Understanding PSF data protection and security

PSF and the printers it supports protect data in the following ways:

• Data cannot be read back into the host processor by means of the available printer commands.
• Characters stored in the print buffer cannot be easily interpreted, because they have been translated from EBCDIC form.
• All raster character patterns stored in the printer (excluding the permanently resident fonts) can be erased. PSF can erase data remaining in the data buffers and in the accumulator, including page segments and electronic overlay data. PSF erases this data when a printer is started or stopped.
• No pages are left in the hardware buffer. PSF makes sure that all pages are in the stacker before responding to a STOP WRITER command. When a printer that is using continuous forms is in direct-printing mode, the nonprocess runout (NPRO) parameter must be specified to ensure that all pages are stacked. If NPRO is not specified, the operator must perform the NPRO.
• When a form change is requested, PSF provides a software NPRO to make sure that all printed pages are in the stacker before it allows the forms to be changed. For example, when a user specifies SYSOUT=(class[,, formname]) for printing on a continuous-forms printer, PSF causes the printer to perform an NPRO on the last page of one form before JES issues the message telling the operator to load the new form. This is done as a data security measure, to make sure that all the pages of the first data set are successfully printed before the operator loads a new form. Because of this software NPRO, additional blank pages can be printed to move the previously printed pages into the stacker.
• You have responsibility for specific protection for data sets in a shared environment such as Distributed Print Function (DPF) of InfoPrint Manager for Windows. Sensitive material stored in the PSF resource library should be marked PRIVATE. For more information, see Using APSRMARK to mark resources.
• Resources stored in libraries defined in the PSF startup procedure are available to all print jobs. These libraries should not be used for sensitive resources, nor should they be protected by read passwords. Consider using RACF-controlled user libraries to manage sensitive resources. For more information, see User libraries in deferred-printing mode.
• PSF uses inline resources only for the data set with which they are sent inline; PSF ensures that the resources will not be used again after the processing of that data set is completed. PSF also tells the printer not to capture resources that are found inline or in user libraries. If the printer is attached through DPF or WPM, the Printer Inventory or Exit 7 can specify that inline resources are captured. See Capture inline resources for more information.