Retaining data sets on the JES spool

IP PrintWay™ can retain data sets on the JES spool for a specified period of time after the data sets have completed processing. Although retaining data sets on the JES spool uses spool space, it lets you retransmit data sets that have not printed correctly or have not been successfully sent to the email destination. When the retention period for data sets expires, IP PrintWay deletes them from the JES spool.

When IP PrintWay retains data sets on the JES spool:

• If you run IP PrintWay basic mode, retained data sets remain selected by IP PrintWay.
• If you run IP PrintWay extended mode, all retained data sets are released to JES. They are either in the held state (JES2) or in the keep state (JES3).

The operator can work with retained data sets:

• If you run IP PrintWay basic mode, the operator can use the Infoprint Server ISPF panels to move data sets to different printers, reset them, hold them, or delete them. For information, see Using the IP PrintWay transmission queue (basic mode).

  If the operator resets a data set, IP PrintWay basic mode restarts printing it from the beginning of the data set.

  If the operator holds a data set, the data set is held until the operator resets or deletes the data set. IP PrintWay basic mode does not delete it automatically when its retention period expires.

• If you run IP PrintWay extended mode, the operator can use Infoprint Central or JES commands to move print jobs to different printers, release them, hold them, or delete them. For information, see Using Infoprint Central and Using JES commands and SDSF to work with output data sets. (In some cases, you must use Infoprint Central, instead of JES commands, to move print jobs to different printers.)

  If the operator releases a print job, IP PrintWay extended mode restarts printing either from the beginning of the first data set in the print job or after the last page that printed successfully. For more information, see Tracking the number of printed pages (extended mode).

  If the operator holds a print job, all data sets in that print job are held until the operator releases or deletes the print job. IP PrintWay extended mode does not delete the print job automatically when its retain time expires.

You can specify these fields in the printer definition to control retention:

• Retention period: Successful: The period of time IP PrintWay retains all data sets that have been successfully transmitted.
• Retention period: Failure: The period of time IP PrintWay retains all data sets that were not successfully transmitted after all requested retries have been attempted. If a failed data set is part of a JES output group (print job), IP PrintWay retains all data sets in the print job.

Guidelines:

• IP PrintWay basic mode: Do not retain successful data sets, and retain failed data sets for as short a time as possible because a system abend (abend code 878) can occur when an IP PrintWay FSS retains a very high number of data sets on the JES spool. Or, migrate to IP PrintWay extended mode.
• IP PrintWay extended mode: You can specify longer retention times because a system abend does not occur when you retain a large number of data sets on the JES spool.

IP PrintWay considers a print job to be successful when IP PrintWay finishes processing the print job without error. Table 25 summarizes when IP PrintWay considers a print job to be successful for each transmission protocol.