OpenVMS System Manager's Manual

Updated: 11 December 1998

OpenVMS System Manager's Manual

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13.6.8 Using Device Control Libraries

A device control library is a text library that contains user-written modules consisting of text or escape sequences. A device control library module can be used for the following purposes:

With programmable printers, to insert device-dependent escape sequences that set up a printer for selected print options such as point size, character set, and bold or italic print
With programmable and nonprogrammable printers, to insert text at specific points in the processing of a print job

The three types of device control library modules, distinguished by their placement in a print job, are:

Module Type Placement

Setup Inserted at the beginning of a file.

Page setup Inserted at the beginning of each page.

Reset Inserted at the end of each job. Use reset modules to reset a printer to a known state at the end of a job.

Module Type	Placement
Setup	Inserted at the beginning of a file.
Page setup	Inserted at the beginning of each page.
Reset	Inserted at the end of each job. Use reset modules to reset a printer to a known state at the end of a job.

How to Perform This Task

To use device control library options, perform the following steps:

Create a library and insert modules.
Assign the device control library to a queue. (This step is not necessary if you use the default library name SYSDEVCTL.TLB.)
Create one or more forms with setup or page setup modules.
Assign reset modules to a queue.

Commands for Processing Print Jobs

You can use the following commands to set up device control library modules for processing print jobs:

Command Description

DEFINE/FORM/SETUP Specifies one or more modules that set up the device at the start of each file of a job.

DEFINE/FORM/[NO]PAGE_SETUP Specifies one or more modules that set up the device at the start of each page of a job.

INITIALIZE/QUEUE/LIBRARY
START/QUEUE/LIBRARY Specifies the file name of the device control library.

INITIALIZE/QUEUE/SEPARATE=[NO]RESET
START/QUEUE/SEPARATE=[NO]RESET
SET QUEUE/SEPARATE=[NO]RESET Specifies one or more device control library modules that contain the job reset sequence for the queue.

PRINT/FORM Specifies the name or number of the form to be associated with the print job.

Command	Description
DEFINE/FORM/SETUP	Specifies one or more modules that set up the device at the start of each file of a job.
DEFINE/FORM/[NO]PAGE_SETUP	Specifies one or more modules that set up the device at the start of each page of a job.
INITIALIZE/QUEUE/LIBRARY START/QUEUE/LIBRARY	Specifies the file name of the device control library.
INITIALIZE/QUEUE/SEPARATE=[NO]RESET START/QUEUE/SEPARATE=[NO]RESET SET QUEUE/SEPARATE=[NO]RESET	Specifies one or more device control library modules that contain the job reset sequence for the queue.
PRINT/FORM	Specifies the name or number of the form to be associated with the print job.

13.6.8.1 Understanding the Order of Device Control Module Output

Device control modules are sent to the printer within a print job in the following order:

Reset modules assigned to the queue. (Reset modules are only used at this point for the first job printed after a queue is started.)
Setup modules specified in the form definition.
Page setup modules specified in the form definition.
Setup modules specified with the PRINT command.
Page 1 of file 1.
Page setup modules specified in the form definition.
Page 2 of file 1, and so forth.
Page setup modules specified in the form definition.
Last page of file 1.
Setup modules specified in the form definition.
Page setup modules specified in the form definition.
Setup modules specified with the PRINT command.
Page 1 of file 2.
Page setup modules specified in the form definition.
Page 2 of file 2, and so forth.
Page setup modules specified in the form definition.
Last page of file 2.
Reset modules assigned to the queue.

The following sections describe how to manage device control libraries.

13.6.8.2 Creating a Device Control Library and Inserting Modules

To create a device control library and insert modules, perform the following steps:

Create a device control library by entering a command in the following format:
LIBRARY/CREATE/TEXT SYS$COMMON:[SYSLIB] filename.TLB
Determine the contents of the module---either the text to be inserted or the escape sequences needed for the printer setup you want. To determine the proper escape sequences for a printer option, refer to the operation guide for the specific printer.
Create a module file and enter the appropriate escape sequences, carriage control characters, or text. Create and edit a module file as you would any other text file. Make sure your text editor does not insert a carriage return or line feed at the end of your file. This will affect your printer output.
Insert the module into the device control library by entering a command in the following format:
LIBRARY/INSERT/TEXT library-file module-file

Note

To add a module to or delete it from a library, you must stop all output queues assigned to that library.

Refer to the OpenVMS Command Definition, Librarian, and Message Utilities Manual for more information about creating libraries and inserting modules.

13.6.8.3 Assigning a Library to a Queue

To assign a device control library to an output queue, use the /LIBRARY qualifier with INITIALIZE/QUEUE or START/QUEUE in the following format:

INITIALIZE/QUEUE/LIBRARY=filename queue-name

where filename is the name of the library file that contains the selected modules.

Libraries must be in SYS$LIBRARY and must have the file type .TLB. The default library is SYS$LIBRARY:SYSDEVCTL.TLB. Use the /LIBRARY qualifier to specify an alternate device control library. For example:

$ INITIALIZE/QUEUE/LIBRARY=LN03DEVCTL LN03_A_QUE

Note

If you specify a value for the /LIBRARY qualifier, do not include the directory, file type, or version number. The system assumes that the file is in SYS$LIBRARY and has the type .TLB. If you copy a library file from another node, be sure that the new library has a unique file name.

Operations that request a particular device control library module use the module from the library specified for the queue. Guidelines for using libraries follow:

If you have a small configuration of printers and normally use only a few modules, you usually store all modules in a single library and assign that same library to each printer queue.
If you use a single library to store modules for different types of printers, make sure that each module has a unique name.
For sites with a large number of different printers, you usually create and assign a separate device control library for each type of printer. In this case, Compaq recommends that you give modules that perform the same function an identical name in all libraries, even though the modules contain escape sequences unique to the specific type of printer.

Example

If three libraries contained modules that set up a printer for landscape orientation, these modules might be named LANDSCAPE in all three libraries. This allows you to use the same form on any queue for which a library contains a module of the specified name, even though the modules might contain different device-specific sequences.

Use the following command format to display a listing of all modules contained within a specified library:

LIBRARY/LIST/FULL SYS$LIBRARY:library-name.TLB

13.6.8.4 Creating Forms for Setup and Page Setup Modules

To specify a setup or page setup module for a queue, use the /SETUP=module or /PAGE_SETUP=module qualifier with DEFINE/FORM. The modules you specify with /SETUP are sent to the printer when the form is mounted, before each file of a job is printed. Similarly, the modules you specify with /PAGE_SETUP are sent to the printer before each page of a job.

Users can request the module by using one of the following qualifiers with the PRINT command:

The /FORM qualifier in the following format:
PRINT/FORM=form /QUEUE=queue-name filespec
When the user enters PRINT/FORM, the form name is checked for validity.
The /SETUP qualifier in the following format:
PRINT/SETUP=module filespec
When the user enters PRINT/SETUP, the module names are not checked until the job attempts to print. If there is an error in the module name, the job will not print and the user will not be notified unless the /NOTIFY qualifier was specified.

13.6.8.5 Assigning a Reset Module to a Queue

To assign a module to an output execution queue to reset the printer to a known state at the end of each job, use the /SEPARATE=RESET=module qualifier with INITIALIZE/QUEUE, START/QUEUE, or SET QUEUE.

Because the /SEPARATE qualifier specifies mandatory queue options, the RESET module you specify is sent to the queue at the end of every job. The user cannot override this option.

Examples

In the following example, the reset sequence contained in the module resets the printer at the end of each job. It also resets the printer when the queue is started to ensure that the first job prints correctly.

$ INITIALIZE/QUEUE/LIBRARY=MYDEVCTL/SEPARATE=RESET=MODULE2 PDQ_QUE

The following example uses device control library modules to process a print job. Two device control modules are created and inserted into the library file MYDEVCTL.TLB. The escape sequence or text in the setup module named MODULE1 is sent to the printer to set up the printer before REPORT.TXT is printed and again before MEMO.TXT is printed. The escape sequence or text in the reset module named MODULE2 is sent to the printer only once after both files in job REPORT have printed.

$ LIBRARY/CREATE/TEXT SYS$LIBRARY:MYDEVCTL.TLB $ EDIT MODULE1.TXT !enter printer escape sequences or text for module1 $ EDIT MODULE2.TXT !enter printer escape sequences or text for module2 $ LIBRARY/INSERT SYS$LIBRARY:MYDEVCTL.TLB/TEXT MODULE1 $ LIBRARY/INSERT SYS$LIBRARY:MYDEVCTL.TLB/TEXT MODULE2 $ INITIALIZE/QUEUE/START/ON=TTA9:/LIBRARY=MYDEVCTL PDQ_QUE $ SET QUEUE/SEPARATE=RESET=MODULE2 PDQ_QUE $ SHOW QUEUE/FULL PDQ_QUE Terminal queue PDQ_QUE, idle on TOAD::TTA9, mounted form DEFAULT /BASE_PRIORITY=4/DEFAULT=(FEED,FORM=DEFAULT)/LIBRARY=MYDEVCTL /OWNER=[1,4]/PROTECTION=(S:M,O:D,G:R,W:R)/SEPARATE=(RESET=(MODULE2)) $ DEFINE/FORM/SETUP=MODULE1/STOCK=DEFAULT FORM1 1 $ PRINT/FORM=FORM1 REPORT.TXT,MEMO.TXT/QUEUE=PDQ_QUE Job REPORT (Queue PDQ_QUE, entry 619) started on PDQ_QUE

13.7 Maintaining Queues

Once you set up your queues, you must monitor and modify them according to the needs of your site.

