Chapter 9 - Maintaining Print Services
Introduction to Maintaining Print Services
This chapter explains how to change the status of the print queue and to change the configuration of the service. Other tasks of maintaining print services - such as starting and stopping the service, setting log levels, generating log reports, and looking at service users - are covered in Chapter 2.
Two differences exist between print services and other services:
Relocating a print service - You cannot relocate a print service. You must delete the service from the source server and recreate it on the target server.
Monitoring number of sessions - When you look at the number of sessions for a print service on the Control A Service menu, the number of active sessions is the number of users currently sending jobs to the print service. The total sessions figure is the number of successful sessions established between users and the print service.
Refer to Table 8-1 for information on the editing keys available in the print service menus.
Preparing to Manage Print Services
When you access the Control A Service menu for a print service, two additional menu options, specific to print services, appear. These options are:
CONFIGURE queue status CONFIGURE service
From the Control A Service menu (Figure 9-1), an administrator or operator of the print service can start and stop the service and change the status of the print queue without changing the status of the service. In addition, administrators can reconfigure the service (and its destinations), set service log levels, generate log reports, and view a list of the service users. To change the print queue status and reconfigure the print service, see "Changing the Print Queue Status" and "Changing the Configuration" later in this chapter.
You access the Control A Service menu by running either MSERVICE or OPERATE. The procedures in the rest of this chapter start at the Control A Service menu for the print service being managed. For detailed instructions on accessing the Control A Service menu, see "Accessing the Service Menus" in Chapter 2.
Changing the Print Queue Status
The CHANGE queue status command enables you to control the print queue's ability to accept and print jobs. If the queue is currently accepting and printing jobs, you can clear the queue of waiting jobs by entering NO in the Accepting Jobs? field and leaving Yes in the Printing Jobs? field. All the jobs in the queue will print, but the queue will not accept any more jobs until you change the status again.
1. Access the Control A Service menu by running either MSERVICE or OPERATE. See "Accessing the Service Menus" in Chapter 2 for detailed instructions.
2. Choose CHANGE queue status. The Print Queue Status screen appears.
3. Move the cursor to the Accepting Jobs? field and press CTRL-X to delete the word currently in the field.
4. In the Accepting Jobs? field:
- Enter NO to disable the queue.
- Enter YES to enable the queue.
5. Move the cursor to the Printing Jobs? field and press CTRL-X to delete the word currently in the field.
6. In the Printing Jobs? field:
- Enter NO to disable the queue.
- Enter YES to enable the queue.
7. Press F10 to save the changes. The Control A Service menu appears.
When you choose the CONFIGURE service command from the Control A Service menu, the Manage Print Service menu appears. You use this menu to change the print service configuration. Figure 9-2 shows the Manage Print Service menu.
As an administrator of the print service, you can:
Add, change, and delete destinations Edit the Access Lists for operators and users Edit the Alert List Modify the queue configuration Change the paper formats configured for the service Configure filters to run on all jobs submitted to the service or on jobs that match a selected paper format
As an operator of the print service, you can change the paper format of a destination. You cannot add or delete destinations.
The sections that follow describe how to use the options on the Manage Print Service menu, except for Configure FILTERS. For a complete description of configuring print filters for the service, see Chapter 10.
If you connect an additional printer to a server, you can add that printer to an existing print service. To add a destination, choose ADD a destination from the Manage Print Service menu. To add the additional destination, follow the procedures in "Adding the First Destination" in Chapter 8.
Changing Physical and PCPrint Destinations
For physical and PCPrint destinations, there are different procedures for changing the following:
Destination options - Lets you enable and disable output strings
Output Strings - Lets you enter output strings for your printer
Change Physical Attributes - Lets you change the physical attributes of the print destination
When changing the physical attributes of a PCPrint destination, you cannot change the StreetTalk name in the PCPrint ST Name field. To change the name, you must delete and then add the destination with a new, verifiable StreetTalk name. The user who runs PCPrint at the remote PC must be logged in with that name, to enable users to send print jobs to that printer. To leave access to PCPrint open, enter *@*@* in the PCPrint ST Name field.
To Change Destination Options
1. Access the Control A Service menu by running either MSERVICE or OPERATE. See "Accessing the Service Menus" in Chapter 2 for detailed instructions.
2. Choose CONFIGURE service. The Manage Print Service menu appears.
3. Choose CHANGE a destination. The cursor moves to the bottom half of the screen.
4. Choose the destination to change. The Modify Destination menu appears.
5. Choose Destination Options. The Enable Strings screen appears. Figure 9-3 shows the Enable Strings screen.
Note: The banner page first is enabled by default for jobs sent to any destination other than a PAP-compatible, PostScript printer. You can change that default in this screen.
6. Highlight a field and press ENTER to enable (yes) or disable (no) the strings.
7. Do one of the following:
- Press F10 to save your changes.
- Press ESC to cancel your changes.
The Modify Destination menu appears.
To Change Output Strings
1. Access the Control A Service menu by running either MSERVICE or OPERATE. See "Accessing the Service Menus" in Chapter 2 for detailed instructions.
2. Choose CONFIGURE service. The Manage Print Service menu appears.
3. Choose CHANGE a destination. The cursor moves to the bottom half of the screen.
4. Choose the destination to change. The Modify Destination menu appears.
5. Choose Output Strings. The Output Strings screen appears. Figure 9-4 shows the Output Strings screen.
6. Enter the output strings required for the printer.
"Prefix and Suffix Fields" in Chapter 8 explains the entries.
7. Do one of the following:
- Press F10 to save your changes.
- Press ESC to cancel your changes.
The Modify Destination menu appears.
To Change Physical Attributes
1. Access the Control A Service menu by running either MSERVICE or OPERATE. See "Accessing the Service Menus" in Chapter 2 for detailed instructions.
2. Choose CONFIGURE service. The Manage Print Service menu appears.
3. Choose CHANGE a destination. The cursor moves to the bottom half of the screen.
4. Choose the destination to change. The Modify Destination menu appears.
5. Choose Physical Attributes. The Destination Attributes screen for the physical or PCPRINT destination appears.
6. To change the configuration of a destination, use the editing keys described in Table 8-1.
7. Do one of the following:
- Press F10 to save your changes.
- Press ESC to cancel your changes.
The Modify Destination menu appears.
Changing PAP-Compatible Printer Destinations
Macintosh
When configuring a PAP printer destination, keep in mind the following conditions:
Only one PAP printer destination is allowed per service. For best performance, all Macintosh workstations accessing a PAP printer destination should have the same version of LaserPrep. However, it is not a requirement. For best performance on any specific workstation, configure only one print service per PAP-compatible, PostScript printer. By default the banner page prints after the job for a PAP printer destination. You cannot change this default.
To Change a PAP-Compatible Destination
1. Access the Control A Service menu by running either MSERVICE or OPERATE. See "Accessing the Service Menus" in Chapter 2 for detailed instructions.
2. Choose CONFIGURE service. The Manage Print Service menu appears.
3. Choose CHANGE a destination. The cursor moves to the bottom half of the screen.
4. Choose the destination to change. The PAP printer Destination Attributes screen appears. Figure 9-5 shows the PAP printer Destination Attributes screen.
5. Move the cursor to the field to change.
6. Press CTRL-X to delete the current entry.
7. Enter a new value.
Note: You can change all parameters except the Printer name. To change the Printer name, you must delete the currently configured PAP printer destination and add a new one.
8. Do one of the following:
- Press F10 to save your changes.
- Press ESC to cancel your changes.
The Manage Print Service menu appears.
Changing Alternate Print Service Destinations
The only configuration you can change for an alternate print service are description and paper format. To change the name of the destination, you must delete the destination and create a new one.
When you add an alternate print service destination, you cannot redirect a print service to itself. Be very careful not to create loops. "Redirecting Print Services" in Chapter 8 provides more information on loops.
To Change an Alternate Print Service Destination
1. Access the Control A Service menu by running either MSERVICE or OPERATE. See "Accessing the Service Menus" in Chapter 2 for detailed instructions.
2. Choose CONFIGURE service. The Manage Print Service menu appears.
3. Choose CHANGE a destination. The cursor moves to the bottom half of the screen.
4. Choose the destination to change. The Destination Attributes screen appears. Figure 9-6 shows the Destination Attributes screen.
