The second part of this manual describes checking the status of and controlling print jobs and printers from the LP Plus Status and Control menu "dccstat". This part assumes the printers have been assigned to LP Plus and the users application can submit print jobs. For more information about adding printers and integrating LP Plus with applications, refer to Part 3 of this manual. This part covers the following:
- what is required in your UNIX environment.
- how to run the LP Plus Status and Control menu "dccstat".
- checking the status of print jobs.
- controlling the display.
- controlling print jobs.
- controlling groups of print jobs.
- checking the status of printers.
- controlling the printer display.
- controlling printers.
Using LP Plus consists of managing print jobs in print queues and printer resources. After reports are generated they are spooled to LP Plus and appear as print jobs in print queues (printers). Looking at print queue entries and controlling them is the function of "dccstat", the Status and Control menu. Each print job is represented as a single line on the status screen. By positioning the cursor on a print job, or marking a group of print jobs, commands such as cancel, destination (printer) change, view, and others can be issued by pressing enter and selecting a command or by simply pressing the "hot key" that corresponds to the command (e.g. "d" for destination change). Checking the status of printers and issuing commands is done the same way.
Setting Up the User Environment
For LP Plus to function properly, any user running it must have the variable LPHOME set to the base LP Plus directory (e.g. /usr/lpplus) and the PATH must have an entry for the LP Plus programs (e.g. /usr/lpplus/bin). During the LP Plus installation process an entry is placed in the /etc/profile for you. To determine if your environment is set for LP Plus use, you can enter the following command from the UNIX prompt:
$ env
An example of what is displayed is below with the LP Plus variables highlighted.
HOME=/
HZ=100
LOGNAME=root
LPHOME=/usr/lpplus
LPPCONFIRM=
MAIL=/var/mail/root
NONAMESERVER=1
PATH=/sbin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/etc:/usr/lpplus/bin
TERM=vt100
TERMCAP=/etc/termcap
TZ=EST5EDT
Accessing the Status and Control menu can be done from the UNIX command line or it may have been integrated into a menu option by your system administrator. Check with your system administrator to determine how you are to access LP Plus.
To access dccstat from the command line, enter the following command:
$ dccstat
This displays all print jobs. To display only a specific printer or user, use a command line option:
$ dccstat -u kirbyl
$ dccstat -d lp0
In the first example above only the print jobs for user "kirbyl" will be displayed. In the second, only print jobs for the print destination "lp0" are displayed. While in "dccstat" any user or printer can be displayed (looked up).
Checking the Status of Print Jobs
After print jobs are submitted (sent to LP Plus), they can be displayed using the Status and Control menu (dccstat). Dccstat can be used to determine where a print job is in the print queue relative to others, how many pages are in the print job, how many pages have printed, what form is needed, when and by whom the print job was submitted, and other information. When the screen is in "auto update" mode, incoming (spooling) print jobs are displayed, page counts updated as they rise, and print jobs that leave the queue (despool then purge) are removed.
The Status and Control Menu Screen
The Status and Control menu (dccstat) is where print jobs are monitored and controlled. Displayed is one line of information for each print job along with various status indicators and messages (see below). The print job entries are sorted in priority/time order with all printed print jobs displayed after unprinted print jobs.
Commands are issued by positioning the cursor on the print job and pressing [ENTER] or the desired command "hot key" (refer to the Controlling Print Jobs later in Part 2 for a list of commands).
The top two lines of the screen provide information about the LP Plus system including the state of the scheduler (Active/Inactive), the current version, current and total number of request screens, mode of print job updating, and indication of current lookup (destination, user, status, form, and host).
The third line is the heading of the print job information. This information includes:
RID - The sequential Request Id number given to the print job by LP Plus.
TITLE - The title of the print job. This can be the name of the file submitted, "STDIN" if the print job is piped to LP Plus, or user determined if the "-t title_name" option is used from the command line.
USER - The login id of the user who submitted the print job. If the user name has a "!" as a prefix, the print job came from another host. The host can be seen on the print jobs detailed information screen.
DEST - The logical printer destination where the print job will print or has printed.
FORM - The form id associated with the print job. This will be "stock" unless the "-f form_name" command line option is used.
P - Whether or not the print job will purge after it prints.
DATE - The date the print job was submitted.
TIME - The time the print job was submitted.
PAGES - The number of pages spooled / pages printed. LP Plus will count pages for text files and Postscript documents. The page indication will be the size of the file in kilobytes if LP Plus cannot determine the file type or the "-T graphics" command line option of "dcclp" is used.
COPY - The number of copies requested / copies printed.
STAT - The current status of the print job. The status can be:
"activ" - The print job is printing or being transferred to another host.
"busy" - The queue file for this print job is in use by another LP Plus program.
"can" - The print job has been canceled. After the purge delay time, it will be removed from the queues unless the no purge option is set.
"fpend" - Form pending. The print job is waiting for the proper form to be mounted on the printer.
"held" - The print job is on hold. This is done by the command line option "-H hold" or "-h" when the print job is submitted or after it is submitted from within the Status and Control program. The print job must be released before it can become ready to print.
"intrd" - The print job was interrupted while spooling or despooling (printing). See Troubleshooting in Appendix A for more information on what causes print jobs to be interrupted.
"prntd" - The print job has been printed.
"proc" - The print job is being processed. Usually this indicates a status change occurring.
"purg" - The print job has been purged from the queue system.
"ready" - The print job is ready to print.
"retry" - The printer port has been opened but the printer is not accepting data. This will occur when the printer is off-line when LP Plus tries to print.
"spool" - The print job is spooling (coming into the queue).
"susp" - The print job has been suspended. This is done by the user through the Status and Control program. The print job must be restarted in order to begin printing.
"timed" - The print job is set to print at a later date/time. The future date/time can be seen from the print jobs detailed information.
"xfrd" - The print job has been transferred to another host over the network.
There are 18 lines dedicated to displaying print jobs. The second to the last line is for messages from LP Plus and the bottom line has screen control functions as follows:
KEY DESCRIPTION
1 "PgDn" - Page down one screen of print jobs. The Page Down key will also work if your terminal supports it. The screen you are currently on is displayed just below the LP Plus version number at the top of the screen.
2 "PgUp" - Page up one screen of print jobs. The Page Up key will also work if your terminal supports it. The screen you are currently on is displayed just below the LP Plus version number at the top of the screen.