Also, setting up queues is not restricted to startup time. During normal operation, you can create and start queues as your needs dictate. If you decide to set up queues at a later time, refer to the instructions in Section 13.4.

If you create additional output queues at a later time, make sure to perform the following actions:

Add commands to set device characteristics to the startup command procedure on the node on which the device is located.
For devices attached to a LAT port, add commands to the startup procedures on all nodes with queues for the device.
For additional nonautostart queues, add appropriate START/QUEUE commands to the startup command procedure on the node on which the queue will run. If you do not add appropriate START/QUEUE commands, the queues will not be started when the system reboots.

13.7.1 Using Queue Management Commands

Table 13-4 lists commands for creating and controlling queues and tells whether they have the same effect on all queues or if they have different effects on autostart and nonautostart queues.

Table 13-4 Effects of Queue Commands
Command Effect on

Autostart Queues Nonautostart Queues

ASSIGN/MERGE Moves jobs from one queue to another. Moves jobs from one queue to another.

ASSIGN/QUEUE Redirects jobs in a logical queue to an execution queue. Redirects jobs in a logical queue to an execution queue

DELETE/QUEUE Deletes a queue. Deletes a queue.

DISABLE AUTOSTART/QUEUES After allowing jobs to complete, fails over all autostart queues to the next available node in each queue's node list. If a queue has no list specified, the queue is stopped. No effect.

ENABLE AUTOSTART/QUEUES Starts all stopped, active autostart queues capable of running on the node. No effect.

INITIALIZE/QUEUE Creates the queue. The /AUTOSTART_ON qualifier specifies one or more nodes or nodes and devices on which the queue can run. Creates the queue. The /ON qualifier specifies a single node or node and device on which the queue is to run.

INITIALIZE/QUEUE/START Creates the queue and activates it for autostart. The /AUTOSTART_ON qualifier specifies one or more nodes or nodes and devices on which the queue can run. Creates and starts the queue. The /ON qualifier specifies a single node or node and device on which the queue is to run.

SET QUEUE Modifies a queue. Modifies a queue.

SHOW QUEUE Displays information about a queue. Displays information about a queue.

START/QUEUE Activates the queue for autostart. Starts the queue.

STOP/QUEUE Pauses a queue. Pauses a queue.

STOP/QUEUES/ON_NODE Aborts current jobs and stops all queues on a node without stopping the queue manager. Aborts current jobs and stops all queues on a node without stopping the queue manager.

STOP/QUEUE/NEXT Stops a queue after allowing the current jobs to complete, and deactivates the queue for autostart. Stops a queue after allowing the current jobs to complete.

STOP/QUEUE/RESET Stops a queue abruptly and deactivates the queue for autostart. Stops a queue abruptly.

**Table 13-4 Effects of Queue Commands**
Command	Effect on
	Autostart Queues	Nonautostart Queues
ASSIGN/MERGE	Moves jobs from one queue to another.	Moves jobs from one queue to another.
ASSIGN/QUEUE	Redirects jobs in a logical queue to an execution queue.	Redirects jobs in a logical queue to an execution queue
DELETE/QUEUE	Deletes a queue.	Deletes a queue.
DISABLE AUTOSTART/QUEUES	After allowing jobs to complete, fails over all autostart queues to the next available node in each queue's node list. If a queue has no list specified, the queue is stopped.	No effect.
ENABLE AUTOSTART/QUEUES	Starts all stopped, active autostart queues capable of running on the node.	No effect.
INITIALIZE/QUEUE	Creates the queue. The /AUTOSTART_ON qualifier specifies one or more nodes or nodes and devices on which the queue can run.	Creates the queue. The /ON qualifier specifies a single node or node and device on which the queue is to run.
INITIALIZE/QUEUE/START	Creates the queue and activates it for autostart. The /AUTOSTART_ON qualifier specifies one or more nodes or nodes and devices on which the queue can run.	Creates and starts the queue. The /ON qualifier specifies a single node or node and device on which the queue is to run.
SET QUEUE	Modifies a queue.	Modifies a queue.
SHOW QUEUE	Displays information about a queue.	Displays information about a queue.
START/QUEUE	Activates the queue for autostart.	Starts the queue.
STOP/QUEUE	Pauses a queue.	Pauses a queue.
STOP/QUEUES/ON_NODE	Aborts current jobs and stops all queues on a node without stopping the queue manager.	Aborts current jobs and stops all queues on a node without stopping the queue manager.
STOP/QUEUE/NEXT	Stops a queue after allowing the current jobs to complete, and deactivates the queue for autostart.	Stops a queue after allowing the current jobs to complete.
STOP/QUEUE/RESET	Stops a queue abruptly and deactivates the queue for autostart.	Stops a queue abruptly.

