RPM Features Overview
RPM Remote Print Manager is the only complete solution supporting LPD and stream protocols that enable users to receive and customize print jobs from any AS/400, mainframe, UNIX, or Windows-based system to any Windows printer - locally or remotely. The software is built to work seamlessly and run as a system service within the Windows 2000/NT/XP/2003 environments.
While many print servers only allow a straight pass-through of data from the host system, RPM provides extensive formatting capabilities in text printing, and the ability to work with third-party software.
The RPM product line has been tested with mainframe printing systems including IP PrintWay, VPS and Solve:EPS on MVS and OS/390; AS/400; UNIX platforms such as RedHat Linux, IBM AIX, Sun Solaris, SCO UNIX, and freeBSD; DEC VMS and OpenVMS, TCPware from Process Software, UCX; and PC print clients including INTELLIscribe®.
Mainframe and RPM Remote Print Manager
Using RPM to convert mainframe print data streams is far more economical than recoding mainframe applications or replacing high-volume printers. RPM provides the necessary conversion technology to include IBM mainframe-generated documents in your Windows network environment workflow, whether you are printing these documents to Windows-based printers or saving the files to disk for archiving or further processing.
Feature Highlights: All RPM Products
Text Printing
One of RPM's major strengths is its ability to adapt text to the Windows fonts and printers.
- RPM allows selection of any Windows printer
- RPM stores the printer setup for that printer, including standard features such as landscape vs. portrait, and printer-specific features included by the manufacturer
- RPM allows the selection and use of any font supported by the printer
- RPM also supports
overstrike, bold, and italic effects with selected font
Page Processing
- RPM can scale the font to fit desired number of lines per page and/or line width
- RPM supports "pr" style printing with page headers
- Override the starting and ending page on any print job
- For non-text printing, RPM allows definition of a page delimiter string
User Controls
- Start and stop processing for any queue, or individually by job
- Let RPM run "hands-off" or control the process as much as required
- Control the starting and ending page printed for a job
- RPM shows you the status for each queue and job, and printer status from last print request
Non-text Printing Options
- Pass the data directly to a Windows printer, including networked printers
- Invoke a program, passing the data file as an argument
- Pass a handle to a COM object (Note: this is the most efficient method possible)
- Write the file to disk, giving control over the location and name
|
Protocols Supported
RPM supports the LPD protocol as documented in RFC 1179, and the stream or reverse telnet protocol as is widely practiced. Our LPD support is second to none in the industry, providing a high level of confidence. If your business system supports LPD, then RPM supports you.
Named Queues
Unlike typical PC-based print servers or hardware print devices, RPM provides flexibility by allowing the creation of unlimited named queues. With each queue, you can associate any combination of processing type and related options.
Multiple Print Requests
RPM supports multiple print requests in a single connection; this is not allowed by the standard but is practiced in certain free UNIX systems.
UNIX "Filter" Support
The filter queue provides the user more control and options for naming files and handling illegal filename characters. Filter processing is now scheduled more efficiently for greater throughput.
RPM Supports Number of Copies
The LPD standard does not include a provision for printing copies, but popular print clients use several non-standard means for this request. RPM supports most, if not all, including AIX and Linux/UNIX.
Zero Byte Files
RPM is one of the few commercial LPD servers on any platform that accepts zero length data files. RPM interprets this to mean "the length is unknown or unspecified," and accepts data until the connection is closed. RPM Elite or Select can be configured to close the connection after a specified amount of time.
|
Advantages of Choosing RPM
- Easy configuration for fitting text output to any size paper. Support all fonts the printer can use. A variety of host data formats enable end users to print without host system modifications.
- Supports three queue types: text, raw, and filter. Unlimited print queue definitions accommodate routine and special printing needs. Customize data before printing. Transmit raw or pre-formatted files to any Windows printer.
- Users can easily select appropriate code page to use when printing. RPM can use any code page currently installed on the PC.
- Automatically create a print queue when a job is received, reducing network administration time by eliminating the need to search for misnamed queues.
- Extensive logging in RPM provides each message in an easy-to-read format. Each log message shows a unique RPM event number, the time, the source of the message, the application that generated the message, and the message text. RPM can be configured to log only a minimal amount of messages or high detail messages.
- Easily translate and convert text from different formats. Translate EBCDIC data, ASA carriage control codes, or convert SCS to ASCII for all queue types. In text mode, SCS formatting is preserved, including font changes and character positioning.
- The system administrator can completely hide RPM from the user minimizing user interaction and errors. The administrator can easily unhide RPM to do any configuration or maintenance as needed.
- When saving files to disk, RPM includes duplicate filename handling, filenames using job data such as date and time, user, job title, etc., plus options identified by key third-party integrators.
- Provides Multiple-Byte Character Sets (MBCS) for use in international languages such as Japanese, Korean, and Chinese.
- RPM follows the established UNIX model of using named queues to represent distinct processing requirements. Each print queue created in RPM is fully configurable, and independent from every other queue. This means that a queue specifies actual processing as well as the name of a printer or port.
RPM Has Three Print Queue Types
Queues are an integral part of RPM. Queue types, queue states, and queue management are some of the many features that set RPM apart from other LPD print servers, both hardware and software. Queue management is key to getting the greatest value from RPM. Please feel free to read more detailed information about RPM's Print Queues.
Please try RPM for free by downloading the 21-day fully functional trial. If you need help or have questions, please call our technical support department at +1 (208) 523-6970 or email support. RPM is used in more than half the countries around the world and trusted by government agencies, universities, and Fortune 500 companies worldwide!
|
|
Download and print the RPM Overview (PDF)
xSeries servers, and we have been an IBM partner since 1997.