5. Move the cursor to the field to change.
6. Press CTRL-X to delete the current entry.
7. Enter a new value.
8. Do one of the following:
- Press F10 to save your changes.
- Press ESC to cancel your changes.
The Manage Print Service menu appears.
1. Access the Control A Service menu by running either MSERVICE or OPERATE. See "Accessing the Service Menus" in Chapter 2 for detailed instructions.
2. Choose CONFIGURE service. The Manage Print Service menu appears.
3. Choose DELETE a destination. The cursor moves to the bottom half of the screen.
4. Choose a destination. A confirmation screen appears.
5. Do one of the following:
- Choose YES to delete the destination.
- Choose NO to retain the destination.
The Manage Print Service menu appears.
The default entry for the Operators section of the Access List is the AdminList for the service's group and organization. You can keep or delete the default entries, and add other StreetTalk names.
Only StreetTalk patterns with leading asterisks are accepted. For example, you can enter the following patterns:
*@[groupname]@[orgname]
*@*@[orgname] or *@*@*
You cannot enter patterns such as Bill Jones@*@WCTUS and Juan*@Mkt@WCTES.
Macintosh
You do not need to enter the names of Macintosh users in the Access Lists. Macintosh users can see and use any print service that is available to them through the Chooser accessory.
To Edit an Access List
1. Access the Control A Service menu by running either MSERVICE or OPERATE. See "Accessing the Service Menus" in Chapter 2 for detailed instructions.
2. Choose CONFIGURE service. The Manage Print Service menu appears.
3. Choose Edit ACCESS lists. The Access Lists screen appears.
4. Add, edit, and delete entries on the Access Lists screen. Use the editing keys described in Table 8-1 to edit the lists.
5. Do one of the following:
- Press F10 to save your changes.
- Press ESC to discard your changes.
The Manage Print Service menu appears.
If you have deleted all the entries, the system reads the spaces as zero-length fields and displays an error message:
List is blank. Reinstating defaults...
After the defaults appear in the list, the error message is replaced by the message "Defaults reinstated." Press F10 or ESC to use the default and exit.
The default for the Alert List is the contents of the Operator section of the Access List. If you accepted the default entry in the Operator List (the AdminList of the group in which you created the service), that AdminList name appears in the Alert List. If you added entries to the Operator List, these entries become the default for the Alert List.
Only StreetTalk patterns with leading asterisks are accepted. That is, you can enter the following:
*@[groupname]@[orgname]
*@*@[orgname] or *@*@*
You cannot enter patterns such as Bill Jones@*@WCTUS and Juan*@Mkt@WCTES.
To Edit an Alert List
1. Access the Control A Service menu by running either MSERVICE or OPERATE. See "Accessing the Service Menus" in Chapter 2 for detailed instructions.
2. Choose CONFIGURE service. The Manage Print Service menu appears.
3. Choose Edit ALERT list. The Alert List screen appears.
4. Add, edit, and delete StreetTalk names on the Alert List screen. You can enter StreetTalk lists and StreetTalk names of individuals.
5. Do one of the following:
- Press F10 to save your changes.
- Press ESC to discard your changes.
The Manage Print Service menu appears.
To Change the Queue Configuration
1. Access the Control A Service menu by running either MSERVICE or OPERATE. See "Accessing the Service Menus" in Chapter 2 for detailed instructions.
2. Choose CONFIGURE service. The Manage Print Service menu appears.
3. Choose Configure QUEUE. The Configure Queue screen appears. The Configure Queue screen shows the default values for the parameters (U for Unlimited).
4. Enter the appropriate information.
5. Do one of the following:
- Press F10 to save your changes.
- Press ESC to discard your changes.
The Manage Print Service menu appears.
Editing the List of Paper Formats
The list of paper formats for the print service must contain all the formats used by the destinations of the service. The format names that you add to this list are available when you configure destinations and set up a job profile in the SETPRINT program.
Figure 9-7 shows a sample Configure Paper Formats screen with two default paper formats, Standard and PostScript, and two paper formats that were added when the print service was created. When assigning names to paper formats, use names that help your users identify a specific destination printer.
