We're contemplating upgrading to networked JetDirect EX printers of both the
laser and impact variety.  I know MPE/iX 5.5 will have HP support for networked
printers, but I can't wait for 5.5.
 
What I need to know is, how do the various 3rd party spooling products handle
paper jams for networked impact (i.e. LPQ 1200) printers?  Say I'm 500 pages
into a monster report and a paper jam munches several pages.  Can I "backspace"
similar to SPOOLER ;RESUME;OFFSET=-pagecount, or am I stuck with reprinting
from the beginning?  Note that the spoolfile may have critical escape sequences
at the beginning to establish fonts, etc.
 
We presently use the non-networked version of Quest's NBSPOOL, so I called them
to ask how their networked version would handle the paper jam problem.  In the
automated mode, it would resend any spoolfile (from the beginning) that did
not transfer completely.  This is obviously unacceptable for a paper jam way
into a huge report.  Or a manual approach could be used, to start the transfer
beginning from "line xxx", but this would be excruciating at best to
re-transfer any escape sequences at the beginning and then to resume at the
munched data.  The support person I talked to said they were working on this
jam/backspace problem.
 
If any 3rd-party spooler vendors are reading this, your prompt (ASAP) response
with a viable solution for the jam/backspace problem could result in an easy
sale.
--
Mark Bixby                      E-mail: [log in to unmask]
Coast Community College Dist.   Web: http://www.cccd.edu/~markb/
District Information Services   1370 Adams Ave., Costa Mesa, CA, USA 92626-5429
Technical Support               +1 714 432-5865 x7064
"You can tune a file system, but you can't tune a fish." - tunefs(1M)