How to troubleshoot Host Integration Server and SNA Server printing issues (842732)

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Locally defined printers: Undefined printers

The "Undefined printer" feature lets you direct the output from an SNA Print Service session to a printer that has not been defined on the local Microsoft Windows-based server. To configure this feature, use one of the following methods:

• Type the Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path of the shared network printer in the Printer field of the SNA Server Printer Service Session Properties.
• Select a printer by clicking Network in the Print Setup dialog box in the Printer Service Session Properties.

When an SNA Print Service session is configured to use an undefined printer, the session uses an OpenPrinter API call to open a handle to the specified printer or print server.

The Windows Spooler service then does the following:

1. The Spooler service creates a temporary connection to the remote print server.
2. The Spooler service copies the printer driver files to the local system by using a remote procedure call (RPC) request that uses the remote print provider (Win32spl.dll).
3. The Spooler service caches the driver version information and then updates the registry to include this information.

After a print job is completed, the SNA Print Service calls the ClosePrinter API to close down the handle to the printer, if this option is configured on the print session. When this behavior occurs, the Spooler service deletes the cached information from the registry but does not delete the printer driver files.

When the next print job is received from the host, the following sequence occurs:

1. The OpenPrinter API is called to start the SNA print session.
2. The Spooler service detects the printer driver, but the information in the cache has been removed.
3. The Spooler service contacts the remote print server to compare the printer driver files. Then all the cached information is copied again in the registry.

Comparing driver files generates lots of Server Message Block (SMB) and RPC traffic on the network. You can avoid this traffic by creating a permanent connection to the remote print server.

For more information about how to permanently define network printers, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Use a Windows certified printer driver

When you use the print features in Host Integration Server, we recommend that you use a basic Windows certified printer driver that is included with the operating system instead of a third-party driver. When you use a Windows certified printer driver, you can avoid potential intermittent formatting problems. You can also avoid problems where the print service stops responding.

Mainframe printing does not use or require the advanced features that many third-party printer drivers provide. Therefore, Host Integration Server does not require these printer drivers. For PCL-based printers, you can use the Microsoft Certified HP LaserJet 4 printer driver. When you use the HP LaserJet 4 printer driver locally, you can establish a stable host print environment. For dot matrix printers, you can use the Generic/Text printer driver.

Remove unused printer drivers

You must remove all unused printer drivers. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Printers.
2. On the File menu, click Server Properties.
3. Click the Drivers tab.
4. Click to select the unused printer driver, and then click Delete.

The third-party products that this article discusses are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding the performance or reliability of these products.