Storage Requests: Detail View

To display the detail view of a storage request, select an entry in the list of storage requests and choose .

Use

The detail view of a storage request displays all available information about the request.

All the steps of the request are logged under Request history. All the steps of the confirmation are logged under Confirmation. Steps with errors are marked in red. After the error has been resolved, you can repeat the failed step and continue with the storage process. The request cannot be completely reset.

Features

You can choose to carry out storage in single step mode. A new step will only be executed when you activate this symbol.

You can choose to trigger further processing. The storage steps are executed until the request is completed or an error occurs.

You can choose to display error messages for any errors that have occurred.

You can choose to display the confirmation for the current request above the request history, (the standard setting displays it under the request history.)

You can choose Display background job to go to the detail display of the background job that is created in request management and actually stores the print list.

You can choose to manually delete the storage request.

Monitoring Storage of Print Lists

The procedure for storing print lists is shown schematically in the following diagram:

The following text describes all settings and monitoring options.

Settings for storing print lists

You can use to change between modes:

• Request management

active (standard setting): Request management is active in a new monitor.

inactive: Request management is active in an old monitor.

The monitor has been changed for Release 6.10. You can still go to the old monitor using the pushbutton Old Monitor. You are recommended to use the new monitor.

• Delete

Automatic (standard setting): After successfully storing the print list, the storage request is automatically deleted in request management.

Manual: After successfully storing the print list, the storage request remains in request management until you delete it manually.

• Storage requests

Multiple step mode (standard setting): The steps of the storage request follow on automatically.

Single step mode: Each step of the storage request is only executed if it is manually triggered.

• Confirmations

Multiple step mode (standard setting): The steps of the confirmations run automatically after each other.

Single step mode: Each step of the confirmation is only executed if it is manually triggered.

Storing Print Lists

• Storage queue

The CARA queue screen is displayed. The CARA queue is the queue in which the spool writes storage requests for print lists.

By choosing you manually start the execution of the storage requests waiting in the queue.

• ArchiveLink job

The job overview of the ArchiveLink job is displayed, that you scheduled in customizing. The ArchiveLink job searches the CARA queue for entries.

• Storage job

The screen for the storage job is displayed. Whenever the ArchiveLink job finds an entry in the CARA queue, it starts the storage job (CARA job), which then creates the storage request in request management.

• Storage requests

A list is displayed containing all current storage requests. Choose to display a list containing only the failed storage requests.

From the list, you can go to the detail view of the storage request, where the request history is logged. For more information, see Storage Requests: Detail View.

• Confirmation

After storing, the storage system returns a confirmation to the SAP System. A list is displayed containing all the current confirmations. Choosing displays a list containing only storage requests for which unsuccessful storage was confirmed.

Printing stored lists

• Print job

Print lists can be printed from an entry in the detail screen of the hit list. A print job is started for printing, and a list of all current print jobs is displayed.

Setting Up Remote Printing for UNIX Hosts

Use

Remote printing is used to print using a remote network. The host spool system (operating system spooler) and the spool work process of the SAP System are on different hosts.

The SAP spool work process passes output data to the host spooler in a UNIX system using a network connection. You do not require a special transfer program, such as SAPSprint under Microsoft Windows for remote printing from a UNIX system, as UNIX already has a Line Printer Daemon (LPD).

You can use any printer that is accessible from the host spool system. It is irrelevant whether the printer is directly connected or whether it is a shared network printer.

Prerequisites

● High reliability required: This access method can lead to printing performance problems if the UNIX communication partner is not active when an output request is sent. The UNIX partner must have high availability. You should therefore only use this method if your company ensures a high availability of the communication partner and has a fast network.

If the UNIX partner is not active when an output request is sent to it, then the spool work process must wait for network time-outs to terminate the attempted communication. The spool server cannot process other output requests while it is waiting.

● Network printers: You should not use this access method to print directly to a printer that is equipped with its own Ethernet or Token Ring card. The problem with this configuration is that the SAP spool server must restrict its transmission speed to that acceptable to the printer.

If the printer does not have its own hard disk and you are not accessing it by way of a printer server, then data transmission to the printer can tie up the SAP spool server for considerable lengths of time.

● Supported Host Systems: This method is available for almost all LPD systems.

True64 systems (previously OSF/1) are an exception, however. Only local printing is possible with these systems, as the True64 spool system requires that the sender is running as the root user. However, the SAP System cannot run as the root user.

Procedure

The figure below shows the architecture for remote printing with a UNIX host:

To set up the print architecture for remote UNIX printing, follow the procedure below:

...

1. Set up a SAP spool server on any host system.

The spool server is an application server that provides spool processing. It therefore requires at least one spool work process.

The number of spool work processes is defined by the parameter rdisp/wp_no_spo, and this must always be set to at least 1.

2. Define the printers you want to use in the UNIX spool system.

3. Define the output devices in the SAP System.

To do this, create device definitions for the output devices in transaction SPAD (choose the Output Devices pushbutton ® Output Device menu ® Create/Create Using Template).

- Specify the host system on which the spool work process is running, as the spool server of the output device.

