Spool / Print Process Praveen Bheemarapu

Setting Up Remote Printing for Microsoft Windows PCs 

Use

SAP provides its own remote printing solution for printing from Microsoft Windows
PCs. This solution uses the SAPLPD transfer program to transfer output requests from
the SAP spool server to the Microsoft Windows spooler. You can use SAPlpd in all
Microsoft Windows systems. With Microsoft Windows NT/2000, remote printing can
also be implemented using the TCP/IP Print Server.

However, SAP recommend that you use the SAPlpd transfer program, as the TCP/IP
Print Server can only forward data that has already been formatted for the printer, that is,
device-specific data, directly to Microsoft Windows without using Microsoft Windows
printer drivers. SAPlpd, on the other hand, can also interpret data streams that were
generated with the generic, that is device-independent, device type SWIN/SAPWIN, and
call the appropriate Microsoft Windows drivers that generate device-specific data
streams. You can therefore use printers with SAPlpd that are not specifically defined in
the SAP System, but which are addressed device-independently.

Procedure

To set up the print architecture for remote Microsoft Windows PC printing, follow the
procedure below:

 To use SAPWIN/SWIN, install and start the SAPLPD transfer program on a

Microsoft Windows PC.

SAPlpd is installed with the SAP GUI frontend software.

If you are using Microsoft Windows NT/2000, remote printing can also be
Implemented using the TCP/IP Print Server.
SAPlpd and TCP/IP Print Server accept the data stream and forward it to the
host spool system (operating system spooler).

 Define the printers you want to use in the Microsoft Windows spooler.
You can use both locally connected and shared network devices.

 Define the output devices in the SAP System.

To do this, create a device definition for the PC output device in transaction SPAD
(choose the Output Devices pushbutton ® Output Device menu ® Create/Create
Using Template).
 Spool / Print Process Praveen Bheemarapu
 Specify the host system on which the spool work process is running, as the
spool server of the output device.
 For printing using SAPlpd, choose Access method U (Print on LPDHOST
using Berkeley protocol) or S (Print on LPDHOST using SAP protocol).
For printing using the TCP/IP Print Server, you can only use access method
U.

Example:
 Assume you have the following configuration:
 ·        An application server named HPUX_C11_11 on a UNIX workstation with the
host name HPUX.
 ·        A Microsoft Windows NT PC called PC0033.

 There is not an SAP application server with a spool work process on the Microsoft
Windows PC PC0033. You therefore want to use HPUX_C11_11 as a spool server
for printing SAP data.

The shared network printer \\PC0035\LPT1 is available as an output device.

To implement this printing configuration do the following:

 The SAP spool server (application server with a spool work process) with the ID
HPUX_C11_11 must provide the spool processing and therefore requires at least
one spool work process.
The number of spool work processes is defined by the parameter rdisp/wp_no_spo,
and this must always be set to at least 1.

 On the Microsoft Windows PC PC0033, start the transfer program SAPlpd that is
installed together with the SAPGUI frontend software.
SAPLPD is the Line Printer Daemon (LPD) developed by SAP for Microsoft
Windows. In this way, you can also use the functions that an LPD provides in
UNIX in Microsoft Windows.
You can automatically start SAPLPD by adding the program icon to the start
program group.

Starting SAPlpd

The default path of SAPlpd is c:\Program Files\SAP\Frontend\SAPGUI\SAPLPD.

You can create a shortcut to this directory to start SAPlpd. You can also start
SAPlpd using command lines or navigate to the directory using Microsoft Windows
Explorer.
Spool / Print Process Praveen Bheemarapu
You can start a shared version of the program over the network instead of installing
the program locally on each of your PCs. If you do so, make sure that SAPlpd has a
local, writable working directory on the PC. You can specify the location of the
working directory in the Microsoft Windows program properties for SAPlpd.

You need to start only a single instance of SAPlpd on a Microsoft Windows PC.
This instance of SAPlpd can accept output from any of your SAP Systems, if the
Microsoft Windows printers are defined in more than one system. For example, you
can use a single SAPlpd instance to accept output data from both your production
and test SAP Systems

 Define printer \\PC0035\LPT1 in the Microsoft Windows spool system for the PC
PC0033 as an output device.

