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How do I use a CTG local printers with TXSeries?

Question & Answer


Question

I need to know how to configure local printers connected through the CICS Transaction Gateway to use TXSeries applications.

Answer

It is becoming more prevalent to have locally connected printers (printers that are addressable from a workstation or desktop) being part of an implementation for new or updated application. For TXSeries the only way to use local printers is with the use of the CICS Transaction Gateway (CTG) software.

The printer to be used could be locally attached with a cable, network addressable, a Windows Domain resource, or connectable from a server which is common in the UNIX environments. As long as the workstation or desktop has a device defined for the printer this solution will work. A picture of a basic configuration could look like this.

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The cicsprnt command from CTG is used to establish a printer.
cicsprnt -n=PRINTER1 -r=REGIONA -f=c:\print\file\location\printer1file.txt -q -j

or to a printer directly: cicsprnt -n=PRINTER1 -r=REGIONA -p=c:\application\printerscript.bat -t

In the script file are the specific commands for the local printer to print the data sent.

Be aware that TXSeries cannot sign on a printer or run a transaction on a printer that takes keyboard interaction. If an initial transaction is specified in the Server definition in the CTG, and it requires keyboard interaction like CESN, the -t option must be used on the cicsprnt command to ignore the initial transaction. Without the ability to sign on a user on the printer terminal the default user id for the region is used to run the transaction on the printer terminal. Security is handled through the use of the RSLkeys and TSLkeys on terminal, transaction and program definitions.

A printer terminal definition is needed in the region for the netname requested with the -n switch on the cicsprnt command. The hard coded terminal entries are usually used for printers. The entry resides in the WD.stanza. Remember to cold start the region after creating one. In the sample below notice the setting of the parameter IsPrinter=yes.


PRT1:

GroupName=""

ActivateOnStartup=yes

ResourceDescription=""

AmendCounter=0

Permanent=no

OutService=no

RemoteSysId=""

RemoteName=""

TSLKeyList=1

RSLKeyList=none

ModelId=""

NumLines=64

NumColumns=132

CanStartATIs=yes

CanStartTTIs=yes

UCTranFlag=yes

TCTUALen=128

NetName="PRINTER1"

Katakana=no

IsPrinter=yes

IsShippable=yes

TermType=1

TermSubType=10

Priority=0

Validation=no

Highlight=no

Foreground=no

ExtDS=no

ProgramSymbols=no

Outline=no

SOSI=no

ERRLastLine=yes

ERRIntensify=yes

ERRColor=no

ERRHilight=no

DevType=""

RecoverTerminal=yes

[{"Business Unit":{"code":"BU058","label":"IBM Infrastructure w\/TPS"},"Product":{"code":"SSAL2T","label":"TXSeries for Multiplatforms"},"Platform":[{"code":"PF025","label":"Platform Independent"}],"Component":"","Version":"","Line of Business":{"code":"LOB35","label":"Mainframe SW"}}]

Document Information

Modified date:
18 November 2014

UID

dwa1165004