Difference between revisions of "Where is my report?"

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(Where 400 places report)
m (Understand Queues)
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* Their task might still be in JOBQ.
 
* Their task might still be in JOBQ.
 
* Some software, when selection criteria would create an empty report, generates nothing.
 
* Some software, when selection criteria would create an empty report, generates nothing.
 +
* Depending on the software structure, the output might not be going to end up as a report on spool file, but get transmitted to a shared PC folder in a format to go to e-mail or spread sheet, or be going to some kind of work file.
 
* Their report might not print until someone else's report has finished printing.
 
* Their report might not print until someone else's report has finished printing.
 
* Their reports might be going to an OUTQ that does not have an attached printer writer.
 
* Their reports might be going to an OUTQ that does not have an attached printer writer.

Revision as of 01:56, 9 June 2005

When we have lots of users with lots of reports for lots of printers, this can be a problem.

Understand Queues

One of the biggest issues for new users coming from an environment of stand-alone PCs, is a failure to recognize the implications of network queues.

A new user, unaccustomed to a multi-user system, is accustomed to doing SOMETHING, then IMMEDIATELY expecting to find the results on the printer. But

  • Their task might still be in JOBQ.
  • Some software, when selection criteria would create an empty report, generates nothing.
  • Depending on the software structure, the output might not be going to end up as a report on spool file, but get transmitted to a shared PC folder in a format to go to e-mail or spread sheet, or be going to some kind of work file.
  • Their report might not print until someone else's report has finished printing.
  • Their reports might be going to an OUTQ that does not have an attached printer writer.
  • If they slow to get to printer, relative to when report prints, someone else may have torn it off and set it aside, or accidentally when tear off reports, a user goes off with THEIR report(s) with someone else's attached.

Where 400 places report

  • Did you ever play Dungeons and Dragos?
  • Do you remember "levels" going down into the adventures?
  • Each level more challenging than the last?
  • You learn the rules for a level, then go down to next level and find there are more rules to learn if you have any hope of proceeding into deeper layers.
  • Well IBM Printer management also has "levels" but fortunately some levels are simpler than the last. It is possible to navigate with only a superficial understanding of the rules at some levels.
  • And guess what? When I am going to mess with the rules that govern how printers behave, I prefer to do so at a level that is simple.

When I say "the next level is" by that I mean that this next level can override stuff that was in the earlier level. If different levels have different rules, it is the last level that wins the arguement, but many levels do not bother to exert their authority, so it usually does no good to look at the last level ... you have to know the hierarchy, and how to look at the rules for each level.