Help! HP printer not responding to AS/400 after a while

[Stephen Chu]

Dear all,

I have just defined an HP9000dn LaserJet to the AS400. It goes well, except
that after being idled for a while (around 10 minutes or more), it does not
respond to the AS400 new spool file. Hope someone can shed light on me with
the following details:

1. The joblog when the printer is dead:

*NONE Request 31/07/01 14:04:09 QWTSCSBJ
*N QCMD QSYS
Message . . . . : -CALL QSYS/QSPWTRM1
CPD337A Diagnostic 40 31/07/01 14:29:59 QWPPJLDR
QSYS *STMT QWPPJLDR QSYS
From module . . . . . . . . : WPPJLDR
From procedure . . . . . . :
Socket_Send
Statement . . . . . . . . . : 60
To module . . . . . . . . . : WPPJLDR
To procedure . . . . . . . : _C_pep
Statement . . . . . . . . . : *N
Message . . . . : An error occurred
while printing on device DBKP4.
Cause . . . . . : An internal program
error has occurred. Recovery . . . :
Attempt to start the writer again
using STRPRTWTR command to the device. If
problem continues, use ANZPRB
command to report the problem.
CPF3473 Escape 60 31/07/01 14:29:59 QSPOPNWX
QSYS 00B5 QCMD QSYS
Message . . . . : Writer
642918/QSPLJOB/DBKP4 did not end normally.
Recovery . . . : See the previously
listed messages to determine cause of
the writer failure. Correct any
errors and start the writer again.

2. The AS400 is on V4R5 and the definition of the printer is as follow:

Display Device Description

Device description . . . . . . . . : DBKP4
Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : *BASIC
Category of device . . . . . . . . : *PRT

Device class . . . . . . . . . . . : *LAN
Device type . . . . . . . . . . . : 3812
Device model . . . . . . . . . . . : 1
LAN attachment . . . . . . . . . . : *IP
Port number . . . . . . . . . . . : 9100
Physical attachment . . . . . . . : *DIRECT
Online at IPL . . . . . . . . . . : *YES
Font:
Identifier . . . . . . . . . . . : 011
Point size . . . . . . . . . . . : *NONE
Form feed . . . . . . . . . . . . : *AUTOCUT
Separator drawer . . . . . . . . . : *FILE
Separator program . . . . . . . . : *NONE
Printer error message . . . . . . : *INQ
Message queue . . . . . . . . . . : *CTLD
Current message queue . . . . . . : QSYSOPR
Library . . . . . . . . . . . . : QSYS
Activation timer . . . . . . . . . : 170
Inactivity timer . . . . . . . . . : *NOMAX
Line speed . . . . . . . . . . . . : 19200
Word length . . . . . . . . . . . : 8
Type of parity . . . . . . . . . . : *NONE
Stop bits . . . . . . . . . . . . : 1
Host print transform . . . . . . . : *YES
Manufacturer type and model . . . : *HP8000
Paper source 1 . . . . . . . . . . : *A4
Paper source 2 . . . . . . . . . . : *A4
Envelope source . . . . . . . . . : *NONE
ASCII code page 899 support . . . : *NO
Image configuration . . . . . . . : *NONE
Character identifier . . . . . . . : *SYSVAL
Remote location:
Name or address . . . . . . . . : PR999
Workstation customizing object . . : HP8000
Library . . . . . . . . . . . . : QGPL
User-defined object . . . . . . . : *NONE
Object type . . . . . . . . . . : *NONE
Data transform program . . . . . . : *NONE
System driver program . . . . . . : *HPPJLDRV

3. WSCST is generated by:

Retrieve WSCST source (RTVWSCST)

Type choices, press Enter.

Device type . . . . . . . . . . > *TRANSFORM
Manufacturer type and model . . > *HP8000
Source member . . . . . . . . . hp8000
Source file . . . . . . . . . . QTXTSRC
Library . . . . . . . . . . . qgpl
Text 'description' . . . . . . . HP8000

Many thanks
Stephen

[Danny Peaper]

Hi Stephen,

I would change your inactivity time from *nomax to *SEC15 which will allow
jobs to release the printer if it doesn't respond to them. The other
settings you need to be aware of are on your printers network card. You
should either use the printer setup LCD or, I prefer, telnet to the printer
and set Idle Timeout to 3500 seconds. Give it try!

Danny....

[Rodney Johnson]

Stephen, The inactivity timer set to *NOMAX is your problem. My guess, is that
you printer has the TCP/IP job timeout value set to something less than 10
minutes. Thus if your printer is idle for 10 minutes or more, the printer
drops the connection without the spooling writer on the AS/400 knowing. Thus
when the spooling writer tries to send the next file it finds the connection
has been closed unexpectedly.

Since you have a new printer, I would suggest switching to the *IBMSNMPDRV
instead of using *HPPJLDRV for the system driver program. You will get better
status reporting, and less likely to have the printer hang on you under certain
error conditions when the printer will not receive/send data on the data port.

Checkout the AS/400 Software Knowledge DB and look under Print and LAN attached
printing. There is an article that covers configuration for SNMP (as well as
HP PJL if you wish to stick with that).
URL: http://as400service.rochester.ibm.com/supporthome.nsf/document/10000051

Stephen Chu wrote:

--
Rodney A Johnson
Technical Team Lead for AS/400 Spool
Dept GJC
IBM Rochester, Minnesota

The contents of this message express only the sender's opinion.
This message does not necessarily reflect the policy or views of
my employer, IBM. All responsibility for the statements
made in this Usenet posting resides solely and completely with the
sender.

[zxcvbob]

Stephen Chu wrote:
>
> Dear all,
> I have just defined an HP9000dn LaserJet to the AS400. It goes well,
> except that after being idled for a while (around 10 minutes or more), it
> does not respond to the AS400 new spool file. Hope someone can shed light

> on me with.

Steven,
As others have already said, the problem is caused by the device
description's inactivity timer setting *NOMAX. The AS/400 is holding
the connection open indefinitely, and the printer is dropping the
connection when *its* inactivity timer expires.

If you really want to use *NOMAX (for instance, to keep anyone else on
the network from using your printer from their PC while the AS/400
writer is active), there is an APAR for this exact problem, SA93101.
The PTF for V4R5 is SF65817; it has only been available for about a
week. The communications error message is posted as a diagnostic and
then the AS/400 will try to establish a new connection automatically
without ending the writer.

As Rodney mentioned, the *IBMSNMPDRV driver program might be a better
choice for your printer. SNMP is a more robust protocol than PJL,
IMHO, because it does not rely on a single TCP/IP port. If the data
port gets congested, the system can still talk to the printer on the
status port.

There; now you've got three solutions for your problem:
INACTTMR(*SEC15), or SF65817, or *IBMSNMPDRV. Or any combination of
the three. HTH :-)

Best regards,
Bob

-
"Extended warranty? How could I lose!"
--Homer Simpson

[Stephen Chu]

Thanks a lot! It's me that made the mistake about the INTACTTMR. After
changing it to *SEC30, it goes swiftly.

[Jeffrey Flaker]

I had the same problems with a lexmark. where IP was dropping because of the
new os/400 Upgrade the PrintServer's firmware......Directions to be found at:

http://www.hp.com/cposupport/printers/support_doc/bpl10741.html