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Migrating [ Native Mode Spooler Reference Manual ] MPE/iX 5.0 Documentation

Native Mode Spooler Reference Manual

Migrating

The NMS is part of the fundamental operating system and is installed on
the MPE/iX system with the INSTALL or UPDATE utility. The first boot
after an INSTALL or an UPDATE creates the HPSPOOL account structure.

With release A.40.00, device classes are now treated solely as
collections of logical devices. This means that operations applied to a
device class are applied to all devices in a class. For example, if a
spooler is stopped for a device class, the spooler is also stopped for
all logical devices in that class.

Before release A.40.00, users could issue the following command:

STOPSPOOL ldev

and print "hot" to the printer while spool files were being created for
the device classes associated with that LDEV. This is no longer possible
since device classes are collections of logical devices.

There are two workarounds. If the device that you want to operate
unspooled is part of a class that contains at least one other device that
can remain spooled, there is no problem. The following examples assume
that this other device does not presently exist.

* Configure at least two devices in a particular device class.
Suppose that LDEV 6 and nonexistent LDEV 19 are configured for
device class LP. Make sure that the queue for LDEV 19 is open.
One way to do this is to enter an OPENQ 19 command in your
SYSSTART file. If LDEV 6 is usually spooled, you can also enter
the STARTSPOOL 6 command or SPOOLER 6;START command in your
SYSSTART file.

Make sure that your applications generating spooled output direct
that output to class LP. Enter:

STOPSPOOL 6

SPOOLER 6;STOP

Start your application. When it is finished, enter:

STARTSPOOL 6

SPOOLER 6;START

to print the accumulated spool files.

Output directed to class LP creates spool files even while LDEV 6
is unspooled because the queue is open for at least one device
(LDEV 19) in the class.

* This workaround requires no dummy device. Enter:

STOPSPOOL 6

SPOOLER 6;STOP

Start the application requiring unspooled access to the printer.
Then enter:

OPENQ 6

The first method is recommended. In the second method, there is a period
of time during which any process - even one that directs its output to
class LP - can acquire the printer unspooled. If it is a process other
than the intended one, you must either wait for that process to close the
printer, or you must abort it.

This situation does not arise with the first method because there is
always at least one device in class LP with its queues open.

There are two reasons for device classes being treated as collections of
logical devices:

* Confusion. Many users were confused by the distinction between
queues and spooler processes. More confusion arose because of the
different ways some of the commands operated on a logical device
and the device class to which the logical device belonged.

* Simplification. Previously, managing separate queues for logical
devices and their device classes was messy. You could never be
sure when you would get a spool file or a hot device.

Finding SPOOK in job streams

Since the SPOOK utility is obsolete in MPE/iX, it is important to locate
references to SPOOK in job streams and to replace them with the
appropriate commands (or the appropriate NMS commands instead. You can
use an editor to do this.

Spool File transport

You may transport output spool files between MPE/iX systems through STORE
and RESTORE. Since input spool files are private files, you cannot write
them to tape with STORE. Also, you cannot store private output spool
files. You can find more information about STORE and RESTORE in chapter
7.

The utility SPFXFER transfers files to tape in a format that MPE V/E
SPOOK and MPE V/E SPOOK5 (with the exception of MPE V/E releases prior to
G.02.B0) can read. For releases prior to G.02.B0, SPOOK cannot read
SPFXFER tapes. The SPFXFER utility can read tapes created by SPOOK from
any release of MPE/iX, MPE XL, MPE V/E, and SPFXFER itself. The SPFXFER
utility has four commands that are similar to the commands of the SPOOK
utility. For more information about SPFXFER, see chapter 6.

Recovery

The NMS uses a checkpoint file, described in chapter 5, for recovery.
The checkpoint file saves page checkpoints and other data which are used
to recover printing following an interrupt such as a power failure or the
execution of the SPOOLER...;RESUME or RESUMESPOOL commands.

Device recovery.

* If the device returns page checkpoints (for example, CIPER
protocol devices), the spooler recovers to a specific page.

* The HP 2680, HP 2688, and HP 5000 series printers do not support
page checkpoints, but performs a silent run from the beginning of
the spool file to the page where the interruption occurred.

* For CIPER devices and for HP 2680, HP 2688, and HP 5000 series
printers, the output resumes printing at the correct page.

* Since serial printers cannot recover accurately to a specific
page, they may not resume printing at the correct page or they may
shift the page boundary from its original position.

* The NMS retains output spool files until the device notifies the
spooler that physical output is complete and error free.

Spool File recovery.

Since spool files are permanent disk files, recovery is no more
complicated than it is for other disk files.

* When the system executes the INSTALL command, all files, including
spool files, are purged. The system preserves all output spool
files for all other startups, including UPDATE.

* The system only recovers input spool files for every START with
the RECOVERY option. There is a job master table (JMAT) entry for
each job input spool file. The JMAT is only recovered during a
START RECOVERY.

* The system rebuilds the spool file directories for all such
startups except INSTALL from information kept with each spool
file.

* Output spool files that are in the CREATE state when the system is
interrupted may not be completely recovered. Any data not posted
to the disk before the system interruption cannot be recovered.
If no data was posted, the spool file is deleted by the recovery
mechanism.

* After a boot, if no output spool files are recovered, the next
SPOOLID assigned is O1. If any spool files are recovered, the
next SPOOLID counter is one greater than the largest SPOOLID of
the recovered spool files.

* If the system is booted with the NORECOVERY option of the START
command, an apostrophe (') is inserted between the J or S and the
number in each spool file's associated job or session number. For
example J1234 becomes J'1234. This is to indicate that the job or
session number was not generated from the current job or session
counters

Spool File states

Spool File states include the states ACTIVE, READY, OPEN, CREATE, PRINT,
DEFER, PROBLM, XFER, DELPND, and SPSAVE. The LISTSPF command displays
these states. Figure C-1 shows a one-to-one correspondence between the
LISTSPF states and the SHOWIN states for input spool files. Figure C-2
shows a one to one correspondence between the LISTSPF states and the
SHOWOUT states for output spool files.

Table C-1. Input Spool File States

Table C-2. Output Spool File States

The LISTSPF command, described in chapter 4, contains information about
the states.

DEFER state.

DEFER is a state of an output spool file, not just the condition of a
spool file at priority 0 as in the past. A deferred spool file retains
its original output priority but does not print, even if the priority is
above the outfence. This feature allows users to see the original output
priorities of deferred spool files. The spool file keeps this priority
if its state changes to READY.

If you use the commands SPOOLF...;DEFER or SPOOLF...;UNDEFER on a file in
the CREATE or PRINT states, the state that the command LISTSPF displays
does not change until the file is closed either by the user process
(CREATE) or the spooler process (PRINT). At that time, the file enters
the DEFER or READY state depending on which command processed last.

NOTE A SPOOLF...;DEFER command issued to a file in the PRINT state
causes the NMS to interrupt the spooler process currently printing
the file. The spooler ends its print job and returns the file to
NMS file management.

XFER state.

The XFER state indicates that a spool file has been selected for
transportation from one node of network to another. It may be displayed
and used as a STATE in a selection equation. It is provided for use as
desired by third-party software providers. The spooler never places a
file in the XFER state nor uses the state as a basis for spooler actions.

The DFID and the SPOOLID

Before version A.40.00 of MPE XL, the spooler kept track of individual
spool files by assigning a unique device file identifier (DFID) number to
each file. The MPE/iX (and MPE XL) NMS assigns a unique spool file
identification number (SPOOLID) to each spool file. SPOOLIDs are similar
to DFID, but are not the same. The IDD and ODD (CM tables) management
routines assign DFIDs to unspooled input and output device files such as
terminals, tape drives, and unspooled printers. The NMS assigns SPOOLIDs
only to spool files. The input and output spool file directory (SPFDIR)
keeps SPOOLIDs. Since they are kept in different tables, a DFID and a
SPOOLID may have the same numeric value.

Similarities between a DFID and a SPOOLID include their format (#Onnnn or
#Innnn) and the replacement of a SPOOLID number for a DFID number in the
ALTSPOOLFILE and DELETESPOOLFILE commands.

For the FFILEINFO intrinsic, item number 38 requests a 16-bit SPOOLID.
SPOOLIDs can be up to 9,999,999 and only SPOOLIDs up to 32,767 fit in the
16-bit representation. A new FFILEINFO item number, 78, which returns
the same information as item number 38 has been added to accommodate
SPOOLIDs larger than 32,767. If the SPOOLID fits in the 16 bit
representation (less than 32,676), it is returned; otherwise, a zero (0)
is returned.

Control information display

Use the SPIFF or PRINTSPF utility to view control information such as
page eject locations and double spacing. Information about SPIFF and
PRINTSPF is in chapter 6.

Outfence

The system outfence default is 14.

Error handling

All non-CI error messages are in SYSCAT.PUB.SYS, the native mode message
catalog. You can access them by using the MPE/iX error management
procedures and intrinsics. All CI messages for MPE/iX version A.40.00
and beyond are in Set 2 of CATALOG.PUB.SYS, the compatibility mode
message catalog.

The status of spooler error messages are numbered according to the
information part of the error status. You can call the MPE/iX error
management intrinsics either to print the error or to put it into a
buffer for further manipulation.

MPE/iX 5.0 Documentation