Suspending Spooling

Use the command SPOOLER with the parameter SUSPEND or the command SUSPENDSPOOL.

SUSPENDSPOOL and SPOOLER ...;SUSPEND without the ;FINISH option causes the spooler process to retain ownership of the spool file it is currently processing. Furthermore, the spooler does not cap the current file with a page eject and trailer, but pauses the output. The printer resumes printing exactly where it left off when the SPOOLER...;RESUME command with no offset is issued.

Both SPOOLER ...;SUSPEND ;KEEP and SPOOLER ...;SUSPEND with no offset pause the output. Again, the spooler resumes spooling exactly where it left off.

	CAUTION: When using network printers, avoid using the following commands to suspend the spooler in mid-file: SPOOLER ...; STOP SPOOLER ...; SUSPEND; OFFSET=anything SPOOLER ...; RESUME; OFFSET=anything SPOOLER ...; SUSPEND; NOKEEP SPOOLER ...; RELEASE Many interfaces drop a network connection if the printer is ready to receive data but no data is being sent within a specific time period. The period is configurable at the printer or in the printer's TFTP file (specified in the bootptab entry), but many users simply use the factory default, which is 90 seconds. The timer only runs when the printer is available but the host is not sending data, as is the case during a mid-file suspension. The timer does not run when the printer is unable to print, i.e., it has been taken offline, or places itself offline due to a paper out or toner low condition.

The behavior of SUSPENDSPOOL differs from its functionality in release 2.05 and in earlier releases. This difference is a result of mapping the command onto the native mode spooler command set.

The difference permits RESUMESPOOL...;BACK nnn and RESUMESPOOL...;FORWARD nnn to function as they did in the 2.05 and earlier releases.

A consequence is that SUSPENDSPOOL does not relinquish ownership of a spool file that is printing.

To force the spooler process to relinquish ownership, you may choose either of two methods:

   SUSPENDSPOOL 6

   SPOOLER 6;RELEASE

or

   SPOOLER 6;SUSPEND;NOW;NOKEEP

Suspending a class

To suspend spooling where class LP consists of logical devices 6, 9, and 11, and where their spooler processes retain ownership of any spool files that they are currently processing, enter:

SPOOLER LP ;SUSPEND

Suspending with an offset

You can specify an offset when you suspend spooling. Suppose that the spooler for logical device 6 is printing page 20. You want to suspend spooling so that when you direct the spooler to resume, it begins printing page 17. Enter:

SPOOLER 6 ;SUSPEND; KEEP; OFFSET = -3

The KEEP parameter directs logical device 6 to retain ownership of the spool file that it is currently processing. The KEEP option need not be entered. It is the default.

You can use the RELEASE parameter of the SPOOLER command to release a retained spool file.