Queue Shuttle Server v1.10 ========================== (Sep 30, 1995) DISCLAIMER ---------- THIS PRODUCT IS SUPPLIED "AS IS". THE AUTHOR DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND OF FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. THE AUHTOR ASSUMES NO LIABILITY FOR DAMAGES, DIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL, WHICH MAY RESULT FROM THE USE OF THIS PRODUCT. Introduction ------------ Queue Shuttle Server (QSS) is a DOS program that allows you to transfer (print) jobs from one queue to another. Why would you want QSS? One immediate use comes to mind: o QSS allows users to submit print jobs to other servers without taking up a licensed server connection for each user. Only one licensed server connection would be needed for QSS. o The rest are up to your imaginations . Note ---- Make sure you do not configure any print server to "compete" for jobs from the input queues for QSS. Limitations ----------- 1. Only bindery print queues are supported at this time. Limited testing with Bindery Services under NetWare 4.1 has been done and it seems to function correctly. However, QSS does work with VLM. As a matter of fact, QSS was developed under VLM v1.11 (there seems to be a timing problem of sorts with VLM 1.10). At the time of release, it has not been tested with VLM 1.20 or higher, yet. 2. QSS has been tested with NETX.EXE (11-17-93; 78654 bytes). It has not been tested with other versions, but there is no reason why other versions of NETX will not work. 3. Server names can be no more than 35 characters in length. 4. Print queue names can be no more than 35 characters in length. 5. Testing has only been done with NetWare 3.11 and 3.12 servers, and with NetWare 4.10 under Bindery Services (bindery queues). 6. Do not specify the same queue as both the INPUT queue and OUTPUT queue. Strange things may happen to your workstation as well as the queue. 7. A moved job will retain the original banner page information but the job owner will become that of QSS_SERVER. 8. Due to a midnight roll-over timing bug in the 3rd party routines used, you may noticed that QSS will make a pass at one second before midnight (ie 23:59:59). This is to overcome the bug. Otherwise, the program will get stuck in a waiting loop (at midnight) until a key is pressed on the keyboard. This should not mess up your pass schedule, much. 9. QSS expects the print queue directories to exist on the SYS: volume. Installing QSS -------------- You need to "install" QSS for your server(s) before it can be used. Use the following steps: 1. Log into your server as Supervisor or equivalent. 2. Use SYSCON to create a user called QSS_SERVER. No special rights or trustee assignments need to be made. However, it should be a queue user on the OUTPUT queues. 3. Edit QSS.CFG to include your server name and print queue names. (see below) 4. Run QSSINST.EXE. 5. Upon successful execution, you are ready to run QSS. 6. If you want to do cross-server printing, repeat Steps 1-2 for each server. There are two ways to set up the queues for QSS. You can either create a new set of INPUT queues for QSS so that print servers don't have to be reconfigured (but you have to reconfigure the CAPTURE etc). Or you can use the existing queues as input queues for QSS, and create a set of new (OUTPUT) queues for QSS and reconfigure the print servers. Running QSS ----------- Login/attach as QSS_SERVER to all the servers that QSS will be servicing before running QSS. Make sure QSS.CFG you used to run QSSINST.EXE with is located in the same directory as QSS.EXE. To exit QSS, press ESC or F7. It may take a few seconds for the exit prompt to come up depending on if the program is in a "sleep loop" (see PauseTimer below). Some debugging information can be obtained if you start QSS with "-D1" or put in *DEBUG* on a line by itself in the QSS.CFG file (the asterisk are required). Configuring QSS --------------- QSS uses a QSS.CFG file to determine the input-queues and output-queues. The format of the file is "free form", ie spaces are allowed between parameters. For day to day use, the only "keyword" you need is QUEUE. This specifies the names of the input and output print queues. Here's an example of a QSS.CFG used during development: # Sample QSS.CFG # Queue = DreamLAN_311/TEST_IN:DreamLAN_311/TEST_OUT Queue = DreamLAN_312/INPUT:DreamLAN_311/TEST_OUT PauseTimer = 10 In this example, the first QUEUE command informs QSS that the input queue is called TEST_IN on server DreamLAN_311, and its jobs are to be redirected to print queue TEST_OUT on the same server. The second QUEUE command informs QSS that the input queue is called INPUT on server DreamLAN_312 and its jobs are to be moved to TEST_OUT on server DreamLAN_311. You can have as many has 10 such input-output queue pairs (for Licensed version; the Demo/Eval version only support one such pair). Only eight different server names can be listed. Note that case does not matter in QSS.CFG. The PauseTimer keyword is used to tell QSS how long to pause between scanning queues. This helps to reduce network traffic generated by QSS polling for jobs. The number is in seconds. Valid range is 5 - 60 seconds. The default is 5 seconds. The parser will ignore any line that it does not understand. Registration ------------ Two variations of QSS are available. The version included here is a Freeware version. Only one input/output queue pair on a single server is supported. You are granted an umlimited usage at no cost. However, you are not allowed to sell or package this utility as part of another software package or service contract. Bottom line: you can not make money using this Freeware version. All standard Freeware limitation applies. Should you find the need to support more queues or servers, a registered verison is available for $250US (Canadian order is $325 CND plus 7% GST). The registered version allows you to move jobs from queues residing on one server to queues on a different server--up to 10 such pairs. This will be a CORPORATE license. This license does not allow you to resell QSS or to include it as part of another software package or service contract. To obtain your registered version, you can register on CompuServe (!GO SWREG) or FAX a Purchase Order to (905) 886-2534. Other Information ----------------- QSS is written in C using Microsoft C optimizing compiler and Novell's Client SDK v1.0e. Some string manipulating routines are from the CXL library. Revision History ---------------- Oct 25/94 - Initial release of v1.0. Sep 30/95 - Release v1.10 to address a midnight non-rollover bug as discussed under Limitations item #8 earlier. Other Utilities Available ------------------------- QMover v1.0 is a DOS command-line program that allows you, the network administrator or a print queue operator to move (print) jobs from one NetWare queue to another. It is currently available under similar terms as QSS. QMover should be available from the same source as where you obtained this QSS package. Peter Kuo, DreamLAN Network Consulting Ltd. [71333,1700] NetWire SysOp, MCNE/ECNE/CNI/CNX Member of the Novell Professional Developer's Program