The name of the standard device control library is DCPS$DEVCTL. This is the default library name if this parameter is blank. Refer to Chapter 7 for more information about creating device control libraries and defining the device control library logical name.

3.3.4 Assigning Default PRINT Command Parameters to the Queue (P4)

You can specify default PRINT command parameters to associate with the queue. Any PRINT parameter can be associated by default with a queue. Default PRINT parameters are used when the print job prints on the specified queue, unless the user specifies different parameter values in the PRINT command line. The parameter values specified in the PRINT command line override the default queue parameters.

Place quotes around default PRINT parameters, as shown in the following example:

$ @SYS$STARTUP:DCPS$EXECUTION_QUEUE - 2UP - ! P1 - Execution queue name "SERIAL/TTB4:" - ! P2 - Interconnect protocol/Device name DCPS_LIB - ! P3 - Logical name for library(ies) "SIDES=2" ! P4 - Default queue parameters

How DECprint Supervisor Prioritizes PRINT Parameters

Parameters set by the /PARAMETERS qualifier of the PRINT command override any defaults set for the queue. DECprint Supervisor uses default values for parameters, from highest to lowest priority, as follows:

1. Parameters specified in the PRINT command
2. Queue defaults specified for the generic queue
3. Queue defaults specified for the execution queue
4. Defaults built into the DCPS software:

   DATA_TYPE=AUTOMATIC
   INPUT_TRAY=printer-specific¹
   LAYUP_DEFINITION=no default layup definition
   MEDIA_TYPE=printer-specific¹
   MESSAGES=NOMESSAGES
   NUMBER_UP=0
   OUTPUT_TRAY=printer-specific¹
   PAGE_LIMIT=no limit
   PAGE_ORIENTATION=PORTRAIT
   PAGE_SIZE=(same as SHEET_SIZE)
   NOPUNCH
   SHEET_COUNT=1
   SHEET_SIZE=printer-specific¹
   SIDES=printer-specific¹
   STAPLE=NONE
   TAB=NOTAB

Some parameter values are controlled by the printer hardware and can be set through means other than the DECprint Supervisor software. DIGITAL PrintServer printers are affected by the PrintServer Software. Other printers are controlled through the printer control panel or switches.

3.3.5 Supplying Default Queue Attributes (P5)

You can supply a value to override or add to the default queue attributes. Do not use the INITIALIZE/QUEUE command to set these qualifiers. Enter them into the queue definition instead.

By default, the printer startup command procedure creates print queues with the following INITIALIZE/QUEUE qualifier settings:

• /SEPARATE=(BURST,TRAILER,NORESET)
  The /SEPARATE qualifier is used to specify job separation pages. The default setting specifies:
  • Job burst pages.
  • Job trailer pages.
  • No reset module is sent between print jobs (NORESET). This setting is included for compatibility with sites upgrading from PrintServer client software.
• /FORM_MOUNTED=DCPS$DEFAULT
  This qualifier allows you to include a default form definition assumed to be mounted on the printer. The default form for ANSI jobs only is DCPS$DEFAULT. If you include a form definition with the /FORM_MOUNTED qualifier, specify the same form definition in the /DEFAULT qualifier as well.
• /DEFAULT=(NOFEED)
  The /DEFAULT qualifier specifies default PRINT qualifiers. The standard queue definition specifies a default setting of NOFEED on print jobs. You can modify this command line to include any PRINT qualifiers. For example, you can include your own form to be applied to print jobs when a form definition is required:

  /DEFAULT=(FORM=MYFORM,NOFEED)

  
  If you specify the /DEFAULT qualifier, be sure to include the FORM and NOFEED keywords. If they are not included, the values revert to the OpenVMS defaults, which are not compatible with the DECprint Supervisor software.

You can set the communications speed for serial printers attached directly to your OpenVMS system. If this parameter is blank, the default is 9600 baud. To change the speed, replace the null string ("") with a value, such as "19200". For printers that utilize network connections, this parameter is ignored.