3 "Lookup" - Displays a window (see the Controlling What You See section below) which allows you to select what print jobs are displayed.
4 "Update" - Displays a window (see below) which allows the selection of the method for updating (refreshing) the print jobs displayed. The options are:
"Update All Queues" - Rereads the queues for all printers and displays starting at the first screen and print job. This is the equivalent to restarting the status program (dccstat). The hot key for this function is "]".
"Update Current Screen" - Refreshes the current screen information. The hot key for this function is "[".
"Auto Update New Requests" - Rereads the queues for all printers at a 5 second (default) interval. This allows real-time monitoring of the LP Plus system. Printed or transferred print jobs are sorted to the end. New print jobs will appear on the screen and purged print jobs will be removed. The environment variable LPPAUTO=x (where x = 5-600 seconds) controls the update interval. The hot key for this function is "<".
"Auto Update Current Screen" - Rereads the queues for the current screen at a 5 second (default) interval. This allows status changes and page counts to display automatically. The environment variable LPPAUTO=x (where x = 5-600 seconds) controls the update interval. The hot key for this function is">".
"Disable Auto Update" - Turns off the auto refresh and update. The hot key for this function is ".".
5 "Printers" - Switches to the Printer Status screen. Refer to the Checking the Status of Printers section later in Part 2 for detailed printer information.
6 "Cmds" - Displays a menu of the available print job commands (see below). Commands are issued by selecting the menu item or pressing the appropriate "hot key" that is displayed to the right of the command. Refer to the Controlling Print Jobs section later in Part 2 for detailed command information.
7 "GrpCmds" - Displays a menu of the available commands for groups of print jobs (see below). Multiple print jobs can be marked, using the space bar, and then commands issued by selecting the appropriate Group Commands menu item. Refer to the Controlling Groups of Print Jobs section later in Part 2 for detailed group command information.
ESC "Escape" Exits the Status and Control (dccstat) program.
? "Help" Displays a window which allows the selection of on-line help topics for LP Plus.
ENTER "Enter" Displays the Command menu (see "6" above).
Selecting Which Print Jobs You See
There are times with LP Plus when you dont want to see all print jobs in all the queues. When a specific printer or user is having problems, you can select a specific group of print jobs by pressing the "3" key from the Status and Control main screen. The lookup indicator in the upper left corner of the Status and Control screen displays the current "lookup" (see below).
Grouping Print Jobs by Print Destination
Selecting "Destination" from the "Lookup" dialog (below) displays a list of currently defined LP Plus printers. Selecting a printer displays only the print jobs for the printer which is reflected by the lookup indicator in the upper left corner of the Status and Control main screen.
Selecting "User" from the "Lookup" dialog (below) displays a list of system login ids. Selecting a user displays the only print jobs for the selected user which is reflected by the lookup indicator in the upper left corner of the Status and Control main screen.
Selecting "Status" from the "Lookup" dialog (below) displays a list of LP Plus print job status choices. Selecting a status displays the print jobs that match the status selected which is reflected by the lookup indicator in the upper left corner of the Status and Control main screen.
Grouping Print Jobs by Form Name
Selecting "Form" from the "Lookup" dialog (below) displays a list of predefined LP Plus forms. Selecting a form displays the print jobs that have the form selected. This is reflected by the lookup indicator in the upper left corner of the Status and Control main screen.
Selecting "Title Search" from the "Lookup" dialog (next page) prompts for the name of a title to search for. By entering a title name and pressing [ENTER], the program will search for and position the cursor on the print job that matches the search string. The search mode allows for "find again" and "previous search". Press ESC (escape) to exit search mode.
Jumping to a Page of Print Jobs
Selecting "Go to Page" from the "Lookup" dialog (below) allows you to jump to a page of print jobs. A page consists of 18 print jobs. The "Page X of X" display at the top of the Status and Control main screen indicates the total number of pages and what page is currently displayed. By entering a page number and pressing [ENTER], you can quickly jump to a page of print jobs as opposed to using the page down key.
Remote hosts refer to other UNIX hosts that also have LP Plus installed. By selecting "Remote Hosts" from the "Lookup" dialog, a list of remote hosts is displayed (next page). A remote hosts is displayed if there is an entry in the "$LPHOME/security/rmhosts" file or at least one printer on the local hosts is defined in the LP Plus Administration system (dccadmin) as an "LPPlus" type on the remote system. An example of this is a local printer called "hpsys1" which uses the mode "LPPlus" with a UNIX device name of "hp!ptr4" (host_name!remote_printer_name). Because the host name "hp" is used in the device name for local printer "hpsys1", it appears in the remote host dialog.
Refer to Part 3 LP Plus Administration and Part 4 Advanced Functions for detailed information on defining remote printers and using the remote Status and Control system of LP Plus.
Provided the remote host has LP Plus installed and the network status daemon running (dccbkst), the Status and Control screen on the local system can both monitor and control the remote systems print jobs and printers. The host indication in the upper left corner of the Status and Control screen reflects the remote host being controlled (below).
Displaying Detailed Print Job Information
The information about print jobs displayed on the Status and Control screen (dccstat) is abbreviated due to space constraints. To see a more detailed description of a print job (see below), press the "i" hot key or press [ENTER] twice with the cursor positioned on the print job you wish to get the detailed information about. The remainder of this section describes only the information not displayed on the Status and Control main screen.
DATA TYPE - The file type of the print job. Unless the "-T file_type" parameter is set to one of the below types, LP Plus will attempt to determine the file type. If it is unable to determine the type, LP Plus will set the type to "graphics" and will not attempt to index or count pages. The valid file types are:
"simple" - ASCII only data.
"graphics" - The file contains non-printable characters (e.g. control characters) such as PCL or other format.
"post" - The file is a Postscript file but does not conform to the Document Structuring Conventions (DSC) as described in the second edition of the Postscript Language Reference Manual by Adobe Systems Inc.
"post-NR" - The file is a Postscript file that conforms to the DSC but has inter page dependencies. Although LP Plus will count pages, the print job can only be restarted from page one.
"post-DSC" - The file is Postscript and conforms to the DSC. Because it does not have inter page dependencies, LP Plus will count pages and allow restarts at any page.
PRINT CONTROL DIRECTORY - The directory containing the "preload" and "postload" files. These files are used for sending control sequences before and after a print job. The indication "*default*" means LP Plus will first check if a print control directory with the name of the printer exists and contains a preload and/or a postload file(s) (e.g. /usr/lpplus/prtcntl/lp0/preload). Otherwise, the "-p print_control" or the selected print control sequence from the Status and Control menu is displayed.
OPTIONS - Any parameters set using the "-o option" parameter from the "dcclp" command line. The valid "-o" parameters are:
"banner" - A banner page will print with this print job.
"nobanner" - No banner page will print.
"purge" - The print job will be removed from the queue after it prints and the printers purge delay interval has elapsed.
"keep" - The print job will not be removed from the queue after it prints. To purge the print job it must be canceled or manually purged.
"restart=x" - The print job will restart at page x.
"filebreak" - There is a form feed at the end of the print job.
"nofilebreak" - There is no form feed at the end of the print job.
"copybreak" - There is a form feed between copies.
"nocopybreak" - There is no form feed between copies.
"lfconv" - Line feeds are converted to carriage return/line feeds.
"nolfconv" - Line feed to carriage return/line feed conversion has been overridden.
SCHEDULED PRINTER STATUS - The information about the printer where the print job is "scheduled" to print (refer to Checking the Status of Printers later in Part 2 for printer status information).
On the LP Plus Status and Control screen each print job is represented as a single line. By positioning the cursor on a print job, or marking a group of print jobs, commands such as cancel, destination (printer) change, view, and others can be issued by pressing [ENTER] and selecting a command (see below) or by simply pressing the "hot key" that corresponds to the command (e.g. "d" for destination change). The same method of control is used when controlling print jobs on remote systems. This section covers issuing commands to print jobs using the Status and Control menu system. Refer to Part 5 the Technical Reference for information on using the command line method for issuing commands.
Issuing Commands to Print Jobs
Print jobs can be altered (e.g. canceled, copies changed, moved to a new printer, etc.) either from the Status and Control menu (dccstat) or with "lp like" commands from the UNIX command line. The remainder of this section describes issuing commands from the Status and Controls menu, when a command can and cannot be done, and what the result of the command should be. Below is a quick reference list (with the corresponding "hot key"). Detailed command information follows this list.
| COMMAND | WHEN IT CAN BE DONE | WHEN IT CANT BE DONE | WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN |
| Hold "h" | before printing | during/after printing | status to "held" |
| Release "r" | when status is "held" | when status is not held | status changes from "held" to other status |
| Suspend "s" (stop printing) | when job is printing, status "active" | before/after printing | status changes to "susp" |
| Restart "o" (select page to start printing) | before printing, while suspended or after printing | during printing | a suspended, printed, or canceled job will restart at the page specified |
| Keeping "k" (no purge) | anytime | when the status of "purge" is displayed | the indicator in the "P" (purge) column changes to "N" |
| Purging "p" | anytime (purge delay time still in effect) | never | the indicator in the "P" (purge) column changes to "Y" |
| Banner page on/off "a"/"b" | anytime* | never | "banner" "no banner" indication on the print jobs detailed screen |
| Copying "w" | anytime | never | a new print job is generated based on the pages selected |
| Move to new printer (destination change) "d" | before/after printing | during printing | new printer destination displayed in "Destination" column |
| Change number copies "n" | anytime* | never | copies requested indication reflects requested copies |
| Change priority "e" | anytime* | never | the print jobs position in the queue reflects the new priority (priority number in detailed screen) |
| Change form "f" | anytime* | never | new form required is displayed in the "Form" column |
| Change print control "j" | anytime* | never | "Print Control Directory" indication on the detailed screen reflects selected print control |
| Change title "q" | anytime* | never | new title is reflected in the "Title" column |
| Change print time "t" | anytime* | never | status of "timed" with actual print time displayed on the detailed screen |
| Cancel print job "c" | anytime* | never | before printing the a status of "can"
is displayed during printing the print job is stopped after printing the print job is purged |
| View report "v" (print job) | anytime* | never | the print job is displayed by the report viewer dccview (default viewer) |
| Mount form "m" | when status is "fpend" and you want to mount the form for the print job on the printer | never | a prompt asking if the form for the print job should be mounted on the printer |
* NOTE: The command can be issued anytime but will not take affect unless issued before the job prints. If the command is issued after the job is printed or transfered, it must be restarted before the command will take affect.
A print job can be placed on hold when it is being spooled by using the "-h" option on the command line or by using the Command menu "6=Cmds" or the corresponding hot key "h" before it begins printing. When the command line "-h" option is used, the print job will have a status of "held" when it is done spooling. Although the job is in the queue, it is held from advancing until it is released (jobs that are not on hold will progress towards the front of the queue). A print job can be held anytime before it begins printing (goes to a status of "active"), or is canceled (to stop a print job while it is active the suspend command must be used (see below).
In order to take a print job off of hold, it must be released by using the Command menu or its equivalent hot key "r". Released print jobs will assume their appropriate status (e.g. "ready" if it is ready to print or for example "fpend" if there is a form change required).
Suspending a print job is done when the job is actively printing and you wish to stop the job from printing further. You will be prompted to confirm that you wish to suspend printing (see below) (unless the environment variable LPPCONFIRM is set to n). The result of this will be a status of "susp" on the Status and Control menu. By suspending the job, other jobs in the queue will proceed to print. The suspended print job can be restarted from where it was suspended or at any page desired. This can be accomplished by using the commands menu selection "6=Cmds" or the corresponding hot key "s".
Restarting a print job can be done before the job prints in order to have the job start printing at a specific page or after printing is stopped. This can be done by using the Command menu selection "6=Cmds" or the corresponding hot key "o". A print job can be stopped either manually by suspending or printing can stop because of a printer malfunction. In either case, you will be prompted (see next page) to enter the page you wish to start printing from with the last page printed (+ 1) as the default.
Whether or not a print job will be removed from the LP Plus queue system depends on the print jobs purge flag. The "P" (purge) column on the Status and Control main screen indicates the print jobs purge setting with a "Y" for yes and a "N" for no. If a print job is set to purge it will be removed from the queue system after it prints (or is canceled) and the printers purge delay time has elapsed. When a job is set to not purge, it will remain in the queue until the purge command is issued or the job is canceled. The purge setting can be set for all print jobs from the defaults section of LP Plus Administration (refer to Part 3 LP Plus Administration). It can also be set for each print job using the "-o purge" or "-o nopurge" command line option when the job is submitted with "dcclp" (refer to Part 5 Technical Reference for detailed information on "dcclp"). From the Status and Control menu a print job can be set to purge or no purge (keep) by using the Command menu selection "6=Cmds" or the corresponding hot key "p" for purge or "k" for keep. When selected, the "N" or "Y" in the purge column "P" will reflect the command has been issued.
Turning the Banner Page Off /On
The banner page for a print job is the first page and is used for job identification and separation. Whether or not it prints depends on the banner flag. This can be set when configuring the printer through LP Plus Administration, turned on or off using the "-o banner" or "-o nobanner" command line options of "dcclp" when the job is submitted, or switched from the Status and Control menu before the job prints. Using the Command menu selection "6=Cmds" or the corresponding hot key "a" for no banner or "b" for banner, the banner page can be turned on or off. The current banner setting can be seen on the print jobs detailed status screen in the "Options" area.
Displaying the LP Plus Log File
LP Plus makes an entry in a file called $LPHOME/messages/messages virtually every time a command or event takes place. This information is valuable for getting additional information when determining the cause of an error condition and to
determine which user, what command, and when the command was issued. Below is an example of the message log. When the hot key "l" (log) command is issued from the Status and Control menu the message log is displayed using the UNIX "pg" (page) command and the last page of the log (most recent events) is displayed. If you are not familiar with the "pg" command refer to your UNIX documentation or manual pages.
Copying a print job refers to taking all or a portion of a job and creating a new one. The original print job remains unchanged. This allows a large job to be spooled on hold or to a disabled printer and selected pages printed from it.
The new print job can be printed to the original printer, or you can select a new printer. If the print job has page counts, which means the job is text or Postscript, you may also select a range of pages to copy. The copy command can be issued by using the Command menu "6=Cmds" or the hot key "w" . The prompt (previous page left) is presented prompting for the pages to copy and the printer. The destination prompt (previous page right) is displayed as soon as the destination printer field is reached. By filling in the fields and pressing [ENTER] when complete, another print job is generated based on the pages and the printer selected.
Before a job prints or after it prints the print destination can be changed. Using the Command menu "6=Cmds" or the hot key "d" the destination choices dialog is displayed. By positioning the cursor on the desired destination and pressing [ENTER], the new printer destination is selected. The indication the change took place is that the new printer is displayed in the "Dest" column on the Status and Control main screen.
The number of copies for a print job is set using the "-n #" command line options of "dcclp" when the job is submitted, or switched from the Status and Control menu before the job prints. Using the Command menu selection "6=Cmds" or the corresponding hot key "n", the number of times a job prints can be controlled (see
next page). The number of copies selected is displayed in the "Copy" column of the Status and Control main screen in the form of copies_selected/copies_printed.
The priority of a print job refers to its position in the queue. If all print jobs have the same priority, then the order reflects the time they were spooled. The priorities range from 0 to 39 with 0 being the highest priority. The default priority is 20. The priority can be set using the "-q #" command line option of "dcclp" when the job is submitted, or switched from the Status and Control menu after the job is spooled. Using the Command menu selection "6=Cmds" or the corresponding hot key "e", a prompt requesting the new priority is displayed (see below) with the current priority in the field. The current priority number can also be seen on the print jobs detailed status screen in the "Priority" area. The print job will be displayed in its new position in the queue when the next queue update occurs as a result of a priority change.
The form name associated with a print job is used to ensure the correct paper is loaded in the printer prior to a job printing. The form name for the print job (see the "form" column on the Status and Control main screen) must match the form that is mounted on the printer in order to print (see the Checking the Status of Printers section later in Part 2 for information on the printer form). The form name for the print job is usually set when the job is spooled using the "-f form_name" command line option of "dcclp". An example of this is if accounts payable wants to print checks and they use special check paper. The check print job would be spooled using a form name of perhaps "checks" so when the checks print job is submitted it will not print until an operator has loaded the correct paper in the printer (see Forms Control later in Part 2 for information on controlling forms on a printer).
To change the form the print job requires after the job is in the queue, use the Command menu selection "6=Cmds" or the hot key "f". A list of all predefined forms is displayed (next page left) with the option to enter any desired form name (below right). The indication the form change took place is the new form name appears in the "Form" column on the Status and Control screen.
Changing FlexForm™ Electronic Forms
FlexForm™ is an electronic forms software product also from Digital Controls. It allows you to create and/or replace preprinted forms with electronic forms overlays printed to laser printers as well as bar codes, multipart forms, forms distribution and more. FlexForm™ also integrates with UNIX fax software to provide a complete and professional image for your company. Contact your LP Plus sales representative for information on the savings FlexForm™ can provide your company.
Demonstration FlexForm™ forms are distributed with LP Plus. They are intended to show you some of the possible uses for electronic forms. To look at these you must apply them to a print job that will be printed on a laser printer that does PCL 4, 5, or 6 emulation (most of them do). To apply a FlexForm™ form to a print job, use the "dcclp" command line option "-F flexform_form" when submitting the job or the Command menu selection "6=Cmds" or the hot key "z" to apply a FlexForm™ form after a print job is in the queue. The list of available FlexForm™ forms is displayed (see below). The current FlexForm™ form applied to the print job can be seen on the print jobs detailed status screen in the "FFE" area.
Print control sequences are used to send a set of instructions to a printer before a print job and then after (to reset). These are setup using the LP Plus Administration system (refer to Part 3 LP Plus Administration for details on print control files). The default print control is a print control that has the same name as the printer . The print control sequence can be set using the "-p print_control" command line option of "dcclp" when the job is submitted, or switched from the Status and Control menu after the job is spooled. Using the Command menu selection "6=Cmds" or the corresponding hot key "j", a prompt displaying (see below) a list of available print control sequences is shown. The current print control can be seen on the print jobs detailed status screen in the "Print Control Directory" area.
The title of a print job defaults to the name of the file submitted using "dcclp" or "STDIN" if the print job is piped into "dcclp". The title of a print job can also be set when the job is spooled using the "-t title" command line option of "dcclp". To change the title of the print job after the job is in the queue, use the Command menu selection "6=Cmds" or the hot key "q". A display (see below) prompting for the new title is presented. The indication the title change took place is the new title appears in the "Title" column on the Status and Control screen.
