Updated: 11 December 1998

OpenVMS System Manager's Manual

Users can specify that a job be held in a queue before processing by specifying one of the following qualifiers with the PRINT, SUBMIT, or SET ENTRY command:

• /AFTER=time holds a job until the specified time.
• /HOLD holds a job indefinitely.

You can use the following commands to hold and release jobs:

Command	Purpose
SET ENTRY/HOLD	Holds a job in a queue indefinitely before processing.
SET ENTRY/AFTER= time	Holds a job in a queue for processing after a specified time. To specify /AFTER for a job on hold, you must also specify /NOHOLD to cause the job to be held only until the specified time.
SET ENTRY/NOHOLD	Releases a job that is held in a queue for any of the following reasons: A job was submitted with the /HOLD or /AFTER qualifier. A completed job is being held in a queue by the /RETAIN qualifier. For more information, see Section 13.6.2. A job was refused by a user-written symbiont.
SET ENTRY/NOAFTER	Releases a job before the time specified with the SET ENTRY command.
SET ENTRY/RELEASE	Releases a job that is held in a queue for any of the following reasons: A job was submitted with the /HOLD or /AFTER qualifier. A completed job is being held in a queue. For more information, see Section 13.6.2. A user-written symbiont has refused a job.

Examples

1. The following example holds a job until the specified time and subsequently releases the job after that time:

   $ SET ENTRY 1121/AFTER=12-FEB-1998:17:30 $ SET ENTRY/NOAFTER

2. The following example holds a job until the end of the current day (00:00:00.00 o'clock) and subsequently releases the job before that time:

   $ SET ENTRY 1121/AFTER=TODAY $ SET ENTRY/NOAFTER

3. The following example holds a job indefinitely and subsequently releases it:

   $ SET ENTRY 1234/HOLD $ SET ENTRY 1234/RELEASE

To stop and requeue an executing print job, enter STOP/QUEUE/REQUEUE. This command suspends a currently executing job and requeues it to the specified queue. Other jobs remain pending in the queue until they are processed.

Examples

1. A job is executing in output execution queue BETA_LPB0 when the printer on which the queue is running jams. If no other jobs are pending in the queue, you might want to stop and requeue the job to a queue running on another printer. Because the printer in this example is jammed, you might also want to stop the queue. To do so, enter commands similar to the following ones:

   $ STOP/QUEUE/REQUEUE=BETA_LPA0 BETA_LPB0 $ STOP/QUEUE/RESET BETA_LPB0

   
   The first command stops the executing print job on BETA_LPB0 and requeues it to BETA_LPA0. The second command stops queue BETA_LPB0.

2. If you are requeuing a job on a batch queue, you must include the /ENTRY=n qualifier. For example:

   $ STOP/QUEUE/ENTRY=1251/REQUEUE=FRED_BATCH WILMA_BATCH

To hold an aborted job, specify the /HOLD qualifier using the following format:

STOP/QUEUE/REQUEUE[=queue-name]/HOLD[/ENTRY=entry-number] queue-name

The /HOLD qualifier places the aborted job in a hold state for later release with the SET ENTRY/RELEASE or SET ENTRY/NOHOLD command.

To change the scheduling priority of the aborted job, specify the /PRIORITY qualifier using the following format:

STOP/QUEUE/REQUEUE[=queue-name]/PRIORITY=n[/ENTRY=entry-number] queue-name

Specify the new priority as n.

13.7.2.5 Requeuing a Pending Job

To requeue a job that is pending in a queue to a different queue, enter SET ENTRY/REQUEUE. For example:

$ SET ENTRY/REQUEUE=LN03$PRINT 196

This command moves job 196 to the queue LN03$PRINT.

13.7.2.6 Deleting a Job

Follow this procedure to delete either a pending or an executing batch job:

1. Determine the entry number of the job by entering a command using one of the following formats:

   SHOW ENTRY/USER_NAME=username [entry-number]

   SHOW QUEUE/ALL_JOBS [queue-name]

   
   If you do not know the job name, user name, or queue name, enter the following command:

   $ SHOW QUEUE/BATCH/ALL_JOBS/BY_JOB_STATUS=EXECUTING

2. Delete the job by entering a command in the following format:

   DELETE/ENTRY=(entry-number)[,...]

Example

A user has noticed that a job is processing in an endless loop. The user is not the owner of the job and lacks sufficient privilege to stop it. The user enlists your aid as the system manager. You might enter the following command:

$ SHOW QUEUE/BATCH/ALL_JOBS/BY_JOB_STATUS=EXECUTING Batch queue JADE_BATCH, available, on JADE:: Entry Jobname Username Status ----- ------- -------- ------ 312 ARTWORK HUNTER Executing Batch queue OPAL_BATCH, available, on OPAL:: Entry Jobname Username Status ----- ------- -------- ------ 317 STOCKS CHANDLER Executing Batch queue RUBY_BATCH, available, on RUBY:: Entry Jobname Username Status ----- ------- -------- ------ 888 TEMPO ENGLISH Executing $ DELETE/ENTRY=317

