Using Infoprint Central

Infoprint Central is a print management application that runs on the web. It is primarily used by help desk operators. However, other authorized users and job submitters can also use Infoprint Central. These topics give you an overview of how you can use Infoprint Central and describes these tasks:

Tips:

• If you run IP PrintWay™ extended mode, use Infoprint Central because it lets you work with IP PrintWay extended mode printers. It also lets you work with output data sets that IP PrintWay extended mode is currently processing, and it displays the status of output data sets, including whether IP PrintWay has retained them.
• If you run IP PrintWay basic mode, you cannot use Infoprint Central to work with jobs submitted to IP PrintWay basic mode or work with IP PrintWay printers. However, you can use Infoprint Central to do other functions.

With Infoprint Central you can do these actions (images shown are from Infoprint Central):

• Work with print jobs: You can find and work with groups of output data sets (called print jobs) that are on the JES spool. You can see more information about print jobs that Infoprint Server processes. For example, you can see whether an Infoprint Server print job completed successfully and where it printed – even if the print job is no longer on the JES spool.

  You can use search criteria such as job name and owner to find print jobs. After you find a print job, you can delete, hold, release, move, and change the priority of the print job. And, you can see all messages from Infoprint Server for that one print job without having to search through message logs.

  Tips:

  • A print job consists of one or more output data sets that JES has grouped together. In JES2, a print job is called an output group.
  • Infoprint Central does not display some print jobs. See "Limitations".
• Work with printers: You can find and work with printers that are defined in the Printer Inventory – including AFP printers controlled by PSF (called PSF printers), and printers to which IP PrintWay can send print jobs (called IP PrintWay printers).

  You can also work with PSF AFP Download Plus senders as if they were PSF printers. An AFP Download Plus sender sends print jobs to a receiver on another system for printing, emailing, or faxing.

  You can use search criteria such as printer name and location to find printers. After you find a printer, you can see its status, the printer's job queue, and view other properties of the printer. For example, you can see whether the printer is processing, idle, or offline, and you can see the level of paper and toner. You can also do these printer actions:

  • PSF printers: Start, stop, interrupt, pause (JES2 only), ping, repeat, space, turn online, turn offline, and reset. Also, you can change forms and other job-selection criteria, and you can link to the web pages of some printers. If the PSF printer is an AFP Download Plus sender, you can do a limited set of PSF printer actions.
  • IP PrintWay printers: Start, stop, redirect, restore, ping, turn online, turn offline, and reset. Also, you can see all the messages from Infoprint Server for that one printer, and you can link to the web pages of some printers.
  Tips:
  • Some status information and printer actions (ping, turn online, turn offline, reset, display web page) are available only for TCP/IP-attached printers.
  • If multiple printer definitions in the Printer Inventory have the same printer IP address or host name, Infoprint Central displays only one IP PrintWay printer. However, if the printer definitions have different queue names or port numbers, Infoprint Central displays a separate IP PrintWay printer for each queue name or port number.
• Work with NetSpool logical units: You can work with any NetSpool logical units (LUs) that are defined to NetSpool in the Printer Inventory and also defined to VTAM®.

  You can find LUs by name. After you find a NetSpool LU, you can start and stop it. When you start an LU, that LU is started in both Infoprint Server and VTAM. Likewise, when you stop an LU, that LU is stopped in both Infoprint Server and VTAM. You can also display information about the current VTAM session established with a NetSpool LU.

• Display printer definitions: You can display the properties of any printer definition in the Printer Inventory. You can use search criteria, such as the printer definition name and the printer's location, to find printer definitions. This can help you find the name of a printer in your area.
• Check system status: You can see the status of all Infoprint Server daemons and tasks. This can help you determine the cause of a printing problem. You can also start and stop IP PrintWay job selection rules to change which print jobs IP PrintWay processes.

Auditing Infoprint Central actions: Infoprint Central writes a message to the Infoprint Server common message log each time someone selects an Infoprint Central action. To find out who used Infoprint Central to do actions, select the View log action for Infoprint Server print jobs, JES print jobs, IP PrintWay printers, PSF printers, and NetSpool LUs.

Limitations:

• You can only work with objects to which your security administrator has given you RACF® authorization. For information about the authorization required to work with different objects, see z/OS Infoprint Server Customization.
• You can only work with printers to which either PSF or IP PrintWay extended mode can print.
• You cannot work with NetSpool LUs if more than one NetSpool task is running. Instead, you must use NetSpool commands and VTAM commands as described in Starting and stopping the NetSpool task and NetSpool LUs.
• Infoprint Central does not display these types of print jobs because they are numerous and users typically do not print them:
  • TSU print jobs
  • Held print jobs with only documents that have these DD names: JESJCL, JESMSGLG, JESYSMSG, SYSPRINT, and SYSTSPRT
  • Print jobs with job name BPXAS
• Infoprint Central does not display print jobs that were sent to a JES spool on a different system.