Changing the Time a Print Job Prints
By default a print job will print when it gets to the top of the print queue. To have a print job spool and print at a specific time use the "-W [MM/DD/YY,HH:mm]" command line option of "dcclp" when the job is submitted, or set from the Status and Control menu after the job is spooled. Using the Command menu selection "6=Cmds" or the corresponding hot key "t", a prompt with the current print time is displayed (see below). By tabbing between fields and using the "+" and "-" (plus and minus) keys to increment or decrement the "hour:minute month/day/year" fields and pressing [ENTER], a print job can be set to print at any designated time (e.g. have a large job or batch of jobs print at 3:00AM). The indication the job is set to print at a later time is the status of the job on the Status and Control screen is "timed". The actual time the jobs will print can be seen on the print jobs detail screen in the "Options" area.
Canceling a print job can be done anytime in the jobs cycle (before/during/after printing) but will have different results depending when it is done. The printers purge delay time is still in effect (the jobs will not leave the queue until after the purge time has elapsed). If a job is canceled before it prints the status will go to "can" and it will not print. When canceled during printing, the job will stop printing and go to a status of "can". If the job is canceled after it prints the cancel overrides the purge setting (purge or keep) and the status goes to "can".
A print job can be canceled using the command "dcccancel" from the command line or from the Command menu selection "6=Cmds" or the hot key "c" from the Status and Control menu. A display (see below) prompting for confirmation of the cancel is presented. The confirmation can be shut off by setting the environment variable "LPPCONFIRM=n" . The indication the cancellation took place is the status of the print job goes to "can".
Mounting a Form from the Print Job
The form name associated with a print job is used to ensure the correct paper is loaded in the printer prior to a job printing. The form name for the print job (see the "form" column on the Status and Control main screen) must match the form that is mounted on the printer in order to print (see the Checking the Status of Printers section later in Part 2 for information on the printer form). The form name for the print job is usually set when the job is spooled using the "-f form_name" command line option of "dcclp". An example of this is if accounts payable wants to print checks and they use special check paper. The check print job would be spooled using a form name of perhaps "checks" so when the checks print job is submitted it will not print until an operator has loaded the correct paper in the printer (see Forms Control later in Part 2 for information on controlling forms on a printer).
To mount the form the print job needs on the printer use the Command menu selection "6=Cmds" or the hot key "m". The prompt (below) is displayed confirming the user wishes to mount a new form on the printer.
By responding with "y" (yes) and pressing [ENTER], a prompt is displayed asking if the printer should be disabled before mounting the new form (see below). By disabling the printer before mounting the new form, the user has the opportunity to load the desired paper into the printer. If there is no need to physically alter the printer, the disable printer can be skipped by responding with "n" (no is the default) and pressing [ENTER].
The indication the form change took place is the new form name appears in the "Form" column on the Status and Control printer screen (refer to Checking the Status of Printers later in this section).
NOTE: The printer will not be disabled or the form mounted until any currently printing job is complete. The disable command and form change will take place immediately after the current job is complete.
Viewing print jobs in LP Plus is done with the LP Plus report viewer. The report viewer used is set in the LP Plus administration defaults section (refer to Part 3 LP Plus Administration for more information on system defaults). A print job can be viewed if it is a text report or PostScript (there are no WYSIWYG capabilities with a character interface). If the print job is a "graphics" data type it cannot be viewed with "dccview". A print job can be viewed any time it is in the queue.
Viewing a print job is done by selecting the view Command menu selection "6=Cmds" or the hot key "v" from the Status and Control menu. The LP Plus report viewer screen usage and commands follow:
The top line of the screen provides information about the report being viewed. This information includes:
Report - The sequential Request Id Number given to the print job by LP Plus.
Title - The title of the print job. This can be the name of the file submitted, "STDIN" if the print job is piped to LP Plus or user determined if the "-t title_name" option is used from the command line.
Page X of X - The current page displayed and the total number of pages in the report.
Line - The line number where the cursor is positioned.
The next 22 lines are dedicated to displaying the report. The last line is for screen control functions as follows:
KEY DESCRIPTION
1 "PgDn" - Page down one print page of the report. The Page Down key will also work if your terminal supports it. The page you are currently on is displayed on the top line of the view screen.
2 "PgUp" - Page up one page of the report. The Page Up key will also work if your terminal supports it. The page you are currently on is displayed on the top line of the view screen.
3 "WinDn" - Moves the display down one screen (22 lines).
4 "WinUp" - Moves the display up one screen (22 lines).
5 "Commands" - Displays a menu of the available report viewer commands (see Report Viewer Commands below). Commands are issued by selecting the menu item or pressing the appropriate "hot key" that is displayed to the right of the command.
6 "L/R" - Shifts the report 60 columns to the left or right. The right and left arrow keys move the report one column at a time to the right or left.
9 "80/132" - Places the report viewer in 80 or 132 column mode. If you have a wide report and wish to view the entire report, there are two ways to do this. The first is to manually place your display into 132 column mode and then put the viewer into 132 column mode by pressing "9". When viewing is complete, place the terminal (or emulator) back to 80 column mode and press "9" again to put the viewer back into 80 column mode.
LP Plus can also automatically place the terminal into wide mode. This is done by setting environment variables that contain the hexadecimal equivalent of the terminals escape sequences for 80 and 132 column mode (refer to Part 5 Technical Reference for information on the "VIEW" environment variables).
ESC "Exit" - Quits the report viewer and returns to the Status and Control main screen.
? "Help" - Displays the command reference for the report viewer.
While viewing reports there are several commands available for viewer control and report output such as, copying a report to a disk file or printing a range of pages while viewing. The commands are executed by selecting "5-Commands" from the viewer control menu at the bottom of the display and selecting a viewer command from the menu (see below) or by pressing the corresponding "hot key" (right column below). The following is an explanation and instructions for using the commands available with the report viewer.
"Ruler Display Toggle" - A ruler can be displayed at the top of the viewer as a point of reference (see next page). This can be useful when setting up new reports where alignment is critical. The ruler is turned on and off by using the Command menu selection "5-Commands" or the corresponding hot key "r".
"Header and Vertical Lock On/Off" - The header lock (or row lock) and vertical lock (or column lock) allows you to lock or freeze an area of the report above the header lock and to the left of the vertical lock. This is useful, for example, with reports that only generate a header at the top of each page or only once at the top of the report. With the header "locked" it will always be displayed at the top of the viewer screen. With either lock in place, only the text below or to the right of the lock will scroll. In the example below, only the shaded area of the report will move as the report is scrolled.
