PSF/AIX & MVS: Direct, DPF, MVS Download?HP-UX: LPR?
ITEM: RTA000097668
Q:
ABSTRACT: Questions for PSF for AIX for response to RFP to attach
3900 and be able to accept jobs from HP CPUs.
SEARCH ARG: psf aix ascii formdef
TOPIC THREAD: PRINT
PSF/AIX
..
We have to respond to a RFP and have a series of questions:
1) What TCP/IP does PSF for AIX use? According to client there are
several flavors of TCP/IP related to the "stack", they need to know
in order for BOOTP, etc. to work.
2) Is there a way to use an overlay with a queue that is coming from
PCL and/or ASCII origination. The idea here is to be able to print
documents that have a shaded area across it that would say for
example, COMPANY A CONFIDENTIAL.
3) Can PSF for AIX handle HP-GL2?
4) Also a question was asked and we don't know how to answer this.
There will be HP type CPUs all on this LAN. The current method
of routing output is to route to the HP CPU that owns the printer
and then it will direct to that printer. With the implementation
of PSF for AIX and PSM, who owns the printer, does the RS/6000 own
it? Who will direct the output in a TCP/IP environment.
The full configuration to be proposed will be a 3900-0W1 on a t/r LAN.
The RFP calls for attaching the 3900 on a LAN with HP CPUs attached and
being able to accept PCL language from those CPUs and a mainframe with
AFP stuff.
A:
In answer to your questions:
R1) As far as TCP/IP, when PSF for AIX uses TCP/IP, it uses the TCP/IP
supplied with AIX. If an i-data 7913 is used to attach coax IPDS
printers, then BOOTP is used. The configuration you have described
does not appear to include an i-data, but if it does be aware
that PSC only officially supports the i-data 7913 using PSF/AIX and
AIX bootpd (or OS/2 bootpd).
Certain types of HP JetDirect attachments use BOOTP to get their
addresses as well. HP would have to advise what BOOTP/BOOTPD is
required, but I know these printers/attachments can work under AIX;
they may be supported by other vendors' BOOTP as well. PSF/AIX
can route output to JetDirect-attached PCL printers.
Also, AFCCU printers attached via TCP/IP Token-Ring or TCP/IP
Ethernet attachment use TCP/IP sockets for communication with
PSF/AIX.
R2) Yes, you can set up a queue such that the default formdef for it
specifies an overlay. If you're only looking at 2-3 special
overlays, then this would be the simplest approach. Keep in mind
that each queue handles only one type of data, ie HP-PCL or ASCII,
as PSF for AIX does not yet have data sniffing capability; this is
done with the datatype= parameter. Now, if the needs are much more
complex, ie if you need > 5 or so queues, then you should consider
using the enhanced lpr code that is provided with PSF for AIX. This
is source code that the customer would compile on their HP systems
and allows them to specify AFP-like parameters, ie formdef=, when
they issue the lpr command.
You can use overlays with any data, including ASCII or PCL. We've
even added a new flag or parameter that allows you to specify
an overlay by itself (doesn't have to be called from a formdef).
R3) Yes, PSF for AIX supports HP-GL2 using a datatype=PCL transform.
GL/2 is a sub-mode of PCL5, and to enter or exit it (e.g., to tell
the pcl2afp interpreter that what's coming is GL/2) there must be
PCL escape sequences pre- and post-pended. We provide two small
files with those escape sequences, so you can concatenate them
before and after the GL/2 file to enter and exit GL/2 mode. (These
files are providede in /usr/lpp/psf/pcl2afp.) Or the customer's
data may already include those sequences.
R4) Yes, the PSF for AIX RS/6000 owns the printer and directs output to
it using TCP/IP protocols. Keep in mind only one PSF "owns" the 3900
at a time. For printing from the mainframe, if you use PSF Direct,
then the HP jobs will queue up, waiting until the host session has
timed out; then PSF for AIX owns the printer. Otherwise, you could
use MVS Download or simply lpr from the mainframe (I'm assuming MVS)
if the mainframe has TCP/IP support. With PSF Direct, you need
an SNA LU6.2 attachment, which requires SNA Server/6000 or later on
the RS/6000. For MVS Download, you need TCP/IP for MVS V3 and the
MVS Download feature on PSF/MVS 2.2. The choice will depend on the
customer's network of choice and where the customer wants to control
the job: if they want MVS control for the host jobs, then PSF Direct
is the only option; if they want AIX control for the host jobs, then
MVS Download would be the best choice.
If PSM is involved, PSM will really control the printer though it
will use PSF as the driver (DSS).
For MVS DL, spooling and control moves from MVS (after the job is
successfully transferred to the AIX system) to AIX and PSF/AIX.
MVS Download is somewhat similar to the idea of PSF/2's DPF, but it
uses TCP/IP rather than SNA, it sends down data for PSF/AIX to
transform rather than IPDS, and no resources are sent down; required
resources must be available to PSF/AIX at time of printing, either
locally on the RS/6000 fixed disk or NFS-mounted across the network
(I recommend the former for performance reasons).
Users on the HP today can use TCP/IP to route print jobs to PSM/PSF,
either through the use of remote queues or through the lpr command,
or for HP-UX systems the lprafp command that we provide with
PSF/AIX.
Hope this helps. Please reopen if you have any more questions.
Q:
Thanks for the response.
Also, to verify....can we have DPF at RS/6000 not direct? Client would
like to have spool control at RS/6000 for mainframe jobs.
Thanks, again.
A:
Yes, the HPs lpr to the RS/6000, which sends output to the printer.
The only way to have spool control at the RS/6000 is to use MVS
Download or standard TCP/IP commands from the MVS host, like ftp or
lpr. In either case, TCP/IP for MVS is required. It is not the same
as DPF in PSF/2 in that resources are not automatically downloaded from
the MVS system to the RS/6000; the resources must be resident on the
RS/6000 prior to the sending of the print job.
One thing I would consider would be installing a separate small LAN
from the RS/6000 to the 3900 so that the print workload does not impact
other users on the backbone LAN.
I hope that provides some additional information that will be helpful
to you.
S e a r c h - k e y w o r d s:
psf/6000 psf/aix hp-gl gl2 psf aix mvs psf/mvs direct download dpf
resources ipds afpds sna tcp/ip overlay performance configuration
infoprint
WWQA: ITEM: RTA000097668 ITEM: RTA000097668
Dated: 05/1999 Category: XPSF6000
This HTML file was generated 2000/11/30~13:34:06
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