Using PSF to control job separation

Q: How does ExcelliPrint® decide where one print job ends and the next begins?

A: IPDS is a page-based protocol, but PSF on IBM i and z/OS marks the start and end of each spooled file with group boundaries, along with the job’s details (job name, user, spooled file name and so on). ExcelliPrint 5.0 makes one output file, print job or email for each group, with those details available to its file names and shown in the Jobs list.

If a host sends no group boundaries, a job runs until the host releases the connection. Set a release timer so it does: RLSTMR in the PSF configuration on IBM i (*SEC15 is a good choice), or DISCINTV in the PRINTDEV on z/OS.

Checkpoint settings no longer split jobs. ExcelliPrint 4.0 split jobs at the host’s acknowledgment frequency (CKPTPAGE on z/OS, ACKFRQ on IBM i). ExcelliPrint 5.0 doesn’t, so there’s no need to lower them. They still set how far back the host resends when a job is interrupted; the defaults suit most sites.