SPOOLER

The logical device number of the spooled device.

The device class name of the spooled devices. devclass must begin with a letter and consist of eight or fewer alphanumeric characters.

The device name of the spooled device. devname must begin with a letter and consist of eight or fewer alphanumeric characters. Note that it is not possible to have a device class name and a device name that are the same. If you enter an alphanumeric character string, the command searches the device class list first, and then the device name list.

OUTPUT SPOOLERS:

The START parameter creates and activates a new spooler process to own and manage the device and print spool files destined for it. If a class is specified, then a spooling process is created and activated for each device in the class. If neither the OPENQ nor the SHUTQ option is specified, OPENQ is taken as the default.

INPUT SPOOLERS:

The START parameter creates and activates a new spooler process to own and manage the device, to read data from it, and to create job or data input spool files for later processing by a CI (job) or user process (data). If a class is specified, then a spooling process is created and activated for each device in the class.

OUTPUT SPOOLERS:

The STOP parameter terminates the spooling process associated with the specified device. If a class is specified, then spooling processes for all devices in the specified class are terminated. A spooler in the active state first moves to the STOP pending state (shown as *STOP with the SHOW option) while it finishes its work on its current file (including any required trailer). When this is complete, or if the spooler was previously in the idle state, the spooler displays the following on the console (or the $STDLIST of an associated user) and terminates. If neither the OPENQ nor the SHUTQ option is specified, SHUTQ is taken as the default.

Output spooler, LDEV #ldev: Stopped.

You may determine the spooler state at any time by entering the following:

SPOOLER ldev;SHOW

or

SPOOLER devclass;SHOW

or

SPOOLER devname;SHOW

The STOP option is valid only if a spooler is in the ACTIVE, SUSPEND or IDLE state, or (if accelerating a previous STOP ;FINISH to STOP ;NOW) the STOP pending (*STOP) state. If neither the NOW nor the FINISH option is specified, NOW is taken as the default.

	NOTE: Because of the large amount of data buffered in the file system and the device, an output device may continue to print, making it appear as if the STOP parameter has not had any effect. In reality, the spooler stops sending data to the device when the command is received but must wait until all buffered data has been printed before stopping. Depending on both the content of the data and the amount of buffering, this may require a significant part of a page or even several pages. The spooler process notifies you via the following message that it has processed the command: IOutput spooler, LDEV ldev: Received a command while outputting a file If the STOP is received while the spooler is printing a file, the page number of the last complete page that was printed is saved in the spool file's file label extension (FLABX). The next time the file is selected for printing by any spooler, the output resumes at the page following the page number saved in the FLABX.

INPUT SPOOLERS:

The STOP parameter terminates the spooling process associated with the specified device. If a class is specified, then spooling processes for all devices in the specified class are terminated. The spooler first moves to the STOP pending state (shown as *STOP with the SHOW option) while it finishes its work on its current file (closing and deleting it; rewinding the tape and placing it offline). When this is complete, the spooler displays the following message on the console (or the $STDLIST of an associated user) and terminates:

Input spooler, LDEV #ldev: Stopped.

You may determine the spooler state at any time by entering the following:

SPOOLER ldev;SHOW

The STOP option is valid only if a spooler is in the IDLE or ACTIVE state. Except for a short period during startup when it is in the START state, an input spooler is always in the IDLE or ACTIVE state.

The NOW, FINISH, OPENQ, and SHUTQ options are not applicable to an input spooler process and result in an error message if any is used.

The SUSPEND option is valid only for output spooler processes. It suspends output to one or more spooled devices. The associated spooler processes remain alive, but inactive. A spooler in the ACTIVE state first moves to the SUSPEND pending state (shown as *SUSPEND with the SHOW option) while it finishes its work on its current file (including any required trailer). When this is complete, or if the spooler was previously in the IDLE state, the spooler displays the following on the console (or the $STDLIST of an associated user) and enters the SUSPEND state.

Output spooler, LDEV #ldev: Suspended.