3.3.7 Supplying SET DEVICE Qualifiers to the Queue (P7)

You can specify the SET DEVICE command qualifiers for this queue. For example, to enable error logging, include the following string:

"/ERROR_LOGGING"

Now, all error messages reported by the printer are recorded in the error log file, SYS$ERRORLOG:ERRLOG.SYS. You can read this file using the ANALYZE/ERROR command.

This parameter is valid for serial printers only.

3.3.8 Enabling SET VERIFY When Initializing the Queue (P8)

You can specify the setting of the SET VERIFY command for the DCPS$EXECUTION_QUEUE.COM command procedure. The default setting is NOVERIFY, to save log file space and console log space. If P8 contains 1, then SET VERIFY is enabled, which is useful for diagnosing problems in the printer startup file. (Refer to the HP OpenVMS DCL Dictionary for more information about the SET [NO]VERIFY command.)

3.4 Running the Startup Procedure in Setup Mode

The DCPS startup procedure, DCPS$STARTUP, can be run in a shortened "setup" mode. This mode would most commonly be used if your queues are autostart queues, and you wanted to speed up the execution of DCPS$STARTUP. In setup mode, logical names needed by DCPS are defined, but no queues are created, modified or started.

To run DCPS$STARTUP in setup mode, pass SETUP as the P1 parameter. For example,

$ @SYS$STARTUP:DCPS$STARTUP SETUP

To define logical names, DCPS$STARTUP now creates a "setup file" each time it runs in normal (non-setup) mode. This file is called DCPS$STARTUP_SETUP.COM and is run when DCPS$STARTUP is later run in setup mode. The setup file should not be modified and is only for use by DCPS$STARTUP.

Please note the following details concerning setup mode:

• When run in setup mode, all commands in DCPS$STARTUP.COM are executed, except for initializing or modifying queues with calls to DCPS$EXECUTION_QUEUE and DCPS$GENERIC_QUEUE. All other code, such as creating LAT devices or defining queue-related logical names such as DCPS$queue-name_NO_SYNC will be executed.
• If the setup file does not exist when DCPS$STARTUP is run in setup mode, startup will run in normal mode and a setup file will be created.
• DCPS$STARTUP will display whether it is running in setup or normal mode.
• If running in setup mode, DCPS$STARTUP will display the creation date of the setup file it is using.
• If running in setup mode, and DCPS$STARTUP.COM has been modified since the setup file was created, an informational message will be displayed. Startup will continue in setup mode, ignoring changes to the procedure made in the portion of DCPS$STARTUP that does not run in setup mode. In this case, DCPS$STARTUP.COM should be reviewed to see if any changes affecting queues were made, and run again in normal mode so a new setup file can be created.
• If you want to use DCPS$STARTUP in setup mode, and you have not previously done so, make sure your DCPS$STARTUP.COM procedure was created from at least the V2.3 version of DCPS$STARTUP.TEMPLATE. If your DCPS$STARTUP.COM is too old, you must copy DCPS$STARTUP.TEMPLATE to DCPS$STARTUP.COM and incorporate your site-specific modifications.

You can alter the behavior of DCPS print symbionts and their corresponding execution queues in a number of ways, several of which are described in this section. Other options are listed in Appendix B, along with general guidelines for making the changes. Some customizations apply to all DCPS queues while others apply only to queues that you specify.

3.5.1 Running DCPS as a Multistreamed Process

DECthreads is used to implement the numerous functions of DCPS. All processes that use DECthreads execute periodically to determine if any threads can run. Even when no jobs are printing, DECthreads causes a DCPS process to run to determine if any threads can run. If there are many DCPS queues started on a system, the scheduling and periodic execution of all these processes can use a significant amount of CPU time. This problem is resolved by running DCPS as a multistreamed process, thereby reducing the number of symbiont processes that must execute.

When running multistreamed, one DCPS process can run more than one DCPS execution queue. A new DCPS process is not started every time a DCPS print queue is started, but only when all current processes are supporting a specified maximum number of queues ("streams"). The number of queues that a DCPS symbiont process will support is determined by the value of the logical name DCPS$MAX_STREAMS when the process is started.