To Add a Paper Format
1. Access the Control A Service menu by running either MSERVICE or OPERATE. See "Accessing the Service Menus" in Chapter 2 for detailed instructions.
2. Choose CONFIGURE service. The Manage Print Service menu appears.
3. Choose Configure PAPER FORMATS. The Configure Paper Formats screen appears.
4. Choose ADD. The data entry screen appears.
5. Enter a name for the paper format of up to 15 alphanumeric characters.
6. Enter the appropriate page width, in characters per line.
7. Enter the appropriate page length, in lines per page.
8. Press F10 to save the new paper format. The Configure Paper Formats screen appears.
9. Repeat steps 3 through 7 to add all the paper formats required for the print service.
To Change a Paper Format
1. Access the Control A Service menu by running either MSERVICE or OPERATE. See "Accessing the Service Menus" in Chapter 2 for detailed instructions.
2. Choose CONFIGURE service. The Manage Print Service menu appears.
3. Choose Configure PAPER FORMATS. The Configure Paper Formats screen appears.
4. Choose CHANGE. The cursor moves to the bottom half of the screen.
5. Choose the format to change. A confirmation screen appears.
6. Choose YES. The data entry screen displays the current information for the selected format.
7. Enter the new page width, in characters per line.
8. Enter the new page length, in lines per page.
9. Do one of the following:
- Press F10 to save your changes.
- Press ESC to discard your changes.
The Configure Paper Formats screen appears.
To Delete a Paper Format
1. Access the Control A Service menu by running either MSERVICE or OPERATE. See "Accessing the Service Menus" in Chapter 2 for detailed instructions.
2. Choose CONFIGURE service. The Manage Print Service menu appears.
3. Choose Configure PAPER FORMATS. The Configure Paper Formats screen appears.
4. Choose DELETE. The cursor moves to the bottom half of the screen.
5. Choose the format to delete. A confirmation screen appears.
6. Do one of the following:
- Choose YES to delete the format.
- Choose NO to retain the format.
The Configure Paper Formats screen appears.
When a paper format is deleted, only the list of paper formats for the service changes. The paper format remains in effect for destination printers that are configured to use it. Therefore, after deleting a paper format, you must assign new paper formats to any affected destination printers.
You must also modify any job profiles that used the format or tell your users to modify their job profiles.
Troubleshooting the Print Service
This section presents problems you may encounter and provides possible solutions. In addition, it describes the print service job status messages and log error messages that you may see.
See Chapter 11 for a complete description of using SETPRINT to troubleshoot print jobs.
Poor performance can include jobs printing out slowly or not at all or being rejected. To help resolve the problem, check the following list:
1. Are most jobs printing at the same printer? Do you have multiple destinations with the same paper format?
If you answer yes to these questions, check the order of destinations in the Manage Print Service menu. The service looks at the available destinations in the order in which they appear in that menu. Consequently, if you have jobs that are coming in more slowly than they are being printed, they will always print on the first destination in the list that has a compatible paper format. To avoid this situation, try changing the order in which you configure destinations.
2. Do multiple print services have the same printer as a destination?
The various print services are competing for the printer. Limit the number of print services and monitor performance to determine what is best for your network.
Macintosh
If it is a PAP-compatible, PostScript printer, three conditions can slow printer performance significantly:
- With multiple print services configured for the same printer, one print service may be able to open a connection while another is closing and trying to reopen its connection.
- If you have left the printer name on the Macintosh network, Macintosh workstations are competing with the print services for the printer. It is recommended that you remove the printer name from the network to avoid this competition.
- When multiple print services are configured for the same printer and the services differ in removing or leaving the printer name on the network, a network conflict arises when each print service tries to keep the printer in a consistent state.
3. Is a large number of users accessing the same printer?
Add printers to accommodate the needs of your users.
4. If you are having a problem with a PAP-compatible, PostScript printer, do all the Macintosh workstations that can access the printer have the same version of LaserPrep?
Verify that all the workstations have the same version of LaserPrep.
Error Message 101 in SETPRINT
This message appears when you try to move a job from a 6.xx print queue to a 4.xx print queue. The Move to Different Queue option does not work with 4.xx print queues.
