Remote Spooling

The Spooler also allows a process to spool directly to a job file in another database. This can be on the same system or on a remote system across a network.

Setting Up

To set up spooling to a remote job file, you must create a Q-pointer to the remote file and specify the remote file name as the job-file in the SP-ASSIGN command or FORM.QUEUES definition item.

Operation

When the Spooler starts creating a print job, it first requests the remote server to open the print job. The remote Spooler checks the remote PRINT.JOB.CONTROL and print job data files to establish the first unused job-id, then creates the print job control item in PRINT.JOB.CONTROL on the remote database and spools the print data to the remote job file item.

When spooling is completed and the print report is closed, the local system sends a closed status to the remote system which contains the print job. The remote system then handles all subsequent Spooler functions, such as printing or putting on hold.

The PRINT.JOB.CONTROL and print data files are on the remote system. The DESPOOLER.CONTROL item is also on the remote system. The assigned formqueue definition item must be in both the local and remote FORM.QUEUES files. The local formqueue definition is used only to define the name of the remote spool job file. The remote formqueue is used to queue the job and define formqueue parameters, such as, banner printing enabled?, prologue/epilogue id etc.

Alternative to Remote Spooling

Instead of spooling to a remote system you can spool to a local job file with the hold option assigned to the print job, then use SP-COPY to transfer the print job to a remote job file. Refer to the descriptions of SP-ASSIGN and SP-COPY.