Preparing InfoPrint Manager to connect to your host system

InfoPrint Manager provides various methods to configure printing from host systems. The most powerful methods are: Distributed Print Function (DPF) and MVS Download. If you have not decided which method is best for your operation, see the InfoPrint Manager for Windows: Planning Guide for descriptions and comparisons of the methods. You need to know which method to use before you can create the connection between InfoPrint Manager and the host.

Both InfoPrint Manager host printing options use host receivers to link the server to the host. There are two types of host receivers, one for each host printing method. Each type of receiver performs different functions.

• DPF host receiver

  Downloads print jobs and its resources from a PSF on your host system and submits them to an InfoPrint Manager PSF printer to be printed. On the host PSF, the DPF host receiver is like a TCP/IP-attached IPDS printer. You can submit jobs to the DPF host receiver using the methods used to send jobs to a TCP/IP-attached IPDS printer.

  If your host operating system is MVS or VSE, the DPF host receiver stores all of the DPF Resources it receives in the DPF Resources database. If you have the Save resources function of the receiver turned on, all resources that are marked public on the host are shown in the DPF Resources view of the Management Console. Additional information about the Save resources function is available in the online help in the Management Console and in the RICOH InfoPrint Manager for Windows: Planning Guide.

• MVS Download receiver

  Receives print files and JCL parameters from the MVS host. The receiver applies a Destination Control File (DCF) to the JCL parameters and generates a corresponding list of InfoPrint parameters. The list of InfoPrint parameters is then passed to the MVS Download Exit Program (or Exit) so InfoPrint Manager can process the job.

  The Exit performs actions on the received file. A sample exit is provided with InfoPrint Manager: written in Microsoft Visual C++ Version 6.0. This sample submits the file to InfoPrint Manager using pdpr and logs any errors. The sample exit also stops the MVS Download receiver if the pdpr fails.

  Note: MVS Download receivers do not download AFP resources with print jobs. AFP resources must be available to InfoPrint Manager.

• Before you create a DPF host receiver
• Before you create an MVS Download host receiver