Rejected Jobs
If jobs show up as Rejected in SETPRINT, call your technical support representative. This condition indicates an internal error. If jobs are being rejected, cancel the jobs and call your technical support representative.
Infinite Loops
If you have configured alternate print service destinations, be sure that you have not created any loops. The print service continues to track a job until it is printed, canceled, or rejected. It also handles a job coming in from another print service as a new job. As a result, print jobs can enter an infinite loop. The print services use memory tracking the jobs, and the servers on which the print services reside come down.
PostScript Jobs Printing ASCII
If users are sending PostScript jobs to non-PAP-compatible, PostScript printers from DOS, Windows, or OS/2 workstations, they must meet two conditions:
The applications must add the PostScript information to the job. They must turn off the banner page.
If the banner page is turned on, it causes a PostScript job to print in all ASCII instead of PostScript.
Cannot Print to a PCPrint Destination After Upgrade
If you cannot print to a PCPrint destination after you have upgraded a print service from VINES 5.xx to VINES 6.xx, check that you have designated a valid StreetTalk name in the Destination Attributes screen of the PCPrint destination.
Commands Not Working
Check the format of the command you are entering. If the service name contains spaces, you must enclose the entire name in double quotation marks. Otherwise, the command will not work. To avoid this problem, do not use spaces in print service names.
The job status messages from the print service appear as 25th line messages on the screen of a DOS workstation or in the special VINES message box on Windows or OS/2 workstations.
If the name of a print service causes a job status message to be longer than 80 characters, the print service truncates the message. In messages where both the print service and a destination are named, only the destination name appears.
This section shows messages you may see from the print service and how to correct problems. Each message is preceded by the number assigned to the job in the queue. Check the Control Printer/Jobs menu in SETPRINT for the details about the specific job that matches the message.
Paper Format is Not Available - Destination with a paper format matching the job's requirements is unavailable. Follow these steps:
1. Use SETPRINT to check the job paper format and the formats currently available.
2. If necessary, change the paper format of the job and/or destination, or move the job to a different print queue. The service will requeue the job.
A Filter Program Failed - Filter program failed while trying to process the job. Follow these steps:
A Filter Program is Missing - Filter program file was not in the path given in the filter configuration. Follow these steps:
1. Cancel the job.
2. Use the Manage Print Service menu to verify that the correct path is entered in the filter configuration.
3. If necessary, change the path or replace the filter.
4. Resubmit the job.
Job Rejected on [print service name] by [destination name] - Print service encountered a severe problem, such as an error on the destination or corruption of the job. Follow these steps:
1. Cancel the job.
2. Call your Banyan technical support representative.
Job Completed With Status 0 on [print service name] - Job completed, but not normally. The user may have canceled the job, or the service may have been shut down while the job was printing. Status code 0 indicates that there was no problem with the printer itself. No corrective action is necessary.
Job Completed on [destination name] - Normal job completion. No corrective action is necessary.
Job Dequeued From [print service name] - Job has been canceled and removed from the queue. Resubmit the job.
When a VINES system problem or a problem originates from another source, the print service displays an error message on the 25th line of a DOS workstation, in the VINES message box on an OS/2 or Macintosh workstation, at the DOS prompt, or in a log file.
Note: If a Macintosh user is logged in through the VINES login, messages from the print service concerning destinations other than PAP-compatible, PostScript printers appear at the Macintosh desktop. The print service does not generate any messages about PAP printer destinations.
The following messages are print service error messages:
VPS502 Print queue specified does not exist.
VPS510 Your job exceeds the maximum 20 files.
The error code that precedes each message has the following format:
VPSnnnn
where VPS is a prefix that identifies the print service, and nnnn is a unique number that identifies an error within the system. Use the on-line help to interpret these error messages.
To access on-line help for a print service error message, use the VNSERR command. The VNSERR command displays an explanation of the message.
Type the VNSERR command at the DOS prompt:
VNSERR error-code
where error-code identifies the specific service message. For example, to access help for the message VPS502, type:
vnserr vps502
To print the help text for all print service error messages at LPT1, type the following command:
vnserr /p:vps
LPT1 must have been assigned with the SETPRINT command.
For a complete description of the VNSERR command, see the Command Reference.
