Compaq DECprint Supervisor (DCPS) for OpenVMS
System Manager's Guide


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11.6.2 What to Do if a File Data Type Is Not Recognized

If the DECprint Supervisor software fails to determine the data type of a print file correctly, the user can explicitly specify the DATA_TYPE parameter. If necessary, you can set up a generic queue for specific data types. All files printed to this queue will have the specified data type, unless the user explicitly specifies another data type using the DATA_TYPE parameter. Users can also specify the DATA_TYPE=AUTOMATIC parameter to explicitly specify automatic data type detection.

The automatic data type feature examines the following to determine the data type of the file:

  1. The value of the DATA_TYPE parameter in the PRINT command
  2. The queue default data type specified in the DCPS$STARTUP.COM file
  3. OpenVMS file tags (for example, DDIF stored_semantics tags)
  4. The contents of the file
  5. The file extension

If the DECprint Supervisor software cannot determine the file data type from these steps, the default text data type is used. If no default text data type has been defined by the user or the system manager (see Section 4.2.2), the file is processed as ANSI. When the default text data type is used, the text can precede PostScript; the file is printed properly. However, the file may not be printed properly if any more text follows the PostScript data. In this case, it may be necessary to edit the file and print the text and PostScript data as separate files.

In general, though, users should not be encouraged to modify the contents of their files or the file extensions so that the data type can be determined. Instead, the application that generates the file may be examined and modified if necessary; or you can provide site-specific file extension files, default text data types, or generic queues with explicit default data types.


Appendix A
Printing System Management Commands

You use standard OpenVMS DCL commands to manage the DECprint Supervisor queues, jobs, and related system resources.

Note

Remember that the management commands only affect the system on which they are issued. A network printer can serve other systems as well, with each system having its own set of queues, jobs, forms, etc.

A.1 Overview of Management Commands

Table A-1 lists the commands used to manage print queues, print jobs, and related system resouces. More information for these commands can be found in the OpenVMS DCL Dictionary.

Table A-1 Printing System Management Commands
Command Function
ASSIGN /MERGE Removes jobs from one queue and puts them in another existing queue.
ASSIGN /QUEUE Assigns a logical queue to an execution queue.
DEASSIGN /QUEUE Deassigns a logical queue and stops the logical queue.
DEFINE /CHARACTERISTIC Defines a queue characteristic name and number.
DEFINE /FORM Defines a printer form name, number, and attributes.
DELETE /CHARACTERISTIC Deletes the definition of a queue characteristic.
DELETE /ENTRY Deletes one or more job entries from a queue.
DELETE /FORM Deletes the definition of a form.
DELETE /QUEUE Deletes a queue.
INITIALIZE /QUEUE Not recommended for use with the DECprint Supervisor software.
SET ENTRY Changes or deletes attributes of a job that is in the queue but not currently executing.
SET QUEUE Changes the status and attributes of a queue.
SET QUEUE /ENTRY This command has been superseded by the SET ENTRY command, which performs identical functions. Compaq recommends that you use the SET ENTRY command.
SET QUEUE /RETAIN Retains print jobs upon completion or termination due to an error.
SHOW ENTRY Display information about print jobs.
SHOW QUEUE Displays information about queues and jobs.
SHOW QUEUE /CHARACTERISTICS Displays information about queue characteristic names and numbers available on a queue.
SHOW QUEUE /FORM Displays the names and numbers of the forms defined for your system.
START /QUEUE Starts or restarts a queue.
START /QUEUE /MANAGER Starts the system job queue manager and opens the queue file.
STOP /QUEUE Pauses an execution queue.
STOP /QUEUE /ABORT Stops the executing print job, but does not stop the queue.
STOP /QUEUE /MANAGER Stops the system job queue manager and closes the job queue file.
STOP /QUEUE /NEXT Stops the queue after the current job has finished printing.
STOP /QUEUE /REQUEUE Stops the executing print job and requeues it to the specified queue, but does not stop the queue.
STOP /QUEUE /RESET Stops a queue immediately and returns control to the system.

A.2 Use of SET PRINTER with DCPS

Because PostScript printers are controlled by the DECprint Supervisor software, the DCL SET PRINTER command has no meaning in a DECprint Supervisor environment. Print job characteristics for the DECprint Supervisor are set and displayed by other means.

Print job characteristics for DECprint Supervisor are determined by:

  1. Parameters embedded in the job data
  2. Parameters passed in the /PARAMETERS qualifier of the PRINT command
  3. DEFINE /FORM qualifiers
  4. For PrintServer printers, default parameters which are in the PrintServer configuration database
  5. The default queue parameters, which are defined in the DCPS$STARTUP.COM file

Items 1, 2, and 3 in this list are controlled by the PostScript interpreter or the data syntax translator, depending on the type of job being processed. Item 4 is controlled by the PrintServer server management interface described in the DEC PrintServer Supporting Host Software for OpenVMS Management Guide.

