Page 1¶

ND 10049 SINTRAN III/VS, VSE VSE-500 SPOOLING SYSTEM¶

INTRODUCTION¶

In a multi-user system it is necessary to share common resources, like line printers, diablos, graph plotters and magnetic tapes, which are too expensive to be individually assigned. Even if each user has a hardcopy terminal, there will be occasions when a high volume of printing is required. It is both inconvenient and expensive for the user to have to wait until a line printer is free. For this reason, the concept of «virtual» line printers has been implemented in the ND File System.

When a user or a program writes data to the line printer, a disk file is assigned instead. Information is transferred in the same way as if a physical line printer had been assigned. Afterwards, the operating system automatically appends the disk file to a spooling queue, i.e. the job is put at the end of the queue. The information will be printed on the physical line printer when its turn comes in the spooling queue, and the file will be available for use again.

The user program performs faster as the data are «written» to a much faster device than the line printer. The printing capacity of the line printer also increases, since it will be running at full speed all the time instead of waiting for user programs to perform operations not connected with printing.

FEATURES¶

In any one system there may be several spooling queues, and several output devices, (e.g. line-printers) may be fed by the same queue.
The number of line-printer files (i.e. spooling files which are used when a user tries to write to the line printer) is determined by the ND file system and could be up to 250 if necessary.
Programs execute faster, not having to wait for the line printer to become available.
Printing capacity increases, as the line printer does not have to wait for user programs.
Users can produce output to the line printer while long printing tasks are in progress.
Users can submit their own disk files to be printed by the Spooling System, even specifying the number of copies.
Output for different users is well separated by a one-page header and a one-page trailer, which contains user name, date and time file was generated and printed. (This can be removed if necessary).

THE SPOOLING QUEUE¶

Files submitted to the spooling system are held in a queue and whilst there can be manipulated freely.

The queue will survive a system stop and restart.
Files in the queue can be moved both backwards and forwards (the latter operation only being permitted to user SYSTEM who controls the running of the computer installation).
User files and spooling files can be inserted and removed from the queue by their owners or by user SYSTEM.
User SYSTEM may «delete» spooling files so they are available for use again; their contents being lost.
The number of copies of a file to be printed can be set by command, either when submitting it to the queue (by command or by monitor call), or when it is in the queue by command.
Printing of files from the queue may be done selectively by defining a SPOOLING-FORM, to be compared with a USER TEXT associated with each file in the queue. The user text is defined when the file is added to the queue. The spooling form can be set by command by user SYSTEM.
The contents of the queue can be listed by command.

PRINTING CONTROL¶

It is possible for user SYSTEM to stop printing for all files just before they start to print. A user may also arrange for this to occur, and for the user text to be printed out for the operator. This allows messages telling the operator to insert special forms to print in the prin...

[Photo: Logo of ND COMPUTER SYSTEMS]

Page 2¶

Control of the Spooling System¶

User SYSTEM can start and stop spooling for any peripheral device quite independently of any other peripheral device.
The total number of disk pages used for spooling files can be evaluated easily by command within limits of disk space available to user SYSTEM.

Command Summary¶

Spooling System Control Commands¶

@ START-SPOOLING
@ STOP-SPOOLING
@ GIVE-SPOOLING-PAGES
@ TAKE-SPOOLING-PAGES
@ DEFINE-SPOOLING-CONDITIONS
@ SPOOLING-PAGES-LEFT

Control of File Currently Being Printed¶

@ STOP-PRINT
@ START-PRINT
@ FORWARD-SPACE-PRINT
@ BACKSPACE-PRINT
@ ABORT-PRINT
@ RESTART-PRINT

Control of the Spooling Queue¶

@ LIST-SPOOLING-QUEUE
@ MOVE-SPOOLING-QUEUE-ENTRY
@ REMOVE-FROM-SPOOLING-QUEUE
@ DELETE-SPOOLING-FILE
@ APPEND-SPOOLING-FILE
@ SET-NUMBER-OF-PRINT-COPIES
@ DEFINE-SPOOLING-FILE-MESSAGE
@ SET-SPOOLING-FORM
@ LIST-SPOOLING-FORM

In the SINTRAN Service-Program¶

INSERT-SPOOLING-HEADER
REMOVE-SPOOLING-HEADER
SET-SPOOLING-DEVICE-NUMBER

Monitor Calls¶

SPCLO (MON 40)

References¶

Document	Code
SINTRAN III Reference Manual	ND-60.128
SINTRAN III System Supervisor Manual	ND-30.003
SINTRAN III Batch/Time-Sharing Guide	ND-60.132

   +------------------------------------+
   | ND Norsk Data                      |
   | Jernkroken 20                      |
   | Boks 4 Lindeberg gård              |
   | Oslo 10                            |
   | Tel.: 02-30900                     |
   | Tlx.: 18661 nd n                   |
   +------------------------------------+

        Bergen, tel. 05-229000
        Sandnes, tel. 025-75594
        Tromsø, tel. 047-71656
        Stockholm, tel. 08-7539640, tix. 15255 nordata s
        Göteborg, tel. 031-496760
        Malmö, tel. 040-53553
        Copenhagen, tel. 02-652553, tix. 37725 nd dk
        Weinheim, tel. 06201-1424, tix. 486790 noda
        Verviers-Walturc, tel. 087-355175, tix. 385305 nordata ferv
        Paris, tel. 04-693360, tix. linor nd parts
        Lyon, tel. 07-534777
        Newbury (Berkshire), tel. 0635-31465, tix. 848499 norsk g
        Boston, tel. 617-237-7945, tix. 924740 norsk well

   +------------------------------------+
   | ND COMTEC                          |
   | Jernkroken 20                      |
   | Boks 4 Lindeberg gård              |
   | Oslo 10                            |
   | Tel.: 02-30900                     |
   | Tlx.: 18661 nd n                   |
   +------------------------------------+

        Trondheim, tel. 075-16250, tix. 55580 comtec n
        Stockholm (Upplands Väsby), tel. 08-830400, tix. 15255 nordata s
        Stockholm (Solna), tel. 08-22953, tix. 13760 swecom s
        Odense, tel. 09-754401, tix. 58250 comtec dk

Note: NORSK DATA reserves the right to change specifications without given notice!