Managing resources with DPF

When you submit a print job using DPF, both the job files and the required IPDS resources are sent to your InfoPrint Manager system. However, you can reduce traffic on your network by using the Save resources function of the DPF host receivers.

Note: The Save resources function only works with PSF for VSE, MVS, and z/OS systems. You cannot use Save resources if you are using DPF to print from a VM or an i5/OS system.

All DPF Resources that are downloaded with jobs are stored in the DPF Resources database. However, some resources stay in the database for reuse, while others are deleted as soon as they are no longer needed. What happens to the resource depends on how you mark the resources on the host system and on how you have the Save resources option set on your DPF host receivers.

On your host system, you can use the PSF resource-marking utility (APSRMARK on MVS or APTRMARK on VSE) to mark your resources as private or public. Private resources are downloaded to the DPF Resources database with a job and used for that job. When the host receiver disconnects from InfoPrint Manager and the job that uses the resource is purged from the print queue, the resource is deleted from the database. Public resources are downloaded to the DPF Resources database with a job, used for that job, then kept in the database to be reused later. If you do not mark resources, they are treated like private resources.

When you create a DPF host receiver, you can select Save resources or you can leave it unselected.

  • When Save resources is selected, the DPF host receiver acknowledges the public/private mark on the resource. Public resources are downloaded and stored in the database for reuse later; private resources are downloaded and used for one job, then deleted. Unmarked resources are treated as private resources.
  • When Save resources is not selected, all DPF resources (font, overlays, and page segments) are treated as private resources, even if they have been marked public on the host.

When a job starts to download, the DPF host receiver checks to see what resources it requests, looking for an internal ID and a public/private designation (both set on the host).

  • If the resource does not have an internal ID, it is downloaded and treated as a private resource.
  • If the resource has an internal ID, the receiver checks to see if it is marked public or private.
    • If the resource is marked private, it is downloaded and used with the job, then deleted.
    • If the resource is marked public, the host receiver checks to see if it is already stored in the database. If it is, InfoPrint Manager will use it from there when it processes the job. If it isn't, the host receiver tells the host to download it. The resource is stored in the database and used for the current job, then it remains in the database for future use.

Parent topic: Planning to print with host systems