PSF/AIX or Infoprint Manager: How does it handle FORMS id and FORMS set-up messages

ITEM: RTA000091882



Q:                                                                              
ABSTRACT:     PSF/6000 forms ID                                                 
SEARCH ARG:   hcon tcp/ip                                                       
TOPIC THREAD: PRINT                                                             
              AFP                                                               
              PSF6000                                                           
..                                                                              
When printing PSF/MVS data through a PSF/AIX system how is the forms            
ID handled? PSF/MVS issues forms change messages, how will a remote             
operator know to change forms when running PSF/AIX? Thanks                      
                                                                                
A:                                                                              
Is the customer connecting PSF/MVS with PSF/6000 using PSF Direct               
(SNA-based) or MVS Download (TCP/IP-based)?  The answer differs.               
                                                                                
1) PSF Direct (SNA):                                                            
                                                                                
   An operator at JES should be able to get forms setup messages either         
   through SDSF or the JES console for a PSF Direct attached printer.           
   Here's the key: there is a SETUP parm on the PRINTDEV statement in           
   the PSF startup proc. To have JES issue forms setup messages to the          
   operator, you must specify SETUP=FORMS. By default, JES issues forms         
   setup messages to the operator for channel-attached printers, but            
   does not issue forms setup messages to the operator for SNA-attached         
   printers. In the case of PSF Direct, all printers are considered             
   SNA-attached, so this parameter must be coded explicitly.                    
                                                                                
   (Note that SETUP=BURST is not supported for SNA-attached--including         
   PSF Direct-attached--printers.)                                              
                                                                                
2) MVS Download (TCP/IP):                                                       
                                                                                
   MVS Download moves a file down to the AIX system and submits it to           
   print on AIX.  The AIX spooling subsystem does not support FORMS             
   notification as such, so even if a FORMS parameter is sent down,             
   neither AIX nor PSF issue a message to the operator to change paper.         
   There might be a way to work around this limitation through setting          
   up multiple queues--one for each type of form--and only enabling             
   that one for which the proper paper is loaded in the printer.                
   Or there might be a way to invoke the AIX qprt command with the -m           
   or -M flags which send a message to the console requiring a response         
   before printing proceeds, although I admit I've not thought that all        
   the way through.  Let me know if this something they wish explored           
   further.                                                                     
                                                                                
   The best answer for forms setup in an AIX environment is to use              
   Infoprint Manager to manage the printers. You can set attributes for         
   an actual destination to define what forms can possibly be loaded            
   on the printer (media-supported), as well as which form is currently         
   (psf-tray-characteristics, for PSF-driven printers). Only jobs that          
   specify one of the supported media will be accepted, and of that,            
   only those jobs that match to psf-tray-characteristics will be               
   printed (until the form is changed and the operator updates                  
   the psf-tray-characteristic attribute to say that a different                
   form is loaded.  So you can see that Infoprint Manager provides              
   additional capability when it comes to forms management.                    
                                                                                
|  The MVS Download shell script can be customized to map the FORMS             
|  parameter to the "default-medium" attribute for the job.  A sample           
|  shell script with this capability is provided "as-is" in the                 
|  Infoprint Manager Hints and Fixes database.  Also see libraried              
|  item RTA000150162.                                                           
                                                                                
I hope that helps. Please reopen with additional questions.                     
                                                                                
| Revised 27 July 1999.                                                         
                                                                                
S e a r c h - k e y w o r d s:                                                  
AIX PSF/6000 PSF/AIX PSF/MVS DIRECT PSM FORMS SETUP MESSAGE psf                 
download mvsprsd infoprint                                                     


WWQA: ITEM: RTA000091882 ITEM: RTA000091882
Dated: 07/1999 Category: XPSF6000
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