RE: IPDS Printing

*AFPDS is indeed IPDS.

To get the full functionality of *AFPDS printing you absolutely have to have an IPDS printer.

Using Host-Print-Transform to transform *AFPDS to ASCII, works but you don't get the full
functionality.

*AFPDS spool files use the complete functionality available in the IPDS datastream sent to an IPDS
printer.

*IPDS spool files CAN NOT use the full functionality available in the IPDS datastream.

From the IBM AS-400 Printing IV REDBOOK

Until Version 1.0 Release 2.0 OS/400 in 1989, the OS/400 operating system had a single printing
subsystem that supported all print application output, spool management and printer devices. Most
AS/400 output was generated in the SNA Character String (SCS) print data format, and printed on SCS
line printers.

The ability to specify DEVTYPE=*IPDS as an application output was added in the mid-1980s when OS/400
native print support also added device support for
printers that use the IBM Intelligent Printer Data Stream (IPDS) printer protocol (for example IBM
4224, 3812, and 3816 printers). This capability was unique to the AS/400 system platform. On every
other IBM operating system, for example MVS, VM, VSE, OS/2, and AIX, full support for IPDS printers is
provided by a Print Services Facility (PSF) program. The IPDS printers and the PSF print subsystem are
an implementation of IBM¢s Advanced Function Printing (AFP) architecture for printing and presentation
(also called the Mixed Object Content Document Architecture for Presentation, or MODCA-P).

An implementation of the AFP print subsystem was added to OS/400 in Version
1.0 Release 3.0 (1989) as an integrated component of the operating system.
Version 1.0 is no longer in service. OS/400 was enhanced in subsequent
releases to provide AFP print subsystem support similar to that in the S/390 PSF products. In OS/400
Version 2.0 there are, therefore, two separate printing subsystems in the operating system. OS/400
"native" print support continues to support line printers and a subset of IBM IPDS printers and print
functions. Full support for all IPDS printers is provided by the integrated AFP printing subsystem.
Which printing subsystem is used to process application output is determined by the Device Description
definition for the target printers. Only printers defined as *IPDS and AFP(*YES) are controlled by the
AFP printing subsystem.

Beginning with OS/400 Version 3.0 Release 1.0, the AFP printing subsystem is a separately orderable
feature of OS/400 called Print Services Facility/400
(PSF/400).


HTH,

Charles Wilt
Software Engineer
CINTAS Corporation - IT 92B
513.701.1307

wiltc@xxxxxxxxxx

-----Original Message-----
From: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:midrange-l-
bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Pat Barber
Sent: Wednesday, January 23, 2008 10:29 AM
To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion
Subject: Re: IPDS Printing

*AFPDS is not IPDS ...

IPDS requires hardware on the printer to accept the
data stream. You can send a IPDS stream but it is subset of the full
functions
available when a printer has the IPDS card.

*IPDS
An Intelligent Printer Data Stream (IPDS) is created. This
parameter can be specified when using an IPDS printer.

*AFPDS
An advanced function print data stream (AFPDS) is created. Some
systems refer to this data stream as MODCA-P.

(note: you do not need a IPDS printer to print a *AFPDS data stream)

AFPDS (Advanced Function Printer Data stream) is similar but
not the same as IPDS(Intelligent Printer Data Stream).

The two way communication you refer to was brought to you by twinax and
5250 data stream, which allows the two way traffic between the printer
and the
system. You press stop on a twinax printer and the system "knows" that the
printer is stopped.

You do that on a LPR printer and the system doesn't have the conversation.
A PJL(lan device) has "slightly" more conversation but not much.
SNMP is a two way commuication "if" a print server is there to do that.
IPP is another two way communication but very limited.

None of the ascii connection methods(ethernet) have anything approaching
the twinax method.

Of course these are my opinions and are worth exactly what you paid
for them.

Tom Liotta wrote:

I've _never_ been clear on this issue.

If nothing else, an element of IPDS that I haven't seen outside of
IPDS is the ability of the printers to inform the system of printing
status. Spooled files could be sent to 'intelligent' printers to be
printed when the printer has completed previous print jobs; the
files might be 'queued' inside the printer. The notification that
printing completed wouldn't appear for the user until that spooled
file physically finished printing.

I've often felt that the 'intelligent' communication between printer
and system was a kind of defining characteristic of IPDS regardless
of AFPDS content.

But there seems to be so little clear info on both terms...

Tom Liotta

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