Technical Overview › Functionality and Automation

Functionality and Automation

CA Spool provides full automation, while giving the user the ability to intervene or customize operations. CA Spool operates without any need for manual intervention and typically ensures that:

• Printers are automatically acquired when spool files are ready for processing.
• The highest priority print task is selected.
• Priority is determined by the particular printer setup, number of print lines, classes, and so on.
• Users are notified on-screen when another type of form needs to be mounted or loaded into the printer (this notification message can also appear on the printer).
• Physical printing is performed with full FCB support.
• Printers are released when no more work is pending, or at the request of another VTAM application.
• Printed spool files can be retained in the system after printing.
• The retention period can be specified with respect to the individual file, the destination, or for the whole system.
• Spool files left open by an abnormally ended CICS application are automatically closed under CA Spool control.
• Any abnormal program termination can cause CA Spool to perform a general system cleanup.

Note: All of the above functions can be customized locally since these functions cannot all be in operation at any particular site.