DCPS can be configured to support up to 32 execution queues per DCPS symbiont process. The logical name DCPS$MAX_STREAMS is used to specify the number of queues per DCPS symbiont process. To define this logical, specify the following command in your DCPS$STARTUP.COM file (a template is provided in DCPS$STARTUP.TEMPLATE) and substitute the number of queues per process to use. If this logical name is not defined, a DCPS process will support only one (1) execution queue.

$ DEFINE /EXECUTIVE_MODE /SYSTEM DCPS$MAX_STREAMS max-number

Execute your DCPS$STARTUP.COM file to define this logical name and start your queues with DCPS as a multistreamed process.

A DCPS process terminates only when all queues associated with the process are stopped.

3.5.1.1 Managing Print Queues When Running Multistreamed

The OpenVMS Queue Manager controls when a symbiont process is created and terminated. Generally a new DCPS symbiont process is created when there are no free streams in all existing DCPS symbiont processes.

The set of print queues that a DCPS symbiont process supports is determined by the order in which queues are started, and by any subsequent stopping ( STOP /QUEUE /RESET or STOP /QUEUE /NEXT ) and starting ( START /QUEUE ) of queues. DCPS defines a logical name which identifies the process ID for a queue ( Section 5.8). You can use these logical names to determine the process that supports a queue and the set of queues that are supported by the same process.

Although not likely, a problem observed with one queue could be the result of a problem that exists with another queue, because both queues are supported by the same process. It may not be sufficient to examine the state of one job on one queue to identify a problem. You may need to look at the state of the first job on all the queues supported by that DCPS process.

A DCPS queue should not be stopped by stopping the DCPS process that supports that queue. Stopping a DCPS symbiont process with STOP /IDENTIFICATION will stop all of the queues supported by that process.

3.5.1.2 Changing the DCPS Environment When Running Multistreamed

With a single-streamed DCPS symbiont process, changes to DCPS logicals names and other aspects of the DCPS environment may not take effect until after you have issued a STOP /QUEUE /RESET and then a START /QUEUE command for the associated queue, depending on what you are trying to change.

To change the behavior for a single DCPS queue that is associated with a multistreamed process, you may need to stop all the DCPS queues associated with that symbiont process and then restart them before the change will take effect. This is because some aspects of the environment are determined only when the DCPS symbiont process starts (rather than when a DCPS queue starts) and the symbiont process does not stop until all of its associated queues are stopped.

3.5.1.3 Determing the Proper Value for DCPS$MAX_STREAMS

There are several factors to consider to determine an appropriate number of queues per DCPS symbiont process including:

• You can reduce the number of process slots taken by DCPS by increasing the number of queues per process. This will free up process slots. By reducing the number of DCPS symbiont processes, you reduce the number of DECthread processes that must run periodically, which improves system performance.
• Even though a DCPS process can be configured to support more than one execution queue, DCPS can translate only one file at a time. To avoid contention for translators, when a stream (queue) in a process needs a translator that is already in use, the translator for that stream is started in a separate temporary process. This can impact performance if your site primarily uses one translator, and print queues are generally busy. To reduce the likelihood of a impact on performance, choose a smaller value for DCPS$MAX_STREAMS.
• The maximum number of queues per process is 32. This limit is imposed by the OpenVMS queue manager.
• A DCPS process running multiple print queues represents a potential single point of failure. If the supervisor process fails, or someone stops the process, then several queues are affected.

DCPS normally waits for a Raw TCP/IP, LAT or serial printer to be idle before sending a new job to it. This is especially important in a networked environment where a printer can be shared among DCPS queues, LATSYM queues, Windows® and UNIX® hosts, etc.

Prior to version V1.2, DCPS used an aggressive synchronization sequence to gain control of a printer's PostScript interpreter. This scheme worked well in an all-DCPS environment, but in a multi-host environment it sometimes caused print jobs from other systems to terminate prematurely.

If you rely on DCPS's earlier behavior to abort errant PostScript jobs on one queue by starting a job on another queue, you can define the following system logical name to restore the more aggressive behavior:

$ DEFINE /EXECUTIVE_MODE /SYSTEM DCPS$queue-name_INTERRUPT_WHEN_BUSY TRUE

3.5.3 Suppressing PostScript Synchronization When a Job Starts

DCPS begins a job on a Raw TCP/IP, LAT or serial printer by synchronizing with its PostScript interpreter to ensure that the interpreter is ready to accept commands. However, some PostScript printers are not always in a state where they can recognize the synchronization control characters. In particular, some printers that support additional printer languages like PCL do not correctly respond to this sequence under certain circumstances. For example, the DEClaser 3500, when in PS/PCL sensing mode, inadvertently switches to PCL mode when DCPS sends a Ctrl/T character to its serial port. The printer, then out of the PostScript mode, does not respond, and the print job gets stuck in the "starting" state.

You can define a logical name to cause the DCPS symbiont to avoid using its usual synchronization sequence for printers that use a Raw TCP/IP, LAT or serial connection. The logical name has no effect when using printers connected via other means. Refer to Chapter 10 for printer-specific recommendations.

To disable the synchronization sequence for a print queue, use the following command:

$ DEFINE /EXECUTIVE_MODE /SYSTEM DCPS$queue-name_NO_SYNC TRUE

The absence of the synchronization step is not generally a problem for most modern serially-connected printers because such printers use flow control to hold off data when the interpreter is not ready to accept data. However, the printer is more vulnerable to printing "garbage" or losing jobs if communication parameters, such as baud rate and stop bits, are not set correctly. Depending on the configuration, it's also possible to lose print jobs if the printer data cable is disconnected or the printer is powered off.

3.5.4 Purging the Symbiont Process's Working Set

The DCPS symbiont purges its working set after it has been idle for a period of time in order to conserve system resources. The time delay is intended to help prevent the system from thrashing by keeping the program in physical memory while more work is apt to arrive.

By default, DCPS waits ten (10) minutes after becoming idle before purging its working set. You can increase this value, if desired, by defining a system-wide logical name:

$ DEFINE /EXECUTIVE_MODE /SYSTEM DCPS$PURGE_TIME "0 hh:mm:ss.00"

where hh:mm:ss.00 is an OpenVMS delta-time value specifying the desired time delay. If the value is less than the default of ten seconds, the default is used.

3.5.5 Enabling Spooling for LPD Queues

Remote LPD queues, and some LPD printers, require the size of the job to be known before the job is sent. DCPS can produce a temporary spool file so the size can be determined. By default, DCPS LPD jobs are not spooled, so specific action must be taken to send DCPS LPD jobs to remote LPD queues or LPD printers that require it. Spooling can be specified for the whole system or for individual queues by defining logical names.

Because spooling requires an extra step to create the temporary spool file, you should enable spooling only for printers that require it. Common reasons to use spooling are:

You are printing to a remote LPD queue on another system.
Your printer does not print anything when using DCPS LPD without spooling.
Your printer is a larger multi-function device that does not work with DCPS Raw TCP or LPD without spooling.

To turn on spooling, define one of the following logical names. Neither of these logical names are defined by default.

• DCPS$SPOOL
  When defined, all LPD jobs from all queues will create a temporary spool file before being sent to the printer or remote queue.
• DCPS$queue-name_SPOOL
  When defined, LPD jobs from this queue will create a temporary spool file before being sent to the printer or remote queue.

To specify where temporary spool files will be created, the following logical name is used. This logical name is always defined.

• DCPS$SPOOL_DIRECTORY
  Spool files will be created in this directory and deleted after being sent to the printer or remote queue. Print jobs are not spooled unless spooling is enabled with one of the two logical names above.
  You will be asked for the location for your DCPS spool directory when installing DCPS if it is not already defined. The default location is SYS$COMMON:[DCPS$SPOOL], but you should specify a location on a non-system disk that is available to all queues for which spooling is enabled. This directory is protected such that only the DCPS print symbiont process and privileged users can view the spool files.

The logical names DCPS$SHEET_SIZE and DCPS$queue-name_SHEET_SIZE are used to tell DCPS about the printer's default paper size. The system-wide logical name DCPS$SHEET_SIZE is defined in DCPS$STARTUP.COM to be LETTER. If you use a different paper size at your site, change or redefine the value of this logical name. You can also change the value for individual queues by defining a value for the queue-specific DCPS$queue-name_SHEET_SIZE.

