                                
Q:                                                                              
I had one last questions that you might have missed.  The person that           
performed the services for this installation stated to the customer that        
the separator page problem could be 'worked around' by writing a script.        
                                                                                
Is this correct?  If so, what is a script?  Thanks.                             
                                                                                
IBM Feedback:                                                                   
The original responder is on vacation so I will try and explain...              
                                                                                
A script is a program (usually called a Korn Shell Script) written to           
perform the functionality intended.  What you are asking about could            
be written either as a Korn Shell Script or a C program.  The customer         
would obviously need to have someone in their organization with these           
skills.  If they don't have those skills and need it written for them,          
they would have to have it done through a services contract or through          
the AIX Support Line as a "Consult Line" contract.  Either way it would         
be a billable service.                                                          
                                                                                
Since I am not a programmer (either Korn Shell or C), I don't know              
the complexity of what would need to be done in the script.  If it is           
something very simple and straight forward, they may be willing to              
do it for free, but I obviously can't commit anything.                          
                                                                                
I would suggest contacting Tara Awezec in Professional Services to              
discuss the options.                                                            
                                                                                
I hope this helps.                                                             
                                                                                
S e a r c h - k e y w o r d s:                                                  
psf/6000 psf/aix psf aix mvs download separator sepds multiple                  
header trailer disable                                                          
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                               


WWQA: ITEM: RTA000150102 ITEM: RTA000150102
Dated: 06/1998 Category: XPSF6000
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