The header lock is turned on and off by using the Command menu selection "5-Commands" or the corresponding hot key "h". The vertical lock is turned on and off by using the Command menu selection "5-Commands" or the corresponding hot key "v".
"Go To Page" - To quickly jump to a specific page number, as opposed to using the page down key, the "Go To Page" function can be used. To go to a page use the Command menu selection "5-Commands" or the hot key "g". A prompt is displayed (below) requesting the page to go to. Enter the desired page number and press [ENTER]. The page X of X indication at the top of the screen displays the new current page number.
"Shift Column Left/Right" - With wide reports you can quickly shift the report display to the left 60 columns and back again. This allows the entire report to be viewed on a 80 column display. The shift column is accomplished by using the Command menu selection "5-Commands" or the corresponding hot key "6".
"80/132 Screen Display" - Places the report viewer in 80 or 132 column mode. If you have a wide report and wish to view the entire report, there are two ways to do this. The first is to manually place your display into 132 column mode and then put the viewer into 132 column mode by pressing "9". When viewing is complete, place the terminal (or emulator) back to 80 column mode and press "9" again to put the viewer back into 80 column mode. LP Plus can also automatically place the terminal into wide mode. This is done by setting environment variables that contain the hexadecimal equivalent of the terminals escape sequences for 80 and 132 column mode (refer to Part 5 Technical Reference for information on the "VIEW" environment variables).
"Open New Window" - The LP Plus viewer allows you to display two reports at a time. This is helpful when comparing two reports or looking at two areas of the same report. To open a second window (split the screen), use the Command menu selection "5-Commands" or the corresponding hot key "o". When the second window is first opened it defaults to the current report being viewed (see next page).
Once a second window is active, it has all the functionality of the full screen. Only one window can be active at any time. The cursor indicates which window is currently active.
"Active Window Toggle" - To switch between active windows, use the Command menu selection "5-Commands" or the corresponding hot key "w". The cursor indicates which window is active.
"Close Active Window" - To close the active window, use the Command menu selection "5-Commands" or the corresponding hot key "c". By closing the active window, the display returns to a single report on the full screen.
"Select Report" - To quickly select another report for viewing, use the Command menu selection "5-Commands" or the corresponding hot key "f". Displayed is a listing of all print jobs in a short form (see next page). To view a new report, select a print job from the listing and press [ENTER]. If the view screen is split the selected report will be displayed in the active window or replace the current report in the full screen mode.
"Search for Text" - To search for a text string use the Command menu selection "5-Commands" or the corresponding hot key "s". This selection prompts for a string of text to search for (see below). By entering a string and pressing [ENTER], the program will search for and position the cursor on the line and page that matches the search string. A range of rows and columns can also be specified when searching. Press ESC (escape) to stop the search.
"Next Match" - To search for the next occurrence of the previous search, use the Command menu selection "5-Commands" or the corresponding hot key "n". The search will continue until the string is found again or the end of the report is reached.
"Last Match" - To search for the last occurrence of the previous search (search backwards), use the Command menu selection "5-Commands" or the corresponding hot key "l". The search will continue until the string is found again or the top of the report is reached.
"Extract Pages to a Printer" - While viewing you can print the report or a range of pages to the current print destination or you can select a new destination. The command can be issued by using the Command menu "5-Commands" or the hot key "p" . The prompt (below left) is presented prompting for the pages to print and the printer. The printer prompt (below right) is displayed by pressing the function key <F4> or (<CNTL> + f then 4) for printer choices . By filling in the fields and pressing [ENTER] when complete, another print job is generated based on the pages and the printer selected. The new print job can be seen by returning to the Status and Control screen or using the "Select Report" function (see Select Report above).
"Extract Pages to a File" - While viewing you can copy the report or a range of pages to a disk file. The command can be issued by using the Command menu "5-Commands" or the hot key "x" . The prompt (below left) is presented prompting for the pages to copy and the name of the file to write. The directory prompt (below right) is displayed by pressing the function key <F4> or (<CNTL> + f then 4) to enter a directory. The default directory is the users present working directory. By filling in the fields and pressing [ENTER] when complete, the range of pages is written to the file in the directory specified.
Controlling Groups of Print Jobs
Issuing commands to groups of print jobs is virtually the same as with single print jobs. The difference is a group of jobs is marked with the [SPACE] key and to issue a command the "7=GrpCmds" Group Commands menu selection from the Status and Control main screen is used (see below).
When a group command is issued, the progress of the command is displayed at the bottom of the Group Commands menu display. In the screen below, a form change command has been issued and 10 form change commands have been completed. The progress indication is displayed for all group commands.
Groups of print jobs can be marked and unmarked by using the [SPACE] key or all currently displayed print jobs can be marked and unmarked using the Group Commands menu selection "7=GrpCmds" and selecting "Mark All" or "Unmark All". By pressing the [SPACE] key on a print job it is marked with an asterisk to the left of the RID (see the status screen on the previous page).
To cancel a group of marked print jobs, select "Cancel" from the Group Commands menu selection "7=GrpCmds". Refer to Issuing Commands to Print Jobs earlier in this section for detailed information on this command.
To change the print destination for a group of marked print jobs, select "Change Destination" from the Group Commands menu selection "7=GrpCmds". Refer to Issuing Commands to Print Jobs earlier in this section for detailed information on this command.
To change the form for a group of marked print jobs, select "Change Form" from the Group Commands menu selection "7=GrpCmds". Refer to Issuing Commands to Print Jobs earlier in this section for detailed information on this command.
To hold or release a group of marked print jobs, select "Hold" or "Release" from the Group Commands menu selection "7=GrpCmds". Refer to Issuing Commands to Print Jobs earlier in this section for detailed information on this command.
To keep or purge a group of marked print jobs, select "Keep" or "Purge" from the Group Commands menu selection "7=GrpCmds". Refer to Issuing Commands to Print Jobs earlier in this section for detailed information on this command.
Checking the Status of Printers
After printers are configured using the LP Plus Administration system "dccadmin" (refer to Part 3 LP Plus Administration for details on adding printers) they can be displayed using the Printer Status and Control menu "dccstat". The Printer Status and Control screen is used to manage printers and perform functions such as enabling and disabling printers, forms management, and remote printer management. It is accessed from the Status and Control menu "dccstat" by pressing "5=Printers".
