SNAP-IX 3270 User's Guide - 4.3 Controlling Printer Sessions

4.3 Controlling Printer Sessions

Printer sessions are used by host applications that can print to 3287 printers using LU types 1 or 3. You control printer sessions in much the same way as you control display sessions.

You do not need a printer session to print the contents of a 3270 display on a local printer. To do that, press PRINT (default keystroke Ctrl + P) during 3270 emulation.

To control printer sessions, choose Printer Sessions from the Control menu. The dialog box shown in Control Printer Sessions Dialog Box, is displayed.

Control Printer Sessions Dialog Box

The following list describes the information contained in the Control Printer Sessions dialog box.

Long Name

The unique identifier for each session. For instructions for changing this option, see Customizing Printer Sessions.

LU Name

Identifies the local LU assigned to the session.

Node Name

The name of the SNAP-IX node on which the LU is configured. If the session is disabled, this field is blank.

LS Name

The name of the LS from the SNAP-IX node to the remote system. If the session is disabled, this field is blank.

LS Type

Identifies the type of LS (for example, SDLC). If the session is disabled, this field is blank.

Status

Indicates whether the session is communicating with the local node. To use the session for printer emulation, you must enable it. For more information, see Enabling and Disabling a Printer Session. The following list describes the printer session status messages.

Disabled

The session is not communicating with the local node. To enable this session, you must choose < Change Status>.

Enabled nnn

The session is communicating with the local node but not with a host control program. The variable

nnn

is the communications check code, displayed as

-+z_nnn

on the status line of the 3270 session. For explanations of these codes, see Status Line Information. The code indicates why the 3270 emulation program has not been able to contact the host control program.

The status may also appear as

Enabled

without a communications check code for a few seconds before it changes to

SSCP

SSCP

The session is activated and communicating with a host control program.

Host_application_name

The 3270 emulation program is communicating with the named host application, but printing has not yet started.

Printing

The 3270 emulation program is communicating with a host application, and printing is in progress.

The Control Printer Sessions dialog box provides the following push buttons:

<Change Status>: Choose this to enable a disabled session or to disable an enabled session. (For more information, see Enabling and Disabling a Printer Session.)
<Remap>: Choose this to change the LU that is used by the highlighted session. For more information, see Remapping a Printer Session.
<Done>: Choose this to exit the Control Printer Sessions dialog box.

4.3.1 Enabling and Disabling a Printer Session

To conduct printer emulation, you must enable a printer session. To toggle a session's status between enabled and disabled, use the following procedure:

Select a printer session in the Control Printer Sessions dialog box.
Choose <Change Status>.

Once enabled, a printer session is available to direct 3270 output either to a printer attached to your Solaris computer or to a file on the Solaris computer. No display function is associated with printer sessions.

4.3.2 Remapping a Printer Session

The Control Printer Sessions dialog box shows the name of the 3270 LU that each 3270 printer session uses. If your System Administrator has configured this option for you, you can remap the session to use a different LU. The session must be disabled before you can remap it; the <Remap> push button is not selectable unless the session is disabled. If the session is disabled but the <Remap> push button is still not selectable, your System Administrator has not given you permission to remap sessions.

To remap a printer session, use the following procedure:

Select a disabled session in the list box.
Choose <Remap>.

The Remap Printer Session dialog box is displayed, as shown in Remap Printer Session Dialog Box.

Remap Printer Session Dialog Box

The list box shows all the printer LUs to which you can remap sessions.
Select the new LU for this session from the list box.
Choose <OK>, or <Cancel> to abandon remapping the session.

4.3.3 Maximum Print Position for LU 1 and Unformatted LU 3 Printer Sessions

When the host sends data for a printer session, it can specify the maximum number of characters to be printed on a line (the 'maximum print position'). The default value is 132; the 3270 emulation program accepts any value from the host up to 132, but will reject larger values.

If you need to accept larger values specified by the host, or to restrict the host to values below 132, you must set the environment variable SNALU1MPP before starting the 3270 emulation program. This should be set to the maximum number of characters acceptable per line (the limit is 250). The 3270 emulation program will then accept any value from the host that is less than or equal to the value of this environment variable, but will reject larger values.

Contact your System Administrator if you are not sure how to set this environment variable.

4.3.4 Code Translation for LU 1 Transparent Data

When the host sends data for a LU1 printer session, it can mark sections of the data as 'transparent data' (using the SCS code 0x35). Normally, transparent data is sent to the printer without being translated from EBCDIC to ASCII.

If you need to translate transparent data from EBCDIC to ASCII, you must set the environment variable CONVERTTRANS to the value 1 before starting the 3270 emulation program. The program will then translate transparent data. To return to the normal operation, set this environment variable to 0 (zero).