 Define the output device in the SAP System.

A target device must be specified for the output for every document to be printed in the
SAP System. As the document can be output using not only printers, but also archiving
devices, these devices are called Output Devices in the SAP System, output devices are
the logical representations of the real output devices

 To do this, create a device definition in transaction SPAD (choose the Output

Devices pushbutton ® Output Device menu ® Create/Create Using Template).
Specify the following in the device definition:
Specify HPUX_C11_11 as the spool server for the printers.
For Access method, specify S (Print on LPDHOST using SAP protocol) if the
output device is defined with the generic SWIN device type.
If you are using a different device type, you can specify either Access method U
(Print on LPDHOST via Berkeley protocol) or S.

It is irrelevant whether the printer is directly connected to the PC or whether it is a shared

network printer. Only whether the spool server is on the same host as the host spool
system (operating system spooler) is relevant for setting up output devices in the SAP
System
Spool / Print Process Praveen Bheemarapu

Optimal Configuration of Front-End Printing 

Purpose
As with the other output methods, the spool work process performs the processing for
front-end printing. Conflicts can occur in your SAP spool system between normal and
front-end print requests. Even if you have classified your spool servers and output
devices by the type of output for which they are to be used (such as production printing,
mass printing) - as SAP recommends - problems can occur with the server workload due
to front-end printing.
Process Flow
The way in which you should configure your system to avoid conflicts of this type is
explained below.
 If possible, set up two spool work processes on each application server, in particular
if you are using front-end printing with control technology (access method G).
To do this, add the profile parameter rdisp/wp_no_spo (number of spool work
processes) to the instance profile of the relevant server, and set its value to at least
2.
 Define the maximum number of spool work processes to be used for front-end
printing.
By default, a maximum of one spool work process for each spool server is defined
for front-end printing; that is, this spool work process can also process front-end
print requests.
If a very large quantity of front-end printing is performed in your system, add
profile parameter rdisp/wp_no_Fro_max to the instance profile, and increase the
number of work processes.
 If you want to reserve spool work processes for front-end printing, you can use the
parameter rdisp/wp_no_spo_Fro_min to do this.
The spool work processes reserved with this parameter are then available
exclusively for front-end printing.
So that your SAP spool system can process requests as effectively as before despite
the reservation, you should increase the number of spool work processes by at least
one, as one spool work process is used for front-end printing, by default.

Example: In the instance profile of the spool server mn1234_YXZ_99, the number
of spool work processes is defined as 2 using the profile parameter
rsdisp/wp_no_spo, and the number of spool work processes reserved for front-end
printing is defined as 2 using the profile parameter rdisp/wp_no_spo_Fro_min.
Increase the value of rdisp/wp_no_spo to at least 3.
For more information, see SAP Note 351492 in the SAP Service Marketplace.
Spool / Print Process Praveen Bheemarapu

Procedure:
There are two types of front-end printing. Front-end printing with access method F,
which works with the transfer program SAPlpd, is the traditional type of front-end
printing. Since SAP Web AS 6.20, there is also a new procedure for front-end printing
available to you, which you can use in parallel: front-end printing using control
technology with access method G. This no longer requires SAPlpd. The printer selection
is also no longer displayed in the SAP system. Instead, a Microsoft Windows printer
selection window is called directly from the control. The restriction on the length of
printer names therefore no longer applies

Prerequisites:
Authorizations
In addition to the general print authorizations, every user requires the following
authorizations for front-end printing:
Authorization object S_SPO_DEV, authorization field SPODEVICE, authorization
%LOC
Authorization object S_RFC:
Field Value
RFC_TYPE FUGR
RFC_NAME LPRF
ACTVT 16

Architecture Prerequisites

 At least one printer must be defined.

 The host spool system (operating system spooler) must be on a front end PC.
 There must be an active connection to the front end PC, that is, the user must be
logged on to the SAP system at the time of printing from the SAP system.
Front-end printing in the background is not possible, as there is no active
connection to the front end.
 An additional SAP GUI session is required for transferring the data to the front end;
therefore, the user must only be using a maximum of five sessions.
 For printing with SAPlpd (access method F), you should use the newest SAP GUI
and the newest version of the transfer program SAPlpd.