13.7.2.7 Pausing an Output Queue to Control Print Job Position and Alignment

Pausing an output queue lets you communicate with the print symbiont interactively. Enter STOP/QUEUE (without any qualifiers) to pause a queue. Once a queue is paused, you can perform the following operations:

• Specify the position at which a suspended job is to resume printing. For example, suppose a printer has a paper jam and the first several pages of a print job are destroyed. You can pause the queue and restart the job, resuming printing at the beginning of the file.
  For more information, see Section 13.7.2.7.1.
• Specify the number of pages and the type of data for aligning printer forms. For example, suppose a printer uses a paper stock that is a preprinted continuous-form paper. When you begin printing a job, you notice the paper is not correctly aligned, so output does not print in the correct space on the preprinted form. You can pause the queue and print sample data to help you correct the paper alignment.
  For more information, see Section 13.7.2.7.2.

By default, when you pause a queue and restart it, printing resumes in the current job at a checkpoint near where it left off. To specify the position at which the current job is to resume printing, pause the queue, then enter START/QUEUE with any of the following qualifiers:

Qualifier	Description
/BACKWARD[= n]	Restarts a print queue n pages before the current page; n defaults to 1. If you omit the value, printing resumes at the top of the current page.
/FORWARD[= n]	Advances the specified number of pages before resuming printing the current file in the current job; the default is 1. If you omit the page value, printing resumes at the top of the next page.
/SEARCH= "search-string"	Specifies that printing is to resume at the page containing the specified string. The search for the string moves forward, beginning on the page following the current page. During the search, consecutive tabs and spaces are treated as a single space, and character case is ignored. The string can be from 1 to 63 characters and must be enclosed in quotation marks (" ").
/TOP_OF_FILE	Resumes printing at the beginning of the file that was current when the output execution queue paused.

When you must use more than one positioning qualifier with the same START/QUEUE command, file positioning is performed in the following order:

1. /TOP_OF_FILE
2. /FORWARD
3. /BACKWARD
4. /SEARCH

Examples

1. In the following example, STOP/QUEUE suspends the job that is currently printing on the printer queue JADE_PRINT and places that queue in the paused state. The START/QUEUE command releases the queue from the paused state. The /TOP_OF_FILE qualifier causes the job that was suspended to resume printing at the beginning of the file rather than at where it was interrupted.

   $ STOP/QUEUE JADE_PRINT $ START/QUEUE/TOP_OF_FILE JADE_PRINT

2. In the following example, START/QUEUE resumes output on printer SYS_LPA0 after advancing 15 pages from the beginning of the file:

   $ START/QUEUE/TOP_OF_FILE/FORWARD=15 SYS_LPA0

To print alignment data to aid in aligning printer forms, pause the queue, then enter START/QUEUE with the /ALIGN qualifier in the following format:

START/QUEUE/ALIGN[=(option[,...])]

The following options control the number of alignment pages and type of alignment data:

Option	Description
MASK	Specifies that input data is masked by replacing alphabetic characters with the character X and numbers with the number 9. Mask characters let you prevent the printing of sensitive information. If you omit the MASK option, data is printed unaltered.
n	A decimal number in the range 1 to 20 that specifies the number of alignment pages to print. By default, one page of alignment data is printed.

You can use the /ALIGN qualifier with any of the file positioning qualifiers described in the previous section. File positioning is performed before alignment data is printed. After the alignment is complete, the queue enters a paused state until you restart it by reentering START/QUEUE. Printing resumes from the point that alignment data started; that is, the task is backspaced over the pages printed for alignment.

Example

The command in the following example requests masked alignment for four pages of output. In this example, the file for the job that was being printed when the queue was paused is backspaced two pages before alignment is performed. Four pages of alignment mask characters are printed. Then the output for the current job is positioned backward four pages, and the queue pauses.

$ START/QUEUE/BACKWARD=2/ALIGN=(MASK,4) SYS_LPA0

13.8 Solving Queue Problems

The following sections can help you solve common queue problems:

Problem	Section
General printer problems	Section 13.8.1
Scheduling pending jobs	Section 13.8.2
Stock mismatch problems	Section 13.8.2.1
Characteristics mismatch problems	Section 13.8.2.2
Stalled output queues	Section 13.8.3
Autostart queues that do not start	Section 13.8.4
Problems deleting queues, forms, and characteristics	Section 13.8.5
Problems deleting files following printing	Section 13.8.6
Problems adding or deleting a module from a device control library	Section 13.8.7
Queue is disabled	Section 13.8.8

13.8.1 Determining the Cause of General Printer Problems

The following steps can help you determine the cause of general printer problems:

1. Enter a command in the following format to determine the status of the queue with which the printer is associated:

   SHOW QUEUE/FULL queue-name

   
   Table 13-5 lists and describes queue statuses.

2. Enter the SHOW LOGICAL/FULL SMBSRVSHR command to determine whether the logical name SMBSRVSHR is assigned, and, if it is assigned, its access mode (SUPERVISOR_MODE or EXECUTIVE_MODE). In most cases, this logical name should not be defined. However, if SMBSRVSHR is assigned, deassign it by entering the DEASSIGN SMBSRVSHR command with the /USER_MODE, /SUPERVISOR_MODE, or /EXECUTIVE_MODE qualifier.
3. If a print request returns a fatal error or does not print, perform the following steps:
   1. Stop the queue by entering STOP/QUEUE/RESET.
   2. If the output device is spooled, despool it using the SET DEVICE/NOSPOOLED command.
   3. Copy the file you are attempting to print by entering the COPY command in the following format:

      COPY input-filespec output-filespec

      
      If the COPY command does not produce output, a PRINT request will not work.

4. If the problem is on a queue using the LATSYM symbiont, try using the default symbiont, PRTSMB, and see if the problem persists. You can use the PRTSMB symbiont for printers on LAT ports. However, only one queue at a time will be able to send jobs to the printer.
   To determine whether a queue is using the LATSYM symbiont, enter SHOW QUEUE/FULL. If the queue is using the LATSYM symbiont, the display shows the following words: /PROCESSOR=LATSYM.
   To change the queue's symbiont to PRTSMB, perform the following steps:
   1. Stop the queue by entering STOP/QUEUE/RESET.
   2. Restart the queue by entering START/QUEUE/NOPROCESSOR.
   If a PRINT request succeeds when the queue is using PRTSMB, the problem is with LATSYM or with the LAT driver LTDRIVER.
5. Attach a terminal at the end of the cable that is being used for the printer. If the data shows up on the terminal, the Hold Screen key works, and no data is lost, the problem is probably with the printer (an incorrect setting, for example). If the problem exists with the terminal, it might be caused by the cable, the hardware interface port, or a hardware port setting.

If a job does not execute when expected, the job might have a pending or holding status. The SHOW QUEUE/FULL/ALL_JOBS command displays the status for all jobs on a queue.

If the job is in a holding status, see Section 13.7.2.3 for information about holding and releasing a job.

If the job is in the pending state, the /FULL qualifier enables you to see the reason why the job is ineligible to execute. (Use a 132-character wide display to make sure that all the information is displayed.)

For example:

$ SHOW QUEUE/FULL/ALL_JOBS/BY_JOB_STATUS=PENDING Generic printer queue REG$GENERIC /GENERIC=(REG$Q1,REG$Q2,REG$Q3)/OWNER=[SYSTEM]/PROTECTION=(S:M,O:D,G:R,W:R) Entry Jobname Username Blocks Status ----- ------- -------- ------ ------ 684 PROBLEMS CHURCHILL 3118 Pending (check execution queues) Submitted 7-MAR-1998 17:49 /FORM=DEFAULT /NOTIFY /PRIORITY=100 File: _$5$DUA174:[CHURCHILL]PROBLEMS.TXT;2 Printer queue REG$Q1, stopped, on LONDON::NPA1, mounted form DEFAULT /BASE_PRIORITY=4/DEFAULT=(FEED,FORM=DEFAULT)/OWNER=[SYSTEM] /PROTECTION=(S:M,O:D,G:R,W:R) Entry Jobname Username Blocks Status ----- ------- -------- ------ ------ 687 PM$SPEECH CHURCHILL 3558 Pending (queue stopped) Submitted 7-MAR-1998 17:51 /FORM=DEFAULT /NOTIFY /PRIORITY=100 File: _$5$DUA174:[CHURCHILL]PM$SPEECH.TXT;1 (checkpointed)

A job enters the pending status whenever the job is not eligible to execute. Table 13-8 lists common causes and solutions for a pending status.

Table 13-8 Common Causes and Solutions for Pending Job Status

Problem	Solution
The queue is currently processing as many jobs as it can.	Wait until intervening jobs complete.
The queue is stopped or stalled.	If a SHOW QUEUE/FULL command shows the queue status as stopped or stalled, determine why the queue is stopped or stalled. If the queue is stopped, start it with START/QUEUE. If the stopped queue is an autostart queue, use START/QUEUE to activate the queue and ENABLE AUTOSTART/QUEUES to start the queue. If the queue is stalled, follow the steps in Section 13.8.3.
The stock of the print job's form does not match the stock of the queue's mounted form.	Perform the steps in Section 13.8.2.1.
The job was submitted or modified with characteristics not associated with the queue.	Perform the steps in Section 13.8.2.2.
The queue has a block limit set and the size of the print job does not fall within the specified range.	Use SET ENTRY/REQUEUE to move the job to another queue, or use SET QUEUE/[NO]BLOCK_LIMIT to change or remove the block limit on the queue.
The owner of the job does not have write access to the execution queue.	Use SET ENTRY/REQUEUE to move the job to another queue, or change the access to the queue as explained in Section 13.6.1.
The print job is in a logical queue that is assigned to a stopped execution queue.	Use SET ENTRY/REQUEUE to requeue the job to another queue or start the execution queue to which the logical queue is assigned.
An output job requires an output device that is enabled for lowercase printing.	If the printer supports lowercase printing, use the /LOWERCASE qualifier with SET PRINTER or SET TERMINAL. Otherwise, use SET ENTRY/REQUEUE to move the job to an execution queue that sends its output to a printer with lowercase printing enabled.

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