- For Access method, specify U (Print on LPDHOST using Berkeley protocol

Defining Output Devices for Local Microsoft Windows Printing

Use

Your SAP spool server (application server with a spool work process) is running on a Microsoft Windows server, and you want to print on one of the output devices that is defined in the Microsoft Windows operating system. To do this, you must create the corresponding device definitions for this output device in the SAP System.

Prerequisites

· Ensure that a spool work process is running on the SAP server.

You can see which servers in the system have spool work processes in the list of SAP servers.

· Ensure that you can already print documents on the printer from the Microsoft Windows operating system.

If this is not the case, install the printer on the Microsoft Windows server. You can find details about this in your Microsoft Windows documentation.

It is irrelevant whether the printer is directly connected to the PC or whether it is a shared network printer.

Procedure

Follow the procedure below to create a device definition for local PC printing:

...

1. Call transaction SPAD, and choose Output Devices.

2. If you are not in change mode, switch to this mode by choosing Change.

3. You can now do the following:

¡ You can create a new device definition by choosing Output Device ® Create.

¡ You can use an existing device definition as a template.

To do this, click the entry for the output device that is to be used as a template, and choose Output Device ® Create Using Template.

4. Specify the name of the output device and fill out the mandatory fields of the individual tab pages as follows:

	Field	Input
Device Attributes Tab Page	Device Type	Enter the device type that is defined in the SAP System for the printer model, such as HPLJ4 for the HP Laser Jet 4. For a list of the device types delivered, see SAP Note 8928 in the SAP Service Marketplace.
	Spool Server	Enter the name of the SAP spool server that is running on the Microsoft Windows NT/Windows 2000 system. For additional information, see Spool Server .
	Device Class	Select Standard printer.
Host Spool Access Method tab page	Access Method	We recommend access method C.
	Host Printer	Enter the UNC name of the printer (name and network path) as it is defined in the Microsoft Windows Print Manager. For example: \\P09330\P330

4. Optional: Classify the device. To do this, choose Edit ® Classification and then the appropriate output type classification for this device. Although classification of output devices is optional, it provides this advantage:

If you also classify your spool servers, the spool system checks that the device and server classifications match. This helps to ensure an optimal output configuration.

If you are preparing to assign a mass printer to a time-critical production server, then the spool system warns you of this disparity.

Result

You can use the printer in the SAP System as soon as you have saved the device definition.

Status information on output requests is not available from Microsoft Windows NT/2000 systems if you use access method C.

Example

The following example shows the definition of a PostScript printer that is to be used as an output device for local Microsoft Windows PC printing.

Device Attributes tab page:

Host Spool Access Method tab page:

As the host spool system and the spool server are on the same server, the name of the same server appears on both tab pages. In this example, the printer also has the same name both in the SAP System and in the operating system.

Local PC printing is the fastest and most reliable method to output SAP documents. However, you can also set up Microsoft Windows NT and Windows 2000 printers for remote PC printing. You can do this even if the spool application server for the printer is running on the Microsoft Windows NT system. For more information, see Defining an Output Device for Remote Printing on a Microsoft Windows PC.

Connecting a Printer Using TCP/IP (iSeries)

Use

If your printer is connected to the iSeries across a network using TCP/IP, the formatted print requests are passed from the SAP system to an iSeries output queue. Subsequently, they are passed from the output queue to the connected printer.

Prerequisites

Before you can print using a network printer, you must:

· Create an output queue.

· Start the printer.

Procedure

...

1. Enter the TCP/IP address for the printer in the host table or in the Domain Name System (DNS) using the functions provided by the CFGTCP menu.
For more information, see Configuring TCP/IP (iSeries).

2. To create the output queue, enter the iSeries command CRTOUTQ.

CRTOUTQ OUTQ(QGPL/PRT1) RMTSYS('P100') RMTPRTQ('P100')
CNNTYPE(*IP) DESTTYPE(*OTHER) MFRTYPMDL(*HP4)
In this example, output queue PRT1 is created in library QGPL. PRT1passes the spool requests to the remote printer queue P100. The printer, in this case, is a printer of type HP4.

3. To start the printer, enter command STRRMTWTR (Start remote writer), specifying the name of the output queue as a parameter:

STRRMTWTR OUTQ(QGPL/PRT1)

Setting Up Local Printers

Use

Local printing is the most reliable and often the fastest method to transfer data from the SAP system to the host spool system, as the SAP spool server (application server with a spool work process) is in the same host system as the host spool system (operating system spooler). It is irrelevant whether the printer is directly connected to the PC or whether it is a shared network printer.

Procedure

The figure below shows the architecture for local printing:

To set up the print architecture for local printing, follow the procedure below:

...

1. Set up an SAP spool server on a host system from which you can conveniently drive your printers.

The spool server is an application server that provides spool processing. It therefore requires at least one spool work process. The number of spool work processes is defined by the parameter rdisp/wp_no_spo, and this must always be set to at least 1.

2. Define all output devices that the SAP spool server is to use in the host spool system (operating system spooler).

You can use both locally connected and shared network devices.

3. Define the output devices in the SAP spool system.

To do this, create device definitions for the output devices in transaction SPAD (choose the Output Devices pushbutton ® Output Device menu ® Create/Create Using Template).

- Specify the host system on which the spool server (application server with a spool work process) is running, as the spool server of the output device.

- In the Access method field, choose method L for a UNIX host.

- For a Microsoft Windows host, choose access method C.

Local Printing (Microsoft Windows/UNIX)

Assume that you are working with the server (host system) SAP002 and want to use this server for printing SAP data.

The printer SAP002P is available as an output device. This output device could be either a printer connected directly to the host or a shared network printer.

The figure below shows printer configuration for this example, depending on the operating system (Microsoft Windows NT/UNIX):

To implement this printing configuration you would need to do the following:

...

1. The SAP spool server (application server with a spool work process) with the ID SAP002_C11_11 must provide the spool processing and therefore requires at least one spool work process.

The number of spool work processes is defined by the parameter rdisp/wp_no_spo, and this must always be set to at least 1.

2. Define printer SAP002P in the host spool system (operating system spooler) of SAP002 as an output device.

3. Define the output device in the SAP System.

To do this, create a device definition in transaction SPAD (choose the Output Devices pushbutton ® Output Device menu ® Create/Create Using Template).

Specify the following in the device definition:

§ Specify SAP002_C11_11 as the spool server for the output devices.

§ If you are working with a Microsoft Windows NT/2000 host system, choose the access method C (direct operating system call).

§ If you are working with a UNIX host system, choose access method L (Print locally using LP/LPR with signal).

It is irrelevant whether the printer is directly connected to the PC or whether it is a shared network printer. Only whether the spool server is on the same host as the host spool system (operating system spooler) is relevant for setting up output devices in the SAP System.

Local Printing (Access Methods C and L)

Use

Use local printing if the host spool system (operating system spooler) and the spool work process of the SAP System are on the same host.

The print architecture has characteristics typical of local printing, explained below.

Local printing is the fastest and most reliable form of printing from the point of view of SAP Systems. You can use local printing for the following operating systems:

● all Windows platforms that SAP supports for application servers iServer eSeries

● UNIX

All other operating systems use remote printing.

Prerequisites

Architecture Prerequisites

● The system prints locally if the host spool system (operating system spooler) and the spool work process of the SAP System are on the same host.

● It is irrelevant whether the printer is directly connected to the PC or whether it is a shared network printer.

● The printer must be defined at operating system level of the spool server.

SAP System Prerequisites

To be able to address an output device from the SAP System in which you are working, you must define the output device in this SAP System. You do this using a device definition.

When you are configuring the output device in a device definition, you specify how the printer is connected to the SAP System using the access method. The access method specifies whether you are using local or remote printing. The access method is identified by a letter and informs the system which architecture is in use and which operating system you are using. In this way, the system knows the way in which data is to be transferred.

The system uses the following access methods for local printing, depending on the operating system that you are using:

- Access method C: supported on all Windows plattforms that SAP supports for application servers; iServer eSeries

- Access method L: UNIX

The figure below illustrates how your print architecture must look so that it can be used for local printing:

Activities

● With local printing, the spool work process of the SAP Systems transfers the output stream, formatted for the printer, to the host spool system (operating system spooler) on the same host. The system uses the access method (C or L) that you have specified in the device definition.

The data does not need to be transferred over a network connection to reach the host spool system, which makes the connection fast and reliable.

● The data stream is printed using a local or remotely connected printer.

Print Architecture and Printing Methods

Definition

All hardware and software components involved in printing are combined in the print architecture.

Depending on the order of these individual components, an architecture that fulfills different purposes and requires a specific print method, such as those listed below, is produced:

· Local printing

· Remote printing (network)

· Frontend Printing (SAP GUI for Windows)

· Frontend printing (SAP GUI for HTML)

Structure

The figure below shows the individual components of the print architecture that are required to print from the SAP System:

The individual components interact as follows:

...

1. After the user triggers the print process, the print requests are sent to the spool server, which contains the dialog and spool work processes required for the processing.

2. A dialog work process (D-WP) of the spool server forwards the spool data to the spool database for temporary storage.

3. When the data is explicitly sent to an output device, an output request is generated from the spool request. This is forwarded to the spool work process (S-WP).

4. The spool work process formats the output request data.

This converts an internal data stream of the SAP Systems to a data stream that the output device understands.

5. After formatting, the spool work process forwards the print request to the host spool system (operating system spooler). The host spool system has the following tasks:

- Wait queue management

- Transferring the data to the output device

Depending on the situation of the host spool system, one of the following print types is used:

- local: The print requests are forwarded to the printer through a local network. The host spool system and the spool work process are on the same host.

It is irrelevant whether the output device is directly connected to the server, or whether it is defined using a remote print server.

- remote: The print requests are forwarded from the spool work process to the printer through a remote network. The host spool system is on a different host to the spool work process. This remote host is called the target host.

For information about the optimal planning of your print architecture, see Planning the SAP Print Architecture.

Every architecture requires a specific print method that is explained in the corresponding sections:

BC - SAP Printing Guide PDF Free download

BC - SAP Printing Guide