The LP Plus Printer Status Screen
The Printer Status and Control menu is where printers are monitored and controlled. Displayed is one line of information for each printer along with various status indicators and messages (see below). The printer entries are sorted in alphabetical order. Commands are issued by positioning the cursor on the printer and pressing [ENTER] or the desired command hot key (refer to the Controlling Printers section of this manual for a list of commands).
The top two lines of the screen provide information about the LP Plus system including the state of the scheduler (Active/Inactive), the current version, current and total number of printer screens, mode of screen updating, and indication of current lookup (destination or host).
The third line is the heading of the printer information. This information includes:
DESTINATION - The logical printer destination name.
RID - The Request Id number of the print job that is currently printing.
DEVICE - The physical printer device name.
ENB - "Enabled" Yes or No. Whether or not the printer is currently enabled. If the printer is disabled print jobs can spool into the printer but will not despool (print) until the printer is enabled.
A/R - "Accepting/Rejecting" Yes or No. Whether or not the printer is currently accepting or rejecting print jobs. If the printer is accepting, print jobs can spool into the printer. If the printer is rejecting, no jobs can spool into the print destination.
BAN - "Banner" Yes or No. Whether or not a banner page will print in front of print jobs for this print destination.
FORM - The form id "mounted" on the printer (refer to Controlling Printers later in this section for more information on forms control).
There are 18 lines dedicated to displaying printers. The second to the last line is for messages from LP Plus and the bottom line has screen control functions as follows:
KEY DESCRIPTION
1 "PgDn" - Page down one screen of printers. The Page Down key will also work if your terminal supports it. The screen you are currently on is displayed just below the LP Plus version number at the top of the screen.
2 "PgUp" - Page up one screen of printers. The Page Up key will also work if your terminal supports it. The screen you are currently on is displayed just below the LP Plus version number at the top of the screen.
3 "Lookup" - Displays a window (see the Controlling What You See section below) which allows you to select what printers are displayed.
4 "Update" - Displays a window (see below) which allows the selection of the method for updating (refreshing) the screen. The options are:
"Update All Queues" - Rereads the queues for all printers and displays starting at the first screen. This is the equivalent to restarting the status program (dccstat). The hot key for this function is "]".
"Update Current Screen" - Refreshes the current screen information. The hot key for this function is "[".
"Auto Update New Requests" - Rereads the queues for all printers at a 5 second (default) interval. This allows real-time monitoring of the LP Plus system. The Request ID number for printing jobs will appear on the screen. The environment variable LPPAUTO=x (where x =5-600 seconds) controls the update interval. The hot key for this function is "<".
"Auto Update Current Screen" - Rereads the queues for the current screen at a 5 second (default) interval. The environment variable LPPAUTO=x (where x =5- 600 seconds) controls the update interval. The hot key for this function is">".
"Disable Auto Update" - Turns off the auto refresh and update. The hot key for this function is ".".
6 "Cmds" - Displays a menu of the available printer commands (see next page). Commands are issued by selecting the menu item or pressing the appropriate "hot key" that is displayed to the right of the command (refer to Controlling Printers later in this section for detailed printer command information).
ESC "Escape" Returns to the Status and Control (dccstat) program.
? "Help" Displays a window which allows the selection of on-line help topics for LP Plus.
ENTER "Enter" Displays the Command menu (see "6" above).
Selecting Which Printers You See
There are times with LP Plus when you dont want to see all the printers. When a specific printer or user is having problems, you can select a specific printer by pressing the "3" key from the Printer Status and Control main screen. The lookup indicator in the upper left corner of the Printer Status and Control screen displays the current "lookup".
Selecting "Destination" from the "Lookup" dialog (next page) displays a list of currently defined LP Plus print destinations. Selecting a destination displays the single printer information which is reflected by the lookup indicator in the upper left corner of the Printer Status and Control main screen.
Selecting "Go to Page" allows you to jump to a page of printers. A page consists of 18 printers. The "Page X of X" display at the top of the Printer Status and Control main screen indicates what the total number of pages is and what page is currently displayed. By entering a page number and pressing [ENTER], you can quickly jump to a page of printers as opposed to using the page down key.
Remote hosts refer to other UNIX hosts that also have LP Plus installed. By selecting "Remote Hosts" from the "Lookup" dialog a list of remote hosts is displayed. A remote host is displayed if there is an entry in the "$LPHOME/security/rmhosts" file or if at least one printer on the local hosts is defined in the LP Plus Administration
system (dccadmin) as an "LPPlus" type on the remote system. An example of this is a local printer called "hpsys1" which uses the mode "LPPlus" with a UNIX device name of "hp!ptr4" (host_name!remote_printer_name). Because the host name "hp" is used in the device name for local printer "hpsys1", it appears in the remote host dialog. Refer to Part 3 LP Plus Administration and Part 4 Advanced Functions for detailed information on defining remote printers and using the remote Status and Control system of LP Plus.
Provided the remote host has LP Plus installed and the network status daemon running (dccbkst), the Printer Status and Control screen on the local system can both monitor and control the remote systems print jobs and printers. The host indication in the upper left corner of the Printer Status and Control screen reflects the remote host being controlled (below).
The information about printers displayed on the Printer Status and Control screen (dccstat) is abbreviated due to space constraints. To see a more detailed description of a printer (see next page), press the "i" hot key or press [ENTER] twice with the cursor positioned on the printer you wish to get the detailed information about. The remainder of this section describes only the information not displayed on the Printer Status and Control main screen (refer to Part 3 LP Plus Administration for detailed information on these detailed printer items).
TMIF - The Terminal Information (terminfo) used for this printer.
ATTACHED TO - Device, user, or WinPrint™ client any printer messages will be sent to (e.g. form mount, attention required, etc.).
TRAN - Translation table used for this printer. The default is "standard".
MOUNTED FORM - The form id "mounted" on the printer.
MODE - Interface mode used for this printer (e.g. serial, parallel, netprint, system, etc.).
PENDING FORM - The form name that is waiting to be mounted and will be mounted after the current print job is printed.
SLEEP - Sleep time (time delay) between print jobs.
FILTER - Filter used for printing. LP Plus currently has just one filter.
FILTER2 - Second filter used for printing. The output of the LP Plus filter will be sent to filter2.