For example, to specify A4 as the default paper size system-wide:

$ DEFINE /EXECUTIVE_MODE /SYSTEM DCPS$SHEET_SIZE A4

To specify LEGAL as the default paper size for a queue called LAWYERS:

$ DEFINE /EXECUTIVE_MODE /SYSTEM DCPS$LAWYERS_SHEET_SIZE LEGAL

The definition of the DCPS$SHEET_SIZE logical name is in the new version of DCPS$STARTUP.TEMPLATE shipped with this version of DCPS. You should copy DCPS$STARTUP.TEMPLATE to .COM and edit the resulting DCPS$STARTUP.COM with your site-specific changes.

Note the following behavior concerning the sheet size logical name:

• If neither the system-wide nor queue-specific version of this logical name are defined, the default sheet size is set to LETTER.
• If the sheet size is defined to be a size that does not exist on the printer, the job will not print and no error message will be received.
• The logical name should be used for LPD queues only. It is not supported for other queue types.

Most DCPS LPD queues will use printers unrecognized by DCPS, so most queues will not require the use of this logical name. However, you might want to use LPD to print to a DCPS-supported printer. For example, the HP Color LaserJet 8500 and 8550, DIGITAL Colorwriter LSR 2000 and DEClaser 3500 are not supported by DCPS with any other IP protocol, but can now be used with LPD.

If you have a DCPS-supported printer that you want to use with LPD, you must define the DCPS$queue-name_PRODUCT_NAME logical name to be the PostScript product name of the printer as shown in Table 3-4. You must specify the product name exactly, including spacing. However, capitalization and trailing spaces are ignored.

For example, to set up a queue called MFP to an HP LaserJet 9000 MFP printer, you can use commands such as:

$ DEFINE /EXECUTIVE_MODE /SYSTEM DCPS$MFP_PRODUCT_NAME - _$ "HP LaserJet 9000 MFP" $ DEFINE /EXECUTIVE_MODE /SYSTEM DCPS$MFP_PRODUCT_NAME - _$ "hp LaserJet 9000 mfp"

If you specify "HPGENERIC", your printer will be treated as an "HP Generic" printer. If you specify any other string, your printer will be treated as an "unrecognized" printer.

