Planning the Printer Inventory
These topics contain information to help you plan your Printer Inventory. The Printer Inventory consists of UNIX files (such as z/FS files) that contain information about your printing environment.
In this information, PSF refers to PSF for z/OS® and to the AFP Download Plus feature of PSF.
The Printer Inventory can contain these types of objects, called definitions:
- Printer definitions
- Describe the printers in your system. IP PrintWay™, PSF, or JES
can control the printers. Printer definitions can also:
- Describe an email destination. The destination can be one email address or a list of email addresses.
- Include other Printer Inventory objects called components. Components let you use one object to specify information that is common to several printer definitions.
- Printer pool definitions
- Describe groups of printer definitions that you want to broadcast data to (applies only to NetSpool). Only VTAM® applications can print to a printer pool definition.
- FSS definitions
- Describe the IP PrintWay basic mode and PSF functional subsystems (FSSs) that the system programmer defined to your JES system.
- FSA definitions
- Describe the IP PrintWay basic mode and PSF functional subsystem applications (FSAs) that the system programmer defined to your JES system.
- Job selection rules
- Describe the rules that IP PrintWay extended mode uses to determine which print jobs to select from the JES spool to print.
- System configuration definition
- Contains configuration information for all components of Infoprint Server. Infoprint Server automatically creates this definition. Authorized administrators can edit it if dynamic configuration is enabled.
Table 1 summarizes the types of objects you can create or edit in the Printer Inventory and indicates when the definitions are required. Required definitions are required by all installations. Optional definitions are required only if the condition is met. See the page reference for more information about the definition.
| Inventory definition | Condition | See |
|---|---|---|
| Printer definition | Required1 | Planning printer definitions |
| Components | Optional: To simplify administration of printer definitions | Planning printer definitions |
| Printer pool definition | Optional: To broadcast data from VTAM applications through NetSpool to multiple printer definitions | Planning printer pool definitions |
| FSS definition for IP PrintWay basic mode | Optional: To print on VTAM controlled printers or to customize the IP PrintWay basic mode FSS | Planning FSS definitions |
| FSS definition for PSF | Optional2 | Planning FSS definitions |
| FSA definition for IP PrintWay basic mode | Optional: To specify unique trace parameters for the FSA | Planning FSA definitions |
| FSA definition for PSF | Optional2 | Planning FSA definitions |
| Job selection rule | Optional: To have IP PrintWay extended mode select print jobs from the JES spool | Planning job selection rules |
| System configuration | Required 3 | |
|
||
If dynamic configuration is not enabled, Infoprint
Server automatically creates a system configuration definition in
the Printer Inventory. If dynamic configuration is enabled, Infoprint
Server requires a system configuration definition to exist in the
Printer Inventory, which authorized administrators can edit.
To create and manage Printer Inventory definitions, you can use
one of these methods or a combination of these methods:
- Infoprint Server ISPF panels: With the ISPF panels, you can add, list, browse, copy, edit, and delete definitions. For information about how to use the ISPF panels, see Using ISPF panels to manage the Printer Inventory.
- Printer Inventory Definition Utility (PIDU): With the PIDU program, you can create, display, list, modify, rename, delete, export, and dump definitions. You might find the PIDU program convenient for creating a large number of definitions at one time or for making the same change to many definitions. For information about how to run the PIDU program, see Using the PIDU program to manage the Printer Inventory.
- Infoprint Server migration program: The migration program can create PSF FSS and FSA definitions in the Printer Inventory from information in your PSF startup procedures and JES definitions.