Writer is Accidentally Changed to Refer to Another Output Queue

This situation is most likely caused by using Option 9 (Work with printing status) from the Work with Output Queue (WRKOUTQ) or Work with Spooled Files (WRKSPLF) commands to get a spooled file moved to a printer or output queue rather than using Option 2 (Change) to change the Printer (DEV) or Output queue (OUTQ) parameters to point to the desired printer or output queue.

For example, this can be done by taking the following steps:

One way to avoid the previous situation is to select Option 2 (Change) on the spooled file and specifying the printer name in the Printer (DEV) parameter or the Output queue (OUTQ) parameter rather than selecting Option 9 (Work with printing status). This can be done by doing the following:

Another option is to use the Grant Object Authority (GRTOBJAUT) command to grant *EXCLUDE authority to the Change Writer (CHGWTR) command for certain users and granting *USE authority for other users. For example:

GRTOBJAUT OBJ(QSYS/CHGWTR) OBJTYPE(*CMD)
          USER(*PUBLIC) AUT(*EXCLUDE)

GRTOBJAUT OBJ(QSYS/CHGWTR) OBJTYPE(*CMD)
          USER(QSECOFR QSYSOPR) AUT(*USE)

If a user is not authorized to the CHGWTR command, then taking Option 9 (Work with printing status) and then Option 2 (Change printer writer to use output queue of file) will result in messages CPD0032 "Not authorized to command CHGWTR in library *SYSTEM" and CPF0001 "Error found on CHGWTR command". This is not a very elegant solution, but would effectively prevent the writer from printing all of the spooled files that are in Ready (RDY) status in a user's output queue because they used Option 9 (Work with printing status) instead of Option 2 (Change).

Note: Granting users *EXCLUDE authority to the CHGWTR command will have no affect if the user profile, or a group profile associated with the user profile, has *ALLOBJ special authority.

When the writer job is changed to point to another output queue through the use of Option 9 (Work with printing status), the change is made under-the-covers using the Change Writer (CHGWTR) command. Therefore, object auditing can be used to determine which job caused the writer to be changed, provided that QAUDCTL (Auditing control) system value already specifies *OBJAUD and object auditing has been setup on the QSYS/CHGWTR command.

If object auditing is not already setup on the QSYS/CHGWTR command; however, it is likely that this issue will occur again, then you can set up object auditing using the instructions in the following Rochester Support Center knowledgebase document:

N1018707: Using Object Auditing to Track Use of Print-Related Commands

making certain that you set up object auditing specifically on the CHGWTR command using the Change Object Auditing (CHGOBJAUD) command, for example:

CHGOBJAUD OBJ(QSYS/CHGWTR) OBJTYPE(*CMD) OBJAUD(*ALL)

and the wait for the problem to occur again.

Once you have found an instance where the writer has changed to point to a different output queue, use the Display Audit Journal Entry (DSPAUDJRNE) or the Display Journal (DSPJRN) command to write any command string (CD) journal entries to a spooled file, then look for "CD" journal entries for the CHGWTR command to see which jobs used the CHGWTR command.

For example, the audit journal entries may show something like the following:

CD  C   V2KEA261   CHGWTR     *NLVLIBL    N  QPADEV001P V2KEA261   649051 2010-06-01-14.30.33.665264
*NLVLIBL/CHGWTR WTR(PRT05) OUTQ(QUSRSYS/QEZJOBLOG)
CD  C   V2KEA261   CHGWTR     *NLVLIBL    N  QPADEV001P V2KEA261   649051 2010-06-01-14.30.51.349520
*NLVLIBL/CHGWTR WTR(PRT01) OUTQ(QUSRSYS/QPRINT)

Other suggestions to prevent spooled files from accidentally printing include generating spooled files in HLD (Held) status when they are not expected to be printed, and holding output queues that are not intended for printing.

Generating Spooled Files in HLD (Held) Status

The most common example of generating spooled files that are not intended to be printed is system output, including job logs, service dumps and program dumps that are generated using system-supplied printer files. If the Change Printer File (CHGPRTF) command is used to change these printer files to set the Hold spooled file (HOLD) parameter *YES, for example:

CHGPRTF FILE(QSYS/QPJOBLOG) HOLD(*YES)

CHGPRTF FILE(QSYS/QPSRVDMP) HOLD(*YES)

CHGPRTF FILE(QSYS/QPDSPJOB) HOLD(*YES)

CHGPRTF FILE(QSYS/QPCSMPRT) HOLD(*YES)

CHGPRTF FILE(QSYS/QPPGMDMP) HOLD(*YES)

then the resulting spooled files will have to be released before they can be printed, which greatly reduces the likelihood that they will be printed accidentally.

Note that this can also be done with other printer files, or when using the Override with Printer File (OVRPRTF) command interactively or in a CL program.

Holding Output Queues not Intended for Printing

Generating spooled files in HLD status can prevent them from accidentally printing, but holding output queues that are not intended for printing also can prevent spooled files from accdentally printing. Those most common output queues that are used to store but not print spooled files include QPRINT, QEZJOBLOG and QEZDEBUG, which can be held using the following Hold Output Queue (HLDOUTQ) commands:

HLDOUTQ OUTQ(QGPL/PRINT)

HLDOUTQ OUTQ(QUSRSYS/QEZJOBLOG)

HLDOUTQ OUTQ(QUSRSYS/QEZDEBUG)

but if you also setup a printer and output queue called PRT01, but do not actually have these associated with a printer, then you can put this output queue on hold as well. For example:

HLDOUTQ OUTQ(QUSRSYS/PRT01)