Need help with Print Jobs

[johnslayton1]

Hi,

I am using the Cognos Powerhouse system running on OpenVMS 7.1-2 Alpha and normally, when we enter data into the application itself, it automatically sends a signal to our Lexmark printer in order to do our daily manual ordering and reports.

Now, throughout the week it does not do that at all. The printer itself operates normally such as printing normal document pages such as the Print Test Page. Thats working OK. But, however, it does not want to print out data from within the subsystem Powerhouse program.

Can someone please offer advise?

Many thx.

[Jess Goodman]

John,

VMS prints by creating a print "job" on a printer "queue". Then a printer symbiont process that manages the queue reads file(s) that are to be printed and sends their data to the printer.

So the first thing you should do is try to track down these print jobs and and the print queue that they run on.

Use the command:

$ SHOW QUEUE /DEVICE/ALL

and let us know what you find out.

[johnslayton1]

OK, let me explain you a given expample to be more precise of the issue:

When we enter data into the subsystem application (running on OpenVMS) it ususally prints out our monthly reports and daily reports of our inventory and backordered items. Then we use these to place a manual order.

But now, it does not want to print these jobs.

Now...we are using the IBM Personal Comm clietn to access the VMS host, however, when we click on the PRINT SCREEN icon, the prints come out normally.

All we have trouble with, is the reports that we enter in the system and the system usually print these automatically after an hour or so.

Hope this give more insight of the problem.

[johnslayton1]

Hi.

Im sorry...When I said the PRINTS COME OUT NORMALLY when we click on the PRINT SCREEN ICON in the client IBM application, I meant it prints out the screen.

But it does not want to print our reports AUTOMATICALLY when we issue a CODE..such as the ORDER TYPE and the ORDER'S PRIORITY LEVEL.

[DECxchange]

Hello,
The queue could be "stopped" on the VMS system. If you know the printer queue name, you can do a
$ show que

or the command that Mr. Goodman said to do. It will list whether there are print jobs out there waiting to be printed because the print queue is stopped.

There could be other reasons as well, but this is the first place to start.

[Andy Cheetham]

Can you be more specific about what Powerhouse is trying to do? There are a few ways of using Powerhouse to get printed reports and it sounds like a Powerhouse, rather than a VMS problem.