Host Printer Emulation Data Flow Through SNA Server 2.0

ID: Q118365

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft SNA Server for Windows NT, version 2.0

SUMMARY

The Microsoft SNA Server version 2.0 package supports Logical Unit (LU) types 1 and 3, though it does not include a host print emulator. However, several third-party companies do support print emulation that works through SNA Server; these products are listed in the Companion Product Catalog included with the SNA Server product. This article describes how host print data flows through SNA Server when these third-party products are being used.

NOTE: The latest companion product catalog can be found or on the Microsoft Internet server (ftp.microsoft.com) under the BUSSYS/SNASRVR/DOCS directory.

MORE INFORMATION

Before describing how host print data flows between the host, SNA Server, and print emulator, the following components must be configured:

• VTAM (host) is configured with printer Logical Units (LU) off a physical unit (PU) definition. Also, users are defined at the host to have access to print host application data/files to this printer LU.
• SNA Server is configured with a connection to the host, emulating this PU and 3270 LUs (including a printer LU). A local area network (LAN)- based user is assigned access to the printer LU in the SNA Server Admin program.
• A third-party print emulator is run under the user context of the LAN user who has been assigned access to the printer LU. Also, the third- party emulator is configured to route the print data to a PC printer (for example, LPT1, or redirected LPT1 to a Windows NT print queue, which may be configured to print to a LAN-attached printer through Windows NT Print Manager).

• A host user, using his host application on a 3270 terminal (or 3270 emulator), sends a host print job to the printer LU.
• The host sends the print data to the printer LU, which flows to SNA Server over the SNA Server link. SNA Server then sends the data to the third-party print emulator (which is emulating a host printer -- the third-party emulator already has activated the printer LU session). The print emulator may be running on the same computer as SNA Server, or on any SNA Server client computer that is communicating through the server (over any client/server LAN connection type supported by SNA Server).
• The third-party host print emulator converts the host print data (and performs any additional formatting, as supported by the emulator), and sends the data to the PC print destination (that is, redirected LPT1 port). Using print redirection, this printer destination can be a Windows NT print queue, as supported by the underlying network software.
• The Windows NT print queue sends the print job to the printer, which can be a network-attached printer as supported by Windows NT Print Manager.

Keywords          : kbnetwork kbprint ntprint 
Version           : 2.0
Platform          : WINDOWS

Last Reviewed: April 18, 1997