If neither the NOW nor the FINISH option is specified, NOW is taken as the default. If neither the KEEP nor the NOKEEP option is specified, KEEP is taken as the default. If the OFFSET option is not specified, the spooler retains the present location in the output spool file. This is the default.

The combination of the NOW, KEEP, and no OFFSET parameters (all defaults) is a special case. When an active spooler receives this form of the SUSPEND option, it suspends after processing the current record. A subsequent SPOOLER...; RESUME with no OFFSET parameter and without an intervening SPOOLER...;RELEASE causes the spooler to resume at the next record, as if it had never been interrupted.

If a spooler process is suspended in the middle of a spool file and the file is not retained by the spooler, a page number is saved in the spool file's file label extension (FLABX). This page number is either the last complete page that was printed (if no OFFSET was specified) or one page prior to that specified by the final OFFSET applied to the file (with a lower limit of 0). The next time the file is selected for printing by any spooler, output resumes at the page following the page saved in the FLABX.

	NOTE: Because of the large amount of data buffered in the file system and the device, the device may continue to print, making it appear as if the SUSPEND parameter has not had any effect. In reality, the spooler stops sending data to the device when the command is received but must wait until all buffered data has been printed before suspending. Depending on both the content of the data and the amount of buffering, this may require a significant part of a page or even several pages. The spooler process notifies you via the following message that it has processed the command: IOutput spooler, LDEV ldev: Received a command while outputting a file

If a spooler process is suspended in the middle of a spool file and the file is not retained by the spooler, a page number is saved in the spool file's file label extension (FLABX). This page number is either the last complete page that was printed (if no OFFSET was specified) or one page prior to that specified by the final OFFSET applied to the file (with a lower limit of 0). The next time the file is selected for printing by any spooler, output resumes at the page following the page saved in the FLABX.

The RESUME option resumes a suspended spooler process and is therefore valid only for output spoolers. The spooler must be in the SUSPEND state. If the spooler retains a spool file when it is suspended (meaning the KEEP option was specified or taken by default), and the spool file is not subsequently released, the OFFSET option is valid. If no offset is specified with either the earlier SUSPEND or the present RESUME, then output resumes where it left off. If an OFFSET is specified at either time (or both), the spooler resumes at the final location indicated by the offsets. If OFFSET is specified and the spooler does not have a retained file, a warning is generated and the spooler prints the next available spool file from the beginning.

The RELEASE parameter directs a suspended output spooler to close (release) a spool file that it is currently retaining due to an earlier SUSPEND ;KEEP option. It is invalid and generates a warning if used in any other context. The OFFSET option may be used to change the resumption point of the file the next time it is selected for printing.

When the file is released by the spooler, a page number is saved in the spool file's file label extension (FLABX). This page number is either the last complete page that was printed (if no OFFSET was specified) or one page prior to that specified by the final OFFSET applied to the file (with a lower limit of 0). The next time the file is selected for printing by any spooler, output resumes at the page following the page saved in the FLABX.

Directs the spooler to complete the currently active spool file and then suspend or stop. This option may be used only in conjunction with the SUSPEND or STOP options. If it is used in any other context, a warning is issued and the FINISH option is ignored. The FINISH parameter may not be used with either the KEEP/NOKEEP or OFFSET parameters.

The FINISH option is not valid for spooled input devices.

Either a STOP or SUSPEND that includes the FINISH option may be accelerated to a higher-priority command without waiting for the present spool file to finish printing. For example, SPOOLER...; SUSPEND; FINISH may be followed by:

SPOOLER...;SUSPEND;NOW

or

SPOOLER...;STOP;FINISH

or

SPOOLER...;STOP;NOW

Similarly, a SPOOLER...;STOP;FINISH may be accelerated to SPOOLER...;STOP;NOW. To go in the opposite direction is an error.

Directs the spooler to immediately stop the current output. This option may be used only in conjunction with the SUSPEND or STOP options. If it is used in any other context, a warning is issued. This is the default.