Table 3-4 Recognized Product Names

Colormate PS
Colormate PS40
Colormate PS80
Colorwriter 1000
Colorwriter LSR 2000
Compaq Laser Printer LN16
Compaq Laser Printer LN32
Compaq Laser Printer LNC02
Compaq Laser Printer LNM40
DECcolorwriter 1000
DEClaser 1150
DEClaser 1152
DEClaser 2150
DEClaser 2250
DEClaser 3250
DEClaser 3500
DEClaser 5100
DIGITAL Laser Printer LN15
DIGITAL Laser Printer LN20
DIGITAL Laser Printer LN40
DIGITAL Laser Printer LNC02
GENICOM Intelliprint cL160
GENICOM Intelliprint mL260
GENICOM Intelliprint mL402
GENICOM Intelliprint mL450
GENICOM LN21
GENICOM LN28
GENICOM LN45
GENICOM LNM40
GENICOM microLaser 170
GENICOM microLaser 210
GENICOM microLaser 280
GENICOM microLaser 320
GENICOM microLaser 401
HP 9085mfp
HP Color LaserJet 2500
HP Color LaserJet 2550 Series
HP Color LaserJet 3000
HP Color LaserJet 3700
HP Color LaserJet 3800
HP Color LaserJet 4500
HP Color LaserJet 4550
HP Color LaserJet 4600
HP Color LaserJet 4610
HP Color LaserJet 4650
HP Color LaserJet 4700
HP Color LaserJet 4730mfp
HP Color LaserJet 5500
HP Color LaserJet 5550
HP Color LaserJet 8500
HP Color LaserJet 8550
HP Color LaserJet 9500
HP Color LaserJet 9500 MFP
HP LaserJet 1300 Series
HP LaserJet 1320 Series
HP LaserJet 2100 Series
HP LaserJet 2200
HP LaserJet 2300 series
HP LaserJet 2410
HP LaserJet 2420
HP LaserJet 2430
HP LaserJet 4 Plus
HP LaserJet 4000 Series
HP LaserJet 4050 Series
HP LaserJet 4100 MFP
HP LaserJet 4100 Series
HP LaserJet 4200
HP LaserJet 4200L
HP LaserJet 4240
HP LaserJet 4240N
HP LaserJet 4250
HP LaserJet 4250L
HP LaserJet 4300
HP LaserJet 4345 MFP
HP LaserJet 4350
HP LaserJet 4ML
HP LaserJet 4MP
HP LaserJet 4PJ
HP LaserJet 4Si
HP LaserJet 4V
HP LaserJet 5000 Series
HP LaserJet 5100 Series
HP LaserJet 5200
HP LaserJet 5200L
HP LaserJet 5M
HP LaserJet 5Si
HP LaserJet 8000 Series
HP LaserJet 8100 Series
HP LaserJet 8150 Series
HP LaserJet 9000 MFP
HP LaserJet 9000 Series
HP LaserJet 9000L MFP
HP LaserJet 9040 MFP
HP LaserJet 9050
HP LaserJet 9050 MFP
HP LaserJet 9055mfp
HP LaserJet 9065mfp
HP LaserJet III
HP LaserJet IIID
HP LaserJet IIISi
HP LaserJet IIP
Hewlett-Packard LaserJet IIISi
IBM InfoPrint 32/40
IBM Infoprint 21
LN17ps
LPS17
LPS17/600
LPS20
LPS20+
LPS32
LPS40
LPS40+
LaserJet 4
LaserJet II
LaserWriter II NT
LaserWriter II NTX
LaserWriter IIf
LaserWriter IIg
LaserWriter Personal NTR
LaserWriter Plus
LaserWriter Pro 600
LaserWriter Pro 630
LaserWriter Pro 810
LaserWriter Select 310
LaserWriter Select 320
LaserWriter Select 360
Lexmark C720
Lexmark C750
Lexmark C910
Lexmark Optra C710
Lexmark Optra LaserPrinter
Lexmark Optra S 1250
Lexmark Optra S 1255
Lexmark Optra S 1620
Lexmark Optra S 1625
Lexmark Optra S 1650
Lexmark Optra S 1855
Lexmark Optra S 2420
Lexmark Optra S 2450
Lexmark Optra S 2455
Lexmark Optra Se 3455
Lexmark Optra T610
Lexmark Optra T612
Lexmark Optra T614
Lexmark Optra T616
Lexmark Optra W810
Lexmark T520
Lexmark T522
Lexmark T620
Lexmark T622
Lexmark W820
Phaser 200e
Phaser 200i
Phaser 220e
Phaser 220i
Phaser 300i
Phaser 4500DP
Phaser 4500N
Phaser 4500X
Phaser 6250DP
Phaser 6250DT
Phaser 6250DX
Phaser 6250N
Phaser 7300DN
Phaser 7300DT
Phaser 7300DX
Phaser 7300N
Phaser 740
Phaser 740E
Phaser 740P
Phaser 750DP
Phaser 750DX
Phaser 750N
Phaser 7750DN
Phaser 7750DX
Phaser 7750GX
Phaser 780GN
Phaser 780N
Phaser 8400DP
Phaser 8400DX
Phaser 8400N
Phaser 850DP
Phaser 850DX
Phaser 850N
Phaser III PXi
ScriptPrinter
Xerox DocuPrint N2025
Xerox DocuPrint N2125
Xerox DocuPrint N24
Xerox DocuPrint N2825
Xerox DocuPrint N32
Xerox DocuPrint N3225
Xerox DocuPrint N40
Xerox DocuPrint N4025
Xerox DocuPrint N4525
Xerox DocumentCentre
Xerox WCP 232
Xerox WCP 238
Xerox WCP 245
Xerox WCP 255
Xerox WCP 265
Xerox WCP 275
Xerox WCP 35
Xerox WCP 45
Xerox WCP 55
Xerox WCP 65
Xerox WCP 75
Xerox WCP 90