The following sections describe these tasks for managing queues:

Task For More Information

Monitoring queue information Section 13.7.1.1

Modifying a queue Section 13.7.1.2

Pausing a queue Section 13.7.1.3

Closing a queue Section 13.7.1.4

Stopping a queue Section 13.7.1.5

Preventing autostart queues from starting Section 13.7.1.6

Disabling autostart on a node Section 13.7.1.7

Stopping all queues on a node Section 13.7.1.8

Stopping queues before shutting down a system Section 13.7.1.9

Assigning a logical queue Section 13.7.1.10

Moving all jobs from one queue to another Section 13.7.1.11

Deleting a queue Section 13.7.1.12

Task	For More Information
Monitoring queue information	Section 13.7.1.1
Modifying a queue	Section 13.7.1.2
Pausing a queue	Section 13.7.1.3
Closing a queue	Section 13.7.1.4
Stopping a queue	Section 13.7.1.5
Preventing autostart queues from starting	Section 13.7.1.6
Disabling autostart on a node	Section 13.7.1.7
Stopping all queues on a node	Section 13.7.1.8
Stopping queues before shutting down a system	Section 13.7.1.9
Assigning a logical queue	Section 13.7.1.10
Moving all jobs from one queue to another	Section 13.7.1.11
Deleting a queue	Section 13.7.1.12

13.7.1.1 Monitoring Queue Information

Use the SHOW QUEUE command to monitor the status of queues. To display queue information, enter SHOW QUEUE in the following format:

SHOW QUEUE [/qualifier,...] [queue-name]

If you do not specify a qualifier or a queue name, the system displays the status of all queues on the system and all jobs you own. The SHOW QUEUE qualifiers let you select the type of queue and the amount of information you want to display.

Use the following qualifiers to select the information you want to display:

Qualifier Description

/BY_JOB_STATUS[= keyword-list] Displays queues that contain jobs of the specified status. You can specify one or more of the following keywords:

EXECUTING
HOLDING
PENDING
RETAINED
TIMED_RELEASE

If no keyword is specified, by default the jobs of all status are displayed. For more information about job status, see Table 13-6.

/BATCH Displays batch execution queues.

/DEVICE[= keyword-list] Displays output execution queues. You can select a specific type of execution queue by entering one or more of the following keywords:

PRINTER
TERMINAL
SERVER

If no keywords are specified, all types of output queue are displayed.

/GENERIC Displays the status of generic queues.

Qualifier	Description
/BY_JOB_STATUS[= keyword-list]	Displays queues that contain jobs of the specified status. You can specify one or more of the following keywords: EXECUTING HOLDING PENDING RETAINED TIMED_RELEASE If no keyword is specified, by default the jobs of all status are displayed. For more information about job status, see Table 13-6.
/BATCH	Displays batch execution queues.
/DEVICE[= keyword-list]	Displays output execution queues. You can select a specific type of execution queue by entering one or more of the following keywords: PRINTER TERMINAL SERVER If no keywords are specified, all types of output queue are displayed.
/GENERIC	Displays the status of generic queues.

Use the following qualifiers to select the amount of information you want to display:

Qualifier Description

/ALL_JOBS Displays information about all jobs for the selected queues.

/BRIEF Displays a brief listing of information about job entries in the queue. The brief listing is the default for the SHOW QUEUE command.

/FILES Adds a list of files associated with each job to the display.

/FULL Displays complete queue and job information (also displays any ACLs set for the queues).

/SUMMARY Displays the total number of executing, pending, holding, retained, and timed release jobs. The jobs themselves are not displayed.

Qualifier	Description
/ALL_JOBS	Displays information about all jobs for the selected queues.
/BRIEF	Displays a brief listing of information about job entries in the queue. The brief listing is the default for the SHOW QUEUE command.
/FILES	Adds a list of files associated with each job to the display.
/FULL	Displays complete queue and job information (also displays any ACLs set for the queues).
/SUMMARY	Displays the total number of executing, pending, holding, retained, and timed release jobs. The jobs themselves are not displayed.

You can also combine certain qualifiers to further delineate the queue information you want to display.

Table 13-5 defines queue statuses returned by SHOW QUEUE.

Table 13-5 Queue Statuses Displayed in the SHOW QUEUE Command
Queue Status Description

Aligning Queue manager is processing a START/QUEUE/ALIGN command.

Autostart inactive Queue was stopped and needs to be activated. For more information, see Section 13.8.4.

Available Queue is processing at least one job but is capable of processing additional concurrent jobs.

Busy Queue cannot process additional jobs because of one or more jobs in progress.

Closed Queue is closed and will not accept new jobs until it is set open. For more information, see Section 13.7.1.4.

Device unavailable Device to which the queue is assigned is not available.

Idle Queue is not processing any jobs and is capable of doing so.

Paused A STOP/QUEUE command has been executed.

Pausing Queue manager is processing a STOP/QUEUE command.

Remote Queue is assigned to a physical device that is not connected to the local system.

Resuming Queue manager is processing a START/QUEUE command on a paused queue.

Server Queue processing is directed to a server symbiont.

Stalled Symbiont processing temporarily halted due to device-related problem.

Starting Queue has been started, but the symbiont process is not yet active.

Stopped Queue is stopped and will not process work until started.

Stop pending Queue will be in the stopped state when current jobs have finished executing.

Stopping Queue is being stopped.

**Table 13-5 Queue Statuses Displayed in the SHOW QUEUE Command**
Queue Status	Description
Aligning	Queue manager is processing a START/QUEUE/ALIGN command.
Autostart inactive	Queue was stopped and needs to be activated. For more information, see Section 13.8.4.
Available	Queue is processing at least one job but is capable of processing additional concurrent jobs.
Busy	Queue cannot process additional jobs because of one or more jobs in progress.
Closed	Queue is closed and will not accept new jobs until it is set open. For more information, see Section 13.7.1.4.
Device unavailable	Device to which the queue is assigned is not available.
Idle	Queue is not processing any jobs and is capable of doing so.
Paused	A STOP/QUEUE command has been executed.
Pausing	Queue manager is processing a STOP/QUEUE command.
Remote	Queue is assigned to a physical device that is not connected to the local system.
Resuming	Queue manager is processing a START/QUEUE command on a paused queue.
Server	Queue processing is directed to a server symbiont.
Stalled	Symbiont processing temporarily halted due to device-related problem.
Starting	Queue has been started, but the symbiont process is not yet active.
Stopped	Queue is stopped and will not process work until started.
Stop pending	Queue will be in the stopped state when current jobs have finished executing.
Stopping	Queue is being stopped.

To display the forms or characteristics available on a system, use the SHOW QUEUE/FORM or SHOW QUEUE/CHARACTERISTICS command.

You can further customize the type of queue information you want to monitor by writing a command procedure that uses the F$GETQUI lexical function. F$GETQUI invokes the $GETQUI system service to return information stored in the queue database.

You can use the F$GETQUI lexical function to obtain information about the following types of objects:

Characteristics
Forms
Queues
Jobs contained in queues
Files of jobs contained in queues

For example, you could write a command procedure to display the total number of blocks of jobs in a pending state in all printer queues. You must have read access to the job or SYSPRV or OPER privilege to obtain job and file information.

For more information about the system service invoked by the F$GETQUI lexical function, refer to the description of the $GETQUI system service in the OpenVMS System Services Reference Manual.

Examples

The following example displays summary information for all printer and terminal queues:

$ SHOW QUEUE/SUMMARY/DEVICE=(PRINTER,TERMINAL) Printer queue HERA_LPA0, busy, on HERA::LPA0, mounted form DEFAULT <Printer queue on node HERA for a line printer> Job summary: 1 executing Printer queue HERA_LPB0, busy, on HERA::LPB0, mounted form DEFAULT <Printer queue on node HERA for a line printer> Job summary: 1 executing Generic printer queue CLUSTER_PRINT <Generic printer queue for LPA0: and LPB0:> Job summary: 1 holding Terminal queue LQ_PRINT, stopped, on HERA::TXA7:, <Letter quality printer in Bob's office> mounted form PORTRAIT_INDENTED (stock=DEFAULT) Job summary: 2 pending (445 blocks), 1 holding

The following example displays the full status and options of all executing jobs:

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