If NOW is used on the SUSPEND option with either the NOKEEP or OFFSET parameters, the spooler prints a trailer if required; otherwise output pauses and may be resumed later at the point of suspension.

The NOW option is not valid for spooled input devices.

Directs the device to retain ownership of the spool file that it is currently processing. This is the default. KEEP is valid only if all three of the following conditions are satisfied:

If the OFFSET parameter is not specified (or this condition is taken by default), the spooler suspends after processing the current record.

Directs the spooler to close the spool file that it is currently processing. NOKEEP is valid only if all three of the following conditions are satisfied:

The spooler stops sending data after the current record, ejects a page, processes any specified OFFSET, saves the result of that processing (or the last completely printed page if no OFFSET was specified) in the FLABX (file label extension), prints a trailer with (INCOMPLETE) on it if trailers are enabled, and returns the file to the READY state. The next spooler that prints the file starts the first copy with the page following the page number saved in the FLABX and the file's header and trailer (if any) include (RESUMED) if printing starts anywhere but at the first page.

The page parameter may be used only in conjunction with the SUSPEND, RESUME, or RELEASE option. The page parameter must be an integer representing a physical page offset, either absolute or relative, within the file. Offsets are applied in the order they are entered, whether absolute or relative. If + is specified, the offset is adjusted forward relative to the current location by the number of pages specified. If - is specified, the adjustment is backward. If page is specified without + or -, then printing resumes at that page, absolute from the beginning of the file. No matter which combination of offsets are specified, the final location is limited by the bounds of the file.

A page is defined as follows:

The spooler's serial printer storage manager makes an approximate guess as to the correct page. However, it is only a guess based on an extremely limited interpretation of the spool file by the storage manager, because a serial printer does not return page data to its storage manager.

The storage manager does not attempt to interpret the spool file data, looking for escape sequences that may advance paper, eject a page, or change the page length or line density. This would degrade performance to an unacceptable level. Instead, it checks the carriage control character supplied as part of the user's FWRITE intrinisc call.

If that character is an ASCII "1" or an octal 300 (indicating skip to VFC channel 1, which by industry standard, is a page eject), it notes that this type of page control is in use and assembles its own checkpoint based on the location of this record in the spool file. If a RESUME with OFFSET is later required, it counts these checkpoints to try to find the proper restarting point. The storage manager ignores any other carriage-control character.

The page eject carriage control is not required in user data, and many applications do not use it. In this case, the storage manager is forced to assume a static number of records (60) per page. Historically, this is the number of lines that fit on a standard 11-inch page at 6 lines per inch, allowing three lines of margin at the top and the bottom of the page. This is often a flawed assumption, as the following examples show:

The last two examples come about because the storage manager does not interpret the data in the spool file, as mentioned earlier, and so cannot detect these situations.

In summary, if the storage manager cannot interact with the device to determine page boundaries, it uses a carriage control "1" or %300, or 60 records per page to simulate checkpoints for SPOOLER ldev;RESUME. Therefore, for the most consistent results with serial printers you should always include an OFFSET=1 parameter, with the SUSPEND option. You can also include the parameter with a subsequent RESUME option, but this does not prevent another spooler process from printing the file from the "wrong" place in the meantime.

The SHOW parameter displays the status of the spooling process(es) associated with the device(s) specified. All other parameters on this command are processed first, so the SHOW option reflects the updated state of the process(es) at the completion of the command executor. Please refer to the note following the example below.

The OPENQ option or parameter enables spooling for a specified logical device, device name, or all devices of a device class. This allows users to generate spool files on that device(s). See the OPENQ command for more information.

OPENQ is the default value for the START option.

The SHUTQ option or parameter disables spooling for a specified logical device, device name, or all devices of a device class. This prevents users from generating spool files on that device(s). See the SHUTQ command for more information.

SHUTQ is the default value for the STOP option.

SPOOLF, LISTSPF, OPENQ, SHUTQ

Native Mode Spooler Reference Manual