You can find the newest versions in the Software Center of the SAP Service Marketplace
(http://service.sap.com/patches).
Spool / Print Process Praveen Bheemarapu

SAP System Prerequisites

To be able to address users’ front-end printers from the SAP system, the corresponding
device definition must contain the following details:

 If you define an output device in an SAP system, specify the type of connection
with which the output device is to be addressed. This connection type is known as
the access method and is identified by a letter.
 In the case of an output device for front-end printing, this is access method F or G,
depending on whether you want to use front-end printing with SAPlpd or front-end
printing with control technology.
So that the default printer at every host can be primarily addressed, you must
specify the host printer __DEFAULT (two underscores) in the device definition.
__DEFAULT calls the relevant default printer name.
Of course, you still have the option of selecting another printer:
 In the case of front-end printing with control technology (access method G), the
printer selection window of the Microsoft Windows operating system is displayed.
You can choose a printer other than the default printer in this window.
 In the case of front-end printing with SAPlpd (access method F), you can select
another operating system printer in the printer selection window of the SAP system.
However, to be able to do this, the option No Device Selection at Frontend must
be inactive in the device definition.
 We recommend that you specify the device type SWIN or SAPWIN, or the relevant
language-dependent version of SAPWIN to ensure that the system sends a printer
format that any Microsoft Windows driver can interpret (see SAP Note 423003 in
the SAP Service Marketplace).
However, you can also use any other SAP device type for front-end printing.

Defining an Output Device for Front-End Printing :

Follow the procedure below to create a device definition for front-end printing:
...
Call transaction SPAD, and choose Output Devices.
If you are not in change mode, switch to this mode by choosing Change.
You can now do the following:
 You can create a new device definition by choosing Output Device ® Create.
 You can use an existing device definition as a template.
To do this, click the entry for the output device that is to be used as a template, and
choose Output Device ® Create Using Template.
Spool / Print Process Praveen Bheemarapu

Fill out the mandatory fields of the device definition as follows for front-end printing:
 
  Field Entry
Device Enter a name for the output device that makes it
Attributes Output device clear to your users that this is the front-end
Tab Page printer, such as LOCL.
We recommend that you use the device type
SWIN, SAPWIN, or a language-specific version
for Microsoft Windows PCs. However, you can
  Device type use any device type.
Use the device type pdf1 or a language-specific
version for Front-End Printing Using SAP GUI
for HTML.
Host Spool Enter the access method F or G for front-end
Access Access printing, depending on which type of front-end
Method tab Method printing you want to use.
page
Enter the name __DEFAULT to use the default
printer at a Microsoft Windows system.
In the case of front-end printing with control
technology (access method G), the printer
selection window of the Microsoft Windows
operating system is displayed. You can choose a
printer other than the default printer in this
  Host Printer
window.
In the case of front-end printing with SAPlpd
(access method F), the option No Device Selection
at Frontend must be inactive for the user to have
the option of selecting a printer other than the
default printer in the print window of the SAP
system.
 
Save your entries.
Result
When you save the device definition, it is available for your users’ use. To print
documents using their front end, users must enter the name of the output device that you
have just created in the Output Device field of the print window.
Spool / Print Process Praveen Bheemarapu
Example
The following example shows the device definition for front-end printing with the output
device LOCL (access method F). If users enter LOCL as the output device, their
operating system default printer is used.

As the option No Device Selection at Frontend is not selected, the user can enter the
output device LOCL in the print window and choose enter. A list then appears showing
the other printers defined on his or her work station PC, from which the user can then
select the printer that he or she wants to use.
 
