Configuration Best Practices › Initial TCP/IP Printer Node Definition

Initial TCP/IP Printer Node Definition

When starting CA Spool for the first time, use the procedure suggested in Additional Considerations and define just one initial TCP/IP printer node.

Business Value:

Focusing on basic TCP/IP printer node initialization parameters and connectivity will simplify a first-time installation and result in a faster implementation of CA Spool. This practice eliminates many errors and optimizes performance for one printer node and may prevent the need to make modifications on several node definitions at a later time.

Additional Considerations:

Additional printer options and parameters can be specified later, based on the evaluation of business requirements at your site.

The following is a sample of TCP/IP printer definitions, followed by best practices for defining new TCP/IP printers.

DEFNODE TCPIP,TCPIP,GROUP=1,SEP=0,ACQUIRE=WORK,  
               RELEASE=NOWORK,CLASS=A,TCPDRIV=LPRT      
NODE PRT1,TCPIP,TCPHOST=111.22.333.4      Direct Network Attached <<<
NODE PRT2,TCPIP,TCPHOST=111.22.333.5,     Server Attached         <<<<
         TCPPRT=prtrqueuename                                            

To define a TCP/IP printer

1. Use node parameter TCPDRIV=LPRT until you can get a good bind to the printer or print server. The T option will create a TCPTRACE file in CA Spool queued to the same printer you are testing with.

   Note: Node parameter TCPPORT should not be specified when using the LPR print driver. It will default to port 515 to receive all line print requests from CA Spool.

2. Verify that the printer is network or server attached.
3. If the printer is server attached, insure that the correct case sensitive printer queue name is defined on the server.
4. Use the printer queue name as the value of the TCPPRT node parameter. Note that the LPR command can be used to verify that the TCP/IP printers are connected correctly in your network.

   The following is an example of the LPR command as executed from the ISPF Command Shell screen in TSO:

   lpr'esf117.cbq4parm(caiqparm)'h 111.22.333.4 p XLPR
   

   Note: If the LPR command does not work, that same printer will not work in CA Spool.

5. Insure that the correct IP address for this printer or print server is specified on the node parameter TCPHOST.

   Note: The DNS name defined for the IP address can be specified in the nameserver if you want to use name resolution.

   The TCP/IP printer is defined.

When working with the TCP/IP print drivers, be aware of the following:

• Once the printer is working from CA Spool, you can change the print driver to other values depending on the support the printer is configured with.
• If your printer is configured to handle Direct Socket connections, you can use node parameter TCPDRIV=DSO and TCPPORT=9100, which will not use the LPR protocol.
• If your printer is configured to handle PCL, it needs to be at level PCL4 or higher; you can use node parameter TCPDRIV=PCL5.
• If your printer is configured to handle PJL, you can use node parameter TCPDRIV=PJL or PJL4.
• If your printer is configured to handle full bi-directional communication, you can use node parameter TCPDRIV=PJL5.