Table A-2 shows the SET PRINTER qualifiers and the equivalent control in a DECprint Supervisor printing system.

Table A-2 SET PRINTER Qualifier Equivalents for DECprint Supervisor Queues
SET PRINTER Qualifier Equivalent Control
/CR Insertion of carriage return characters is controlled by the current data type translator.
/FALLBACK Translation of DIGITAL multinational characters is controlled by the current font. If the character does not exist in the specified font, the font error character prints.
/FF Mechanical form feeds are controlled by the current data type translator or the PostScript interpreter.
/LOWERCASE The DECprint Supervisor printer is considered to be a lowercase printer. It does not translate lowercase to uppercase.
/PAGE The number of lines printed on each page is controlled by the ANSI translator (ANSI files only). This characteristic is available through DEFINE /FORM.
/PASSALL Whether the system interprets special characters or forwards them as 8-bit binary data is controlled by the current data type translator.
/PRINTALL Whether the printer interprets special characters or prints their 8-bit binary equivalent is controlled by the current data type translator.
/TRUNCATE Truncation of data that exceeds the limitation imposed by the /WIDTH qualifier is controlled by the form definition or the current data type translator.
/WIDTH The number of characters allowed on each line of the currently installed media is controlled by the form definition, or a combination of the current data type translator and the current font.
/WRAP Generation of a carriage-return/line-feed by the printer when it reaches the end of a line is controlled by the form definition or the current data type translator.

Note

Not all data type translators implement the preceding functions in the same manner; refer to a translator's documentation for specific information about its behavior.


Appendix B
Logical Names used by DCPS

This appendix provides some information about OpenVMS logical names that are used by the DECprint Supervisor for OpenVMS software.

Here are some guidelines for using these logical names:

Below is a table of the logical names used by DCPS, their acceptable values, and a brief explanation of what they mean. There are also references to other sections of this document or other documents where you can find more information about the logical names.

Note

In the following table, qn is an abbreviation for the queue name.

Table B-1 DCPS Logical Names
Logical Name Acceptable Values Meanings and References
Logical names that provide information to DCPS
DCPS_LIB 2 search list List of DCPS setup libraries and their data types; Section 7.4.2
DCPS$DEFAULT_TRANSLATOR <set of translators> 1 System wide default text data type; Section 4.2.2
DCPS$ qn_DEFAULT_TRANSLATOR <set of translators> 1 Queue specific default text data type; Section 4.2.2
DCPS$DEVCTL_CACHE TRUE Enable system wide device control caching; Section 7.11
DCPS$ qn_DEVCTL_CACHE TRUE Enable queue specific device control caching; Section 7.11
DCPS$ qn_DEVICE_NAME 4 string Actual device name associated with the queue when name is too long for INITIALIZE/QUEUE/ON qualifier (and SHOW QUEUE/FULL lists "DCPS$" as the device instead); Section 3.3.2
DCPS$_IGNORE_UNKNOWN_USER TRUE Disable unknown user error system wide when username not found in UAF; Section 3.4.5
DCPS$ qn_IGNORE_UNKNOWN_USER TRUE Disable unknown user error for a queue when username not found in UAF; Section 3.4.5
DCPS$ qn_INTERRUPT_WHEN_BUSY TRUE Disable wait for serial printers to be "not busy"; Section 3.4.2
DCPS$LAYUP 3 search list Directory where layup files are stored; DECprint Supervisor for OpenVMS Software Installation Guide
DCPS$MAX_STREAMS 0..32 Number of queues per DCPS symbiont process; Section 3.4.1
DCPS$ qn_NO_SYNC TRUE Disable usual synchronization on printers other than PrintServer printers; Section 3.4.3
DCPS$ qn_OLD_ANSI_PAGE_SIZES TRUE Use old (pre-V1.1a) vertical spacing for A4 size in ANSI translator; Section 3.4.6
DCPS$ qn_PARAMETER 4 string Default queue parameters; Section 3.3.4
DCPS$PURGE_TIME delta time Time to wait before purging working set; Section 3.4.4
DCPS$ qn_SEPARATOR_TRAY number Tray number to take job burst and flag pages from; Section 6.2.3
DCPS$ qn_STALL_TIME delta time Timeout before declaring a printer stalled; Section 5.12
DCPS$ qn_SUPPRESS_JOBTRAILER TRUE Disable printing of job trailer; Section 6.2.2
PSM$ANNOUNCE string String which prints on separator pages; Section 6.4
Logical names that return information from DCPS
DCPS$ qn_PID   Process ID of DCPS symbiont controlling the queue; Section 5.8
DCPS$ qn_STALLED   Reason for queue being stalled; Section 5.12
DCPS$VERSION   DCPS software version running on the system; DCPS Version