Spool / Print Process Praveen Bheemarapu

Important Print Related Notes:

General

  18274 Problem message incomplete -> Spool/Printer/Fax

  26009 R/3 System does not print, first steps
164323 Where do I find information on the topic of printing?

No print output

   1336 Spooler reports data base I/0 error

   7140 Problem printing very large lists

Output incorrect

   2774 Umlauts (national special character) become '#'

   3085 Unwanted empty pages between the printouts
   3102 SAPscript print problems (standard page formats)
   4572 No output on UNIX despite 'finished' status
  11214 Print problems: Changes SPAD/RSTXSCRP/RSTXCPAG
  11733 WRITE or(!) ROLLBACK WORK
  13495 Peculiar characters during printing
  27799 Turn off unwanted form feeds
121898 Euro character from SAPscript as of 4.6A
183948 Standard print on PCL-5,PostScript,SAPWIN
409339 Spool requests with ABAP lists with more than 255 columns

Remote printing, network printing, front-end printing

   2863 Which LPD is required for remote printing?

  10758 SAPLPD cannot be reached. What should be done?
  12550 Problems with remotely connected printers (WAN)
  12552 Request for debugging information for SAPLPD
  13350 Font control via SAPLPD
  13376 Spooler prints slowly or has stuck entries
  14561 Printing bar codes via SAPLPD / Barcode DLL
  16420 How to download a new SAPLPD from sapservX
  19291 Setting up printers on UNIX
  21738 Device type SAPWIN
  25941 R/3 System does not find host name
  39405 Print on UNIX LPD: "Malformed Address"
  41913 Parameters when calling SAPLPD / log files
  42268 SAPLPD as a service under Windows NT/2000
  44009 SAPLPD or TCP/IP Print server (from UNIX and R/3)
  49698 Connection problems with SAPLPD
  61905 Supply SAPLPD print data
  64628 Using network printers from R/3
  85469 SAPLPD parameters in WIN.INI/SAPLPD.INI/Registry
102836 Create trace of LPRINT.EXE
114426 Frontend printing (collective note)
150533 Printing under Windows Terminal Server (WTS)
311037 Printing via e-mail
317851 Printing PDF files in 4.6C/4.6B/4.5B
323736 Restrictions with "PDF print" through spooler
Spool / Print Process Praveen Bheemarapu

328252 SAPLPD patches in SAPnet

351230 Frontend printing with HTML GUI/WebGUI
351492 Setting up frontend printing as of Release 4.6B
379515 Troubleshooting frontend printing
383703 Corrections in the SAPLPD (collective note)
385794 Connection problems with network access methods
509681 Front-end print from work process update task
513352 Printing via e-mail (update)
529750 Printing to a local device fails

Spool system, configuration, functionality

   4364 spooling and printing is very slow

   5799 How can you view prepared print data?
   6753 Printing in file (to magnetic tape) or elsewhere
  12260 File I/O error when accessing TemSe object File-IO-error
  13525 Requesting a level 2 trace from spool work process
  15355 Command line parameter for access type L
  16307 Processing Times When Printing
  16410 Attaching to existing spool requests
  16875 TemSe objects do not match TemSe files
  19706 Tuning the Spooler
  20176 Where is the spool request saved?
  21469 Requesting a printer trace
  21661 TemSe input/output to file that is not open
  41547 How does report RSPO0041 work?
  48284 Creating more than 32000 spool requests
  48400 Reorganization of TemSe and Spool
  64337 Transporting output devices (printers)
  67055 Explanation of syslog message xrtab(?)->? for ????
  81064 Spool trace as of Release 4.0
  85318 Appending documents to existing spool requests
  95774 Analyze print problem w/ UNIX, access method L
  98065 Spool consistency check with RSPO1043 as of 4.0A
108799 How many spool work processes for each instance?
118057 Flexible Configuration of the Spool Service
119147 Spool: Authorizations
130978 RSPO1041 - Replacement for RSPO0041
161516 Printing into a file or anywhere else in NT
352269 Spool kernel patches (collective note)
371919 Internal operation of WEB printing
502604 Problems with external Output Management Systems

Device types, printer languages

   1381 Rerouting a print request to another printer

   3166 Name range for customer-modified printer types
   5196 Printing bar codes with SAPscript
   8928 List of supported printers/device types
  12462 How can I define a new printer font?
  17054 How to copy or change a device type
  17895 Adapting print list formats for customers
  76749 How can you delete a complete device type?
  94233 MICR font support
  96102 Information on double-sided print with SAPscript
Spool / Print Process Praveen Bheemarapu

143375 Choice of paper tray for printing lists as of Release 4.5