USPOOL - Printout Spooling Utility

The Com-plete printout spooling facility (USPOOL) permits the flexible management and distribution of output to any online printer in the TP network.

Many applications require output to be printed on special forms. A problem often arises when different applications require different forms to be mounted on the same printer at the same time. With USPOOL, you can create printouts on virtual printers that are not currently active in the system and subsequently route the printouts through the TP network to the physical printer where the appropriate forms have been mounted.

In addition, USPOOL can be used to provide relevant information pertaining to each printout in the system, thus providing a comprehensive overview of all queues for all printers. You can also display the contents of a printout before requesting a print operation.

USPOOL also supports the operation of online printers using commands such as "DISPLAY STATUS", "HALT", and "RESET". In addition, you can route any output from the online queues to the system spool by using the special destination "SYSOUT".

USPOOL is completely menu-driven and provides the capability of full screen data entry. An online HELP facility is also available to assist you.

Note:
The system programmer for your installation has the option of restricting access to any particular USPOOL function.

This document covers the following topics:

General PF Key Assignments

You can use the CLEAR or PF3 key to return to the previous menu. Note that entering one of these keys on the Main Menu terminates USPOOL.

Use PF1 to invoke the appropriate help display.

USPOOL Functions

To reach the USPOOL Main Menu, enter the following command:

*USPOOL

The following screen appears:

10:00:37     TID    84           COM-4.5.            User ID LBL        03/18/97
                         -- Printout Spooling --                           USP0
            
           
        Function                         ID    PFK     Operand                 
 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
           
      List Queue                         LQ     1      (Listname Form)         
      Printer Overview                   PO     2      (Printer Name)          
      HELP                                   
           
                          Function ....         or PFK                         
                          Operand .....      
           
 Spoolsystem Status                          
           
      7  Printouts in system                 
           
   4048  Diskblocks available                
     48  Diskblocks currently is use          2 percent                        
   2412  Read I/Os     1357  Write I/Os      
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The USPOOL Main Menu provides the following:

  • Access to the major spooling management functions on the top half of the screen;

  • An overview of the status of the spooling system (number of printouts and spool file usage) on the bottom half of the screen.

You can execute either of the two listed functions by either entering the corresponding function ID or pressing the appropriate PF Key.

The spooling management functions available from the USPOOL Main Menu are summarized in the following table and discussed in the remainder of this section.

Function Explanation
LQ Allows spooling display and manipulation specified by printout.
PO Allows spooling display and manipulation specified by printer.

Note that you can leave the Listname (printout name) operand blank in order to produce the entire list. In addition, you can limit the Listname specification to all items with the same prefix by using "*" as the final character, for example, "EXEC*".

List Queue

To display and/or modify one or more printouts, select the List Queue ("LQ" or PF1) function from the USPOOL Main Menu. The following screen appear:

If you did not specify a name operand, a list of all queued printouts for all printers is displayed in printout number sequence. If you did specify a name/prefix operand, only printouts matching this criteria are displayed.

Note that each line displayed represents one printout.

10:02:32     TID    84           COM-4.5.           User ID LBL        03/18/97
                         -- Printout Spooling --                           USP1
-- List Queue --                             
LQ                                  Page    0
FC  Listname List-No Form Disp Lines  Copy Pri  Userid     log-drv    Printer  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
.   NDMWEIT       9        R      64     0   0  HV                    DAE9809E 
.                12        R       1     0   0  JTE                   ALA354D7 
.               394        R      33     0   0  GS                    DAESC132 
.   INSTALL     399        R     271     0   0  EF                    DAE9809E 
.   HARDCOPY    409        R      33     0   0  ULK                   DUGU1108 
.   HARDCOPY    410        R      33     0   0  ULK                   DUGU1108 
.   HARDCOPY    411        R      33     0   0  ULK                   DUGU1107 
         0           0                   0   0                                 
         0           0                   0   0                                 
         0           0                   0   0                                 
         0           0                   0   0                                 
         0           0                   0   0                                 
         0           0                   0   0                                 
         0           0                   0   0                                 
         0           0                   0   0             
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The following operations are available to view the entire queue:

  • If the available amount of data exceeds the screen size, press PF8 to reach the next page;

  • If the available amount of data does not exceed the screen size, press PF8 to restart the display from the beginning;

  • To modify the printouts according to the user requests, press ENTER.

The following table describes the column headings on the USPOOL List Queue screen.

