KnowledgeBase Archive

An Archive of Early Microsoft KnowledgeBase Articles

View on GitHub

Q165154: 3270 Print Session Stays in Spooling Status

Article: Q165154
Product(s): Microsoft SNA Server
Version(s): WINDOWS:3.0
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbnetwork
Last Modified: 13-JUN-2001

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft SNA Server, version 3.0 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SYMPTOMS
========

A 3270 print session defined for the SNA Server 3.0 Host Print Service may stay
in a spooling state after a host print job is sent to the printer. The result of
this is that the print job does not finish printing completely.

CAUSE
=====

The credit mechanism used by the FMI interface to provide flow control between
SNA Server and an application (to prevent the application from exhausting its
resources) does not correctly handle a BID message. A BID message received from
the host is counted for pacing purposes, but not for credit purposes. The
default credit algorithm fails to send a credit message from the Print Server
service to the SNA Server service. Because the SNA Server service did not
receive a credit message, it cannot send a pacing response to the host. This
causes the host to stop sending data to SNA Server for the print session,
causing the print session to remain in a spooling state. Therefore, the print
job does not finish printing.

RESOLUTION
==========

To work around this problem, obtain the hotfix mentioned below. With the hotfix,
the 3270 Print Provider has been updated to correct this problem. This update
allows a single credit message to be sent to the SNA Server service for all data
messages it receives. The updated module is:

  <Snaroot>\System\3270ppd.dll

STATUS
======

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in SNA Server version 3.0. This
problem was corrected in the latest Microsoft SNA Server 3.0 U.S. Service Pack.
For information on obtaining the service pack, query on the following word in
the Microsoft Knowledge Base (without the spaces):

  S E R V P A C K

Additional query words: prodsna

======================================================================
Keywords          : kbnetwork 
Technology        : kbAudDeveloper kbSNAServSearch kbSNAServ300
Version           : WINDOWS:3.0
Issue type        : kbbug
Solution Type     : kbfix

=============================================================================

THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE MICROSOFT KNOWLEDGE BASE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. MICROSOFT DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY.