Objectives and features

Many installations are faced with the complicated task of managing a complex print environment consisting of many legacy applications and a variety of transaction systems. In addition, the increasing need to provide new applications and functions often places additional requirements to existing output and print infrastructure.

It is commonly recognized that the majority of help desk problems is often related to printers and output, especially if print is distributed or network attached.

Furthermore, output management and print generation is frequently assigned a relatively low priority within most organizations.

Challenges

A number of the perceived key challenges that face many large z/OS (OS/390) environments is described following:

It is not uncommon that each application or suite has developed a unique or individual method to create output that is different to existing applications. Maintenance of many different methods

Where print can be generated from a variety of sources, and is processed using more than one host printer driver, multiple methods or tools are typically required to control printers and output. These systems can often provide differing functionality, and require additional administration and definition of the same printer to many different systems.

The ability for users to control their printers and print output is often limited or non-existent. Where control systems are used, they may only address printer control from specific applications.

The tools available to locate missing output are often inadequate, and application or transaction re-runs are not uncommon as a way of creating lost output.

Few (if any) transaction systems provide anything other than a very simplistic form of output management. This implies that external management systems need to be invoked to perform print management tasks.

If a printer suddenly becomes unavailable or requires servicing, it is not always possible to automatically reroute the output from one printer to another. This condition can complicate the stability of the operational environment.

Many installations require installation of Windows to accommodate the high volume of changes required for maintaining and enhancing the daily operating environment. When interim changes are requested (e.g. additional printers), they must often wait for the next scheduled system downtime.

Many installations can record how and when output was created, however exact information on print date/time and "printed at location" is seldom available. Similarly, it is often difficult to obtain information on when output file characteristics are changed.

The EPM Solution

EPM is a central z/OS (OS/390) software printing solution. It is a single all-in-one solution for printing mainframe data on network printers. EPM includes print management and printer administration tools, data stream transforms including AFP and XML to PDF conversion providing web-enabling of the host data. EPM addresses all OS/390 network printing needs.

EPM Features

The EPM product objectives provide the following solutions to the previously described challenges:

A single EPM can manage up to 65,536 printers using a unified set of printer and resource definitions.

Based on the individual installation requirements, controlled user empowerment can be implemented to permit management of output and printers. Use of the IBM Resource Access Control Facility (RACF) eliminates duplicate definitions for user and resource definitions that can be controlled using a multi-tiered methodology (end-user, operator and administrator functions).

EPM can be controlled from any of the supplied user interfaces that permits management via TSO, VTAM, TCP/IP, Windows NT or web-enabled interfaces. Each of the supplied interfaces offers the same range of controls and facilities. In addition, using the supplied management API (MAPI), customer defined user interfaces can be implemented in existing transaction systems and applications.

The OS/390 Cross Coupling facility is used to provide a single point of control for enterprise print managers that are operational within a Sysplex environment (and on the same environment). All print jobs and printers can be displayed within the same environment, irrespective of their system owner.

Support is provided for a wide range of printer attachments using IBM and industry standard communication methods (VTAM and TCP/IP attachments), together with output to MVS dataset or HFS files.

Using DocOut™ for Windows NT, existing workstation server resources can be exploited to perform print processing, and provide added value options for output management and viewing.

Print output can be processed from JES spool (e.g. line data and AFP). Similarly, output from VTAM application programs can be processed and converted to a wide variety of print data streams, and can be printed directly on a printer of your choice (e.g. PCL, PostScript, PDF and ASCII matrix printers).

A MAPI is supplied with a rich level of functionality that can process print resource queries, print submission requests, and print and printer management functions. EPM can be used to drive legacy (SCS and ASCII) printers, workstation printer emulators and TCP/IP attached devices.

EPM can be used to contain a resource repository that describes the four types of resource; users, applications, printers and broadcast print queues. The repository can be accessed using the supplied MAPI, and can be used to create and manage output through a series of MAPI calls that can verify printer features, availability, application defaults, etc. The resource repository can be dynamically modified by programs using the MAPI or manually modified by using the supplied user interfaces.

The information contained in the resource repository can be used to generate print based on the specific printer characteristics. This facility reduces or eliminates the requirements to perform application changes as a result of printer or print environment modifications.

The resource repository can contain information that describes the default printer destination and print characteristics for an individual user. Print data can be formatted and sent to a default printer that is specified in the repository for the individual user or application irrespective of the application used to generate output. This can contribute to major savings in development, for example in relation to office relocations, organization changes, application migrations, etc.

The EPM MAPI can be used to guarantee that print is actually printed and placed in the printer's output tray. The synchronous print mode can be essential for transaction systems that require guaranteed print delivery. The End-to-End print control feature can be used for ASCII printers to ensure that output has been printed.

The resource repository can be used to control multiple resources as a group. This facility permits users that are members of a group to filter the resources belonging to certain groups (e.g. a branch office). Similarly, certain users can be members of more than one group and switch between groups.

The Upload and Print feature allows you to perform Windows printing directly on host-attached printers. Output can be printed in native format (e.g. PostScript/PCL), or ASCII data can be converted to line data, and processed using page/form definitions. Take advantage of printing on the same printers used by your host system, and direct output to any host printer in your organization. You can maintain full control of the print job from the Windows environment using the Print Status application. In addition, you can transfer local files to your host system for printing and submit jobs directly from the desktop. No background terminal emulator facility is required to perform these tasks.

In addition, the powerful EPM MAPI facilities can be used to associate a default printer for individual user output sent via a common local print queue.

The Upload and Print Feature allows you to:

Print Windows/workstation output (client environment) on host OS/390 EPM printers.
Use the same printer devices for z/OS (OS/390) Host and LAN printing.
Maintain a single point of printer control and management � also forLAN generated print.
Send workstation documents to any printer in your organization.
Use EPM facilities for workstation print, e.g. print transforms, notification and error recovery.
Drag and drop printing and native windows print submission to host EPM printers � i.e. no change to the end user environment.
Translate, upload and submit JCL from Windows environments.

The Cross Coupling Facility is an integrated MVS feature that enables different enterprise print managers to communicate and print to other enterprise print managers in a Sysplex environment. Thus operation of multiple EPM print servers in the Sysplex can appear as a single operating environment for the supplied user interfaces and MAPI.