Field Usage
FC Specifies the Function Code. Type the value directly over the "." in the FC column. The following values, listed in the bottom line of the screen, are permitted:
S SHOW function: Displays the contents of the specified printout at your terminal. (This invokes the "Printout Queue Display".) See the section Display Printout on Screen later in this section.
M MOVE function: Moves the printout to another printer, that is, queues it for another printer and deletes it from the queue of the original printer. Note that this value must be accompanied by a new name in the "Printer" field. The values for "Pri " (priority) and "Copy" (number of copies) can also be modified at the same time.
C COPY function: Same as M (above) except that the printout is copied, not moved; that is, it is not deleted from the queue of the original printer.
P PURGE function: Purges the printout from the printer queue.
U UPDATE function: Updates the specifications of the printout. All fields marked as modifiable can be changed.
Listname Specifies name of the printout as specified by the originator.
List-No Specifies the Com-plete identification number assigned to the printout.
Form Specifies the printout form specification (is modifiable).
Disp Specifies the disposition of this printout:
E Logic error detected during MSG/PO restart. Before you decide to change this status to R or L, use the show function to check the content.
I Is inputting, that is, the printout has not finished.
R Is ready; is waiting for printer to get ready.
H Is ready but will be held until Disp is changed to "R."
L Is ready and printed, but is still left in the spooling system.
O Is outputting, that is, the printout is currently being printed.
Note that "R" Disp status can be modified to "H" or a request to leave the printout in the spool (Disp "L") can be made. In addition, "H" can be changed to "R" or a request to leave the printout in the spool ("L") can be made.
Lines Specifies the number of text lines for this printout.
Copy Specifies the number of additional copies requested for this printout (modifiable).
Pri Allows the priority of the printer to be specified. Note that the highest priority is 1.
Userid Specifies the User ID of the printout originator.
Log-Drv Specifies the name of the logical output driver routine, which can perform additional output formatting during printing.
Printer Specifies the name of the destination for this printout (modifiable with the COPY or MOVE function).

Route to System Printer

You can route printouts within the Com-plete TP spooling system to the operating spooling system by using the COPY and MOVE functions (see the preceding table) and defining SYSOUT as the new printer name. The output is then be transferred to the output class "A" as default. To select another output class, specify SYSOUT=x.

Printer Overview

To display and/or operate one or more printers, select the Printer Overview ("PO" or PF2) function from the USPOOL Main Menu. The following screen appears: 

10:04:06     TID    84           COM-4.5.           User ID LBL        03/18/97
                         -- Printout Spooling --                           USP2
-- Printer Overview --                       
PO                                  Page     
FC  Printer    Tid     Dev-Typ    Status    Form   Q-Num                       
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
.   ALA274DF    265   3288  L    WAIT              0                           
.   ALA354BE    261   3288  L    WAIT              0                           
.   ALA354BF    262   3288  L    WAIT              0                           
.   ALA354DE    264   3288  L    WAIT              0                           
.   ALA354D7    263   3288  L    ERROR             1                           
.   ALB364BD    277   3288  L    WAIT              0                           
.   ALB364BE    275   3288  L    WAIT              0                           
.   ALB364BF    276   3288  L    WAIT              0                           
.   ALC254DF    289   3288  L    WAIT              0                           
.   ALC364BE    286   3288  L    WAIT              0                           
.   ALC364BF    287   3288  L    WAIT              0                           
.   ALC394DE    288   3288  L    WAIT              0                           
.   AMSU1116    233   3288  L    WAIT              0                           
.   BRUU1110    232   3288  L    WAIT              0                           
.   DAERZ993    102   3288  L    WAIT              0                           
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The printer name can be associated with either a real or a virtual printer. Note that you can leave the printer name operand blank in order to produce the entire list. In addition, you can limit the printer name specification to all printers with the same prefix by using "*" as the final character, for example, "EXEC*".

The following operations are available to view the entire printer list:

  • If the available amount of data exceeds the screen size, press PF8 to reach the next page;

  • If you're at the end of the printer list, press PF8 to restart the display from the beginning;

  • Press ENTER to switch to the requested function.

The following table describes the column headings on the USPOOL Printer Overview screen.

Field Usage
FC Specifies the Function Code. Type the value directly over the "." in the FC column. The following values, listed in the bottom line of the screen, are permitted:
O OPERATE function: Modifies the printer operation of the specified printer.
Q QUEUE function: Displays the queue for the printer, i.e., switches to the List Queue of Printouts display. (This function is the same as selecting the USPOOL Main Menu "List Queue" function, described earlier in this section.)
The OPERATE and QUEUE functions are discussed in detail in the subsections below.
Printer Specifies the logical name of the printer.
Tid Specifies the unique terminal ID as specified in the TIBTAB.
Dev-Typ Specifies the device type of the printer.
Status Specifies the current status of the printer:
WAIT Is waiting for work.
RUN Is currently active.
ERROR Is held due to physical I/O error during output.
UNDEFIN Is currently undefined in the spooling system. This status will be indicated if output was scheduled for this printout but Com-plete has no corresponding active session.
INTVREQ Is currently in "intervention required" status (for example, paper is out, hold, etc).
SIMLOGON Waiting for VTAM simlogon request to be completed.

Operate Printer (OPERATE Function)

The OPERATE function enables you to modify the operation of a specific printer. Note that you must specify a logical printer name or TID when you invoke this function. The "Operate Printer" screen, shown in the following figure, is then displayed for the specified printer. 

10:06:11     TID    84           COM-4.5.           User ID LBL        03/18/97
                         -- Printout Spooling --                           USP4
-- Printer Operation--                       
PO         
         Function                 ID       Operands                            
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Start                        S         
      Reset                        R         
      Halt                         H         
      Position current printout    P       mode / number of pages              
      Cancel current printout      C         
      Flush all queue entries      F         
      Mount new form               M       form                                
           
                        Function.. .         
                        Mode/num..   /     0 
                        Form......           
Printer   ALA274DF                           
Status    WAIT          Listame              
Form                 Records              0  
Q-num            0       printed          0  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
USP0004  NO PRINTOUT QUEUED

Note that the OPERATE function supports the operation of all printers of the TP network that are defined to Com-plete.

The function IDs in the above figure are explained in the following table.

Function ID Description
S Starts a printer that has been previously halted.
R Resets a printer on which an error has occurred.
H Halts the printer after the current printout has been completed.
C Cancels the current printout. Printing will resume with the next printout.
F Cancels all queue entries for this printer. Note that the current printout is not affected by this function.
P Positions the current printout, that is, stops printing and resumes at any page within the printout. Note that this function requires that the positioning mode and number of pages be specified as operands. The positioning modes are:
T Top: Printing will resume nnn pages from the top of the printout.
B Bottom: Printing will resume nnn pages from the bottom of the printout.
R Relative: Printing will resume nnn pages from the current page.
A Absolute: Printing will resume at page nnn .

Note that you can abbreviate the values in the preceding table by using only the first two characters.

Display Printout on Screen (SHOW or QUEUE Function)

The SHOW or QUEUE function enables you to display the contents of a specific printout at your terminal. You can request the display from either the List Queue screen (Function Code "S") or from the Printer Overview screen (Function Code "Q").

The following figure shows a sample of the output produced by selecting this function. 

16:13:54     TID     6          COM-5.1.            User ID MBE        11.11.97
                         -- Printout Spooling --                           USP3
-- Printout-display --                                            Line       1
Find string:                                                        of      72
 1        11        21        31        41        51        61        71
!---------!---------!---------!---------!---------!---------!---------!--------
                       J E S 2  J O B  L O G  --  S Y S T E M  D A E F  --  N O

15:15:10 JOB03628 ---- TUESDAY,   11 NOV 1997 ----
15.15.10 JOB03628  $HASP373 COKBAT   STARTED - INIT    3 - CLASS K - SYS DAEF
15.15.11 JOB03628  ACF9CCCD USERID COK      IS ASSIGNED TO THIS JOB - COKBAT
15.15.11 JOB03628  IEF403I COKBAT - STARTED - TIME=15.15.11
15.15.11 JOB03628  -                                                --TIMINGS (
15.15.11 JOB03628  -JOBNAME  STEPNAME PROCSTEP    RC   EXCP   CONN    TCB    SR
15.15.11 JOB03628  -COKBAT   BATCH                00     14     54    .00    .0
15.15.11 JOB03628  IEF404I COKBAT - ENDED - TIME=15.15.11
15.15.11 JOB03628  -COKBAT   ENDED.  NAME-                     TOTAL TCB CPU TI
15.15.11 JOB03628  $HASP395 COKBAT   ENDED
------ JES2 JOB STATISTICS ------
  11 NOV 1997 JOB EXECUTION DATE
           16 CARDS READ
Enter-PF1---PF2---PF3---PF4---PF5---PF6---PF7---PF8---PF9---PF10--PF11--PF12---
                  End         Find        Up    Down        Left  Right

There are the following options for navigating in the printout:

  • scroll up (PF7) and down (PF8) by one screen;

  • position to any distinct line in the printout by overtyping the line number displayed in the right upper corner of the screen;

  • shift left (PF10) and right (PF11) by 10 positions;

  • position to any distinct column by overtyping the column number in the left upper corner of the screen;

  • search for a character string starting from the currently displayed position. To use this search function, enter the search string in the field promptedFind string and press PF5. Note that the search string can contain any characters, must not be enclosed in apostrophes, and must not contain more than two consequent spaces.

You can modify carriage control for the display in the "Eject:" field in the top right-center of the screen. Possible values:

O "original carriage control" (that is, all line and page ejects are to be performed as defined in the printout).
L "line eject" (that is, line ejects, but not page ejects, are to be executed at the terminal.
<blank> "no carriage control" (i.e., that all line and page ejects are to be suppressed).

To return to the USPOOL Main Menu, press CLEAR.