IPDS stands for Intelligent Printer Data Stream (if I recall correctly), and is
the data stream used by the PSF/400 feature of OS/400 to print to IPDS capable
printers. This data stream is a bidirectional communciation data stream
between the system and the printer. When you specify *IPDS and the printer
device type on a printer file, what gets generated for the spooled file is a
more generic IPDS. If you want full printing support, you should use a printer
device type of *AFPDS (Advanced Function Print Data Stream).
Once you have an AFPDS spooled file, you have two methods of printing: 1) Print
to ascii printers using Host Print Transform, or 2) Print to IPDS printers
using PSF/400.
You mention token-ring and ethernet cards, so I assume that you have all
LAN attached printers. Those printers with the I-data cards are most likely
capable of handling IPDS, so you could use the PSF/400 feature to print to
those printers. For those printers attached to an AXIS box, you probably will
have to use something like the SNMP printer driver support (new in V4R5 and
PTF'd back to V4R3 and V4R4) or the HP PJL driver support. If both of these
methods won't work, then you may be stuck with the remote writer approach
(optionally you could use the printer driver exit example in qusrtool... see
member TSPLPRDI in file QATTINFO in library QUSRTOOL).
See IBM Red Book AS/400 Printing V for details on configuration for the PJL and
PSF/400 lan attached printers.
Also see the Software Knowledge Database for more details regarding
configuration of PJL, PSF/400, and the new SNMP support:
http://as400service.rochester.ibm.com/supporthome.nsf/document/10000051
Check under Pull downs Print/Network Attached Printers...
> Hi,
> I'm working at a large printercompany and my leading project this year will
> be printing from AS400 to our printers.
> Working with it for some weeks now, i have encountert some problems like:
> Where can I put things like wich font, wich drawer to take and so on.
> And what's the difference between IPDS/AFP printing , and wich to use when.
> To go brief: Does anyone know where on the internet I can get some usefull
> practice information. ?
> I've read IBM's red/whitebook. But there's a lot of theory in it and no
> usefull practisch information.
> Note: Now we are using I-data / AXIS boxes. But our printers are equipt with
> ether or tokenring IF boards (but no real AS400 support can be found for
> those boards (EFI-boards))
> So if any of you can help this AS400 newby............
--
Rodney A Johnson
Technical Team Lead for AS/400 Spool
Dept GJC
IBM Rochester, Minnesota
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