Infoprint Server

Infoprint Server is an optional feature of z/OS® (Program Number 5694-A01 or 5650-ZOS). It supports printing on z/OS printers, including AFP printers and local and receiving printers in an Internet Protocol or SNA network. You can use Infoprint Server to submit print requests from receiving workstations in an Internet Protocol network, from z/OS UNIX System Services applications, from batch applications, and from VTAM® applications, such as CICS® or IMS™. Infoprint Server consists of several components. Figure 3 shows how some of the components of Infoprint Server, including Infoprint Port Monitor, Print Interface, Infoprint Transforms to AFP, NetSpool, and IP PrintWay, complement PSF for z/OS in providing an integrated print processing solution:

1. The Infoprint Port Monitor sends files to Print Interface so Windows users can print documents on AFP and other z/OS printers.
2. Print Interface sends jobs to the JES spool from remote operating systems and from z/OS UNIX System Services.
3. Print Interface uses data transforms provided by Infoprint Transforms to AFP for z/OS to transform HP Printer Control Language (PCL), Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF), Adobe PostScript, or SAP R/3 System Generic Output Format (SAPGOF) data streams to AFP format. It also uses other transform products, such as the Infoprint XT transform product.
4. NetSpool sends jobs to the JES spool from VTAM applications, such as CICS or IMS.
5. IP PrintWay takes jobs from the JES spool and sends them to network printers in an Internet Protocol or SNA network.
6. PSF for z/OS takes jobs from the JES spool and prints them to local and remote AFP printers.

Figure 3. Infoprint Server and PSF for z/OS print processing solution

Infoprint Server has a Printer Inventory that manages the inventory of printer information that is used by IP PrintWay, NetSpool, Print Interface, and PSF. PSF users can define printer initialization parameters, trace parameters, and optional functions in the Printer Inventory instead of in the PSF startup procedure, installation Exit 7, and the AFPPARMS control statement. Using the Printer Inventory avoids the need to restart all the printers in a startup procedure when you change parameters. Only the printer for which parameters are changed needs to be restarted.

Infoprint Server includes Infoprint Central, a print management application that runs on the web. Operators can use Infoprint Central to display information about and work with printers defined in the Printer Inventory. Operators can do these tasks in Infoprint Central:

• Display the properties of a PSF printer by searching on the printer's FSA name.
• Display the properties of any printer that is defined in the Printer Inventory by searching on the printer definition name or the printer location.
• Display the status of a PSF printer to see whether it is stopped (drained) or waiting for operator intervention.
• Change job-selection criteria for PSF printers.
• Start, stop, space, interrupt, pause (JES2 only), and ping PSF printers.

If PSF is writing messages to the Infoprint Server common message log, operators can also:

• View FSA and print job messages that PSF has written to the common message log.
• Search for print jobs and view the properties for each job.
• Release held print jobs, delete jobs, change the priority of jobs, and move jobs (while PSF has not started processing the jobs).

You can use the Printer Inventory with PSF even if you do not have an Infoprint Server license. See z/OS Infoprint Server Printer Inventory for PSF.

For more information about Infoprint Server, see z/OS Infoprint Server Introduction. For more information about using Infoprint Central, see z/OS Infoprint Server Operation and Administration.