Grouping NetSpool printer LUs into LU classes

NetSpool lets you group NetSpool printer LUs into logical-unit classes. A class is identified by a number from 1 to 64.

You might want to group logical printers into classes for these reasons:

• To start classes of logical printers at different times. For example, you might want to process requests for one class of printers during the day and process requests for another class of printers during the night.
• To spread processing of different classes of logical printers over different address spaces. You might want to do this if you have a large number of logical printers.

The NetSpool startup procedure identifies which LU classes NetSpool is to start. After NetSpool is started, the operator can dynamically start and stop individual logical printers that are in different classes from those specified when NetSpool was started. For information about the NetSpool startup procedure, see z/OS Infoprint Server Customization. For information about how to start printers in other classes, see Starting and stopping the NetSpool task and NetSpool LUs.

Each NetSpool printer LU can belong to one or more LU classes. If you assign a printer LU to more than one class, NetSpool starts that printer LU when you start any one of the classes. For example, if you assign a printer LU to classes 1 and 2, NetSpool starts the printer LU if either class 1 or class 2 is specified in the NetSpool startup procedure.

Grouping NetSpool LUs into classes is optional. If you do not specify an LU class, NetSpool assigns the printer LU to class 1. When you start NetSpool, start class 1 and NetSpool starts all printer LUs defined in the Printer Inventory.

You can change the LU class for a printer definition. If you change the LU class after NetSpool has started the printer LU, NetSpool takes these actions:

• If the new LU class is one of the classes that NetSpool has started, NetSpool automatically attempts to start the printer LU.
• If the new LU class is not in one of the started LU classes, NetSpool stops the printer LU after the VTAM® application ends the session.