1 <set of translators> = ANSI, AUTOMATIC, LIST, PCL, POSTSCRIPT, REGIS, TEK4014, etc.
2 Defined with a default value in the DCPS$STARTUP.COM
3 Defined by DCPS$REQUIRED.COM using information you supplied during the DCPS installation
4 Defined by DCPS$EXECUTION_QUEUE.COM


Appendix C
Downloading and Deleting Fonts

You may be able to use the SYS$COMMON:[SYSHLP.EXAMPLES.DCPS]FONT_DOWNLOADER.COM command procedure to list, download, and delete fonts on the optional hard drive on a printer. The procedure is known to work with the DEClaser 5100 and LN17ps printers, and may work with other printers as well.

To use the procedure, invoke it and follow the prompts that it gives you.


Appendix D
DECprint Supervisor (DCPS) and DECprint Printing Services Software (CPS)

This appendix explains the differences between the DECprint Supervisor software and the DECprint Printing Services software, and their ability to coexist. "DCPS" refers to the DECprint Supervisor for OpenVMS product; "CPS" refers to the DECprint Printing Services product.

D.1 DCPS/CPS Coexistence

DCPS software can coexist on the same system with CPS Version 4.0 or Version 4.1 software. The installation of DCPS software does not delete or modify components of CPS software. You may continue to run both products on the same system, or you may migrate the existing queue structure from the CPS product to the DCPS product.

D.2 Printer Support

D.3 Upgrading from CPS to DCPS

If you are upgrading from CPS to DCPS, convert your CPS$STARTUP.COM file as follows:

  1. Enter the following command:


    $ @SYS$STARTUP:CPS_TO_DCPS_STARTUP
    

  2. Answer the questions displayed on your screen. For example:


    Enter filename of CPS startup file to be converted; 
    Default filename is SYS$SYSROOT:[SYS$STARTUP]CPS$STARTUP.COM 
        [default]: 
     
    disk$manager:[cps_conversion]cps$startup.com
     
    Enter filename of DCPS startup file to be created; 
    Default filename is SYS$SYSROOT:[SYS$STARTUP]DCPS$STARTUP.COM [default]:
     
    disk$manager:[cps_conversion]dcps$startup.com
     
    Please read or run DIFFERENCES on the output file, 
            DISK$MANAGER:[CPS_CONVERSION]DCPS$STARTUP.COM, 
    to be sure the new file meets your needs.
     
    

The procedure creates a startup file that DECprint Supervisor recognizes, but does not change your existing queue definitions. If you need to add new queues, see Section 3.3

DCPS has an automatic data type detection feature. Therefore, you no longer need to specify the data type as a queue default or in the PRINT command.

If you defined generic queues for default data types, edit DCPS$STARTUP.COM and remove them.

D.4 DCPS$ Prefix

All file names, logical names, and messages for the DCPS product start with the DCPS$ prefix. This ensures that you can continue to use CPS software to drive some queues, and add the DCPS software to drive others. The default OpenVMS form is DCPS$DEFAULT.

Certain files, however, are considered system resources, and are shared between the DCPS and CPS products, and possibly other products. These shared resources are:

Secondary messages (those generated by other facilities such as RMS, and passed along by the DCPS product) retain the code of the facility that originated the message.

D.5 Startup File Converter

The conversion tool, CPS_TO_DCPS_STARTUP.COM, converts the startup file for the CPS software so that it uses the names from the DCPS product. This tool is described in Section 3.2.

The following table lists the CPS_Name and the corresponding DCPS_Name conversions.
CPS_Name DCPS_Name
CPS$STARTUP DCPS$STARTUP
CPS$EXECUTION_QUEUE DCPS$EXECUTION_QUEUE
CPS$REQUIRED DCPS$REQUIRED
CPS$GENERIC DCPS$GENERIC
CPS_LIB DCPS_LIB
CPS$DEVCTL DCPS$DEVCTL
LPS$ queuename_PARAMETER DCPS$ queuename_PARAMETER
CPS$ queuename_STALL_TIME DCPS$ queuename_STALL_TIME
LPS$LAYUP DCPS$LAYUP
DECprint Printing Services DECprint Supervisor

The conversion tool does not change queue names or the structure of the queues.


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