Using the IP PrintWay transmission queue (basic mode)

These topics apply only to IP PrintWay™ basic mode. IP PrintWay extended mode does not use the same transmission queue as IP PrintWay basic mode. If you run IP PrintWay extended mode, use Infoprint Central, JES commands and other spool management products (such as SDSF) to manage print jobs that IP PrintWay has selected from the JES spool. You should use Infoprint Central because it lets you do more actions on IP PrintWay print jobs and printers. See Using Infoprint Central.

The IP PrintWay basic mode transmission queue contains an entry for each data set that IP PrintWay basic mode has selected from the JES spool to process. Each entry contains the status of the transmission of the data set, routing information, and transmission options.

After IP PrintWay basic mode selects a data set from the JES spool for transmission, you cannot use JES commands and other spool management products (such as SDSF) to manage the data set. You must use Infoprint Server ISPF panels to monitor, reroute, retransmit, and delete data sets that IP PrintWay has selected.

IP PrintWay initially creates a queue entry for each data set to be transmitted. IP PrintWay retains the queue entry until either (1) IP PrintWay deletes the data set from the JES spool or (2) the IP PrintWay FSA processing the data set ends normally or abnormally and releases the data sets it is processing back to JES so that another IP PrintWay FSA can process them.

Under usual circumstances, you do not need to maintain the IP PrintWay transmission queue because IP PrintWay retains queue entries and deletes queue entries automatically. IP PrintWay retains and deletes entries based on retry and retention parameters specified either in the printer definition or in the JCL for each data set:

• If the transmission of a data set is successful, IP PrintWay retains the queue entry until the retention period specified for successful transmissions has expired and then automatically deletes the queue entry.
• If the transmission of a data set fails (the transmission is still unsuccessful after being retried the requested number of times), IP PrintWay retains the queue entry until the retention period specified for failed transmissions has expired and then automatically deletes the queue entry.

If all IP PrintWay FSAs stop processing, the transmission-queue should be empty. If any entries do remain, delete the entries or reallocate the data set before restarting IP PrintWay. If you reallocate the data set, you must also reinitialize it, as described in z/OS Infoprint Server Customization.

If your installation has used RACF® or a similar product to protect the IP PrintWay transmission-queue data set, you might not be authorized to do some or all of these functions. If, for example, you have read-only access to the IP PrintWay transmission-queue data set, you are allowed to list and browse entries but not hold, reset, modify, or delete them. The Infoprint Server ISPF panels show only those functions you are allowed to do.