FILTER3 - Third filter for printing. The output of filter2 will be sent to filter3.
MODEL - The interface model used when the printer was created. The model is used as the template for the printers interface when it is created.
FILEBREAK - Yes or No. Whether or not there is a form feed at the end of the print job.
COPYBREAK - Yes or No. Whether or not there is a form feed between copies.
LF_CRLF - Yes or No. Whether or not line feeds are converted to carriage return/line feeds.
STTY - Current serial port stty parameters used for this printer.
CLASSES - All printer classes this printer is associated with.
On the LP Plus Printer Status and Control screen each printer is represented as a single line on the status screen. By positioning the cursor on a printer, commands such as enable, disable, and others can be issued by pressing [ENTER] and selecting a command (see below) or by simply pressing the "hot key" that corresponds to the command (e.g. "e" for enable printer). The same method of control is used when controlling printers on remote systems. This section covers issuing commands to printers using the Printer Status and Control menu system. Refer to Part 5 the Technical Reference for information on using the command line method for issuing commands.
Printers can be altered (e.g. enabled, disabled, forms control, etc.) either from the Printer Status and Control menu (dccstat) or with lp like commands from the UNIX command line. The remainder of this section describes issuing commands from the Printer Status and Controls menu, when a command can and cannot be done, and what the result of the command should be. Below is a quick reference list (with the corresponding hot key). Detailed command information follows this list.
| COMMAND | WHEN IT CAN BE DONE |
WHEN IT CANT BE DONE | WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN |
| Accept c | anytime | never | the indicator in the A/R column changes to A |
| Reject j | anytime | never | the indicator in the A/R column changes to R |
| Enable e | anytime | never | the indicator in the Enb column changes to Y |
| Disable d | anytime* | never | the indicator in the Enb column changes to N |
| Mount form f | anytime* | never | the indicator in the Form column changes to the new form name |
| Attach a terminal or user or host to a printer a |
anytime | never | any messages (e.g. printer alert or form mount) are sent to the attach device |
| Translation table select t | anytime | never | the new translation table is used for the print jobs |
* NOTE: The command can be issued anytime but will not take affect until any active print jobs are complete.
Accepting and Rejecting Print Jobs
A printer can be set to accept print jobs or reject them. When a printer is accepting, print jobs can be spooled to the print destination. If the printer is set to reject it will not allow print jobs to be spooled. Setting a printer to accept can be done by the command line (dccaccept -d printer_name) or by using the Command menu "6=Cmds" or the corresponding hot key "c". Rejecting print jobs can also be done by the command line (dccreject -d printer_name) or by using the Command menu "6=Cmds" or the corresponding hot key "j". Whether the printer is accepting or rejecting is displayed in the "A/R" (Accepting/Rejecting) column of the Printer Status and Control main screen.
Enabling and Disabling Printers
A printer can be enabled or disabled. When a printer is enabled, print jobs can be printed (despooled) to the print destination. If the printer is disabled, print jobs will not print. A printer can be disabled manually or it can be disabled by LP Plus if there is a problem with the printer. If a printer runs out of paper while a job is printing, LP Plus will retry the printer a number of seconds (5399 is the default) before disabling.
Enabling and disabling a printer can be done by the command line (dccenable -d printer_name or dccdisable -d printer_name) or by using the Command menu "6=Cmds" or the corresponding hot key "e" for enable or "d" for disable. Whether the printer is enabled or disabled is displayed in the "Enb" (Enabled Yes/No) column of the Printer Status and Control main screen.
Attaching a Terminal/User or Host to a Printer
The device attached to a printer is where messages about the printer will be sent. Messages such as attention required when LP Plus detects a problem with the printer and user alert when a print job requires a form change can be sent to a WinPrint™ client, a terminal device (including the printer), or a users login name. The default is the system console. Setting the attach device can be done by the command line (dccattach -d printer_name [-u user_name] [-t device_name]) or by using the Command menu "6=Cmds" or the corresponding hot key "a". A description of the attach options follows:
"Host" - Send printer messages to a WinPrint™ client. If WinPrint™ is installed and running on a Windows 3.11, 95, or NT client then the UNIX host with LP Plus can send messages to it (see below). When prompted for the host name, enter the TCP/IP host name of the WinPrint™ client followed by an exclamation point (e.g. danspc!). The host name must have an entry in the "/etc/hosts" file. Ask Digital Controls or your LP Plus retailer for information about WinPrint™.
"Terminal" - Enter the full path of a device or file name for message routing. This can be a users terminal, another printer, or an existing file name. When prompted enter the full path of the device.
"User" - Select a user from a provided list of system user ids. LP Plus will route printer messages to the first device where the user logs in. Provided the user logs out from the previous device, messages can follow a user.
Translation tables are used to change an incoming ASCII character to a different character for printing. Translation tables are configured using LP Plus Administration (refer to Part 3). Setting the translation table can be done by the command line (dccattach -d printer_name -x translation_table) or by using the Command menu "6=Cmds" or the corresponding hot key "t" . The translation table "lwr2upr" (lower to upper) (see next page) for example, changes all incoming text from lowercase to uppercase on a character by character basis.
The form name associated with a print job is used to ensure the correct paper is loaded in the printer prior to a job printing. The form name for the print job (see the "Form" column on the Status and Control main screen) must match the form that is mounted on the printer in order to print (see the description of the Printer Status and Control screen above). If the print jobs form name and the form mounted on the printer do not match, the print job is held with a status of "fpend" (form pending). The form name for the print job is usually set when the job is spooled using the "-f form_name" command line option of "dcclp". An example of this is if accounts payable wants to print checks and they use special check paper. The check print job would be spooled using a form name of perhaps "checks" so when the checks print job is submitted it will not print until an operator has loaded the correct paper in the printer.
To mount a form on a printer use the Command menu selection "6=Cmds" or the hot key "m". The prompt (below) displays the option to enter a form name "Form Name" along with all predefined forms. Predefined forms are set up using LP Plus Administration (refer to Part 3 for detailed information on predefined forms).
The form name "any" can be used to allow print jobs to use any form name and still print without a matching form name on the printer. This would be used when form names are used with print jobs but no physical paper change is required.
The indication the form change took place is the new form name appears in the "Form" column on the Printer Status and Control screen. NOTE: The form mount will take place immediately after any currently printing job is complete.