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iSeries / as400 How can I copy everything from one Zebra print to install a new one on another pc?

Hello,
    We have an IBM iSeries / AS400 and a Zebra label printer currently setup on a PC in our factory. I know that there is a PC that runs a terminal window that we need to keep open in order to be able to print labels to it and all that was setup and working before I started here and we never needed to setup a new one yet.

    The time has come that we need to setup a new one, and I have never setup a printer on an iSeries before. (Not even sure how to view the configuration of the current printer, let alone how I would copy it) It is a different model, I believe the one that is currently working is a Z105, this one is a ZT230. How do I go about taking everything from that printer and copying it to work with this new one? I'm guessing a new output queue needs to be setup? If anyone has any tips or can point me in the right direction, I would appreciate it.

Thanks!
Avatar of Gary Patterson, CISSP
Gary Patterson, CISSP
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This is one of those that is easy to answer if I could see it, but without that, there are just a lot of alternatives.  

First:  The old printer and the new printer have ZPL and ZPLII languages in common, so you may just be able to configure the new printer identically to the old printer, and swap it out without touching anything else.  If you have trouble bringing the new printer up, end and restart the terminal program on the PC.

If that doesn't work, then it would be helpful to understand the current config:

Do you have easy access to the PC that is running the terminal software?  If you could get a screen print of the terminal window, that would really narrow it down a lot.  Also look a the Start menu on that PC and make a note or a screen shot of installed programs that look like they might be related to either the printer or the AS/400 (aka iSeries, System i, IBM i).

Next, do you know the name of the printer on the AS/400?  If so, you can use the DSPOUTQD and possibly the DSPDEVD commands to get information on the queue and device description.  For example if the printer name is ZEBRA1, then:

DSPOUTQD ZEBRA1
DSPDEVD ZEBRA1

You'll generally always have an output queue, but may or may not have a device description.  Suggest you capture screen prints and post them here.

Based on your description, it is most likely an IBM i Access for Windows printer session.  That product has gone through a lot of name changes over the years, so depending on how old the setup is, it could be called something else.  There are also several third party products that provide similar functionality.

Basically we need to figure out:

1) How the current printer is attached to the PC or the network.

2) What software is running on the PC that is handling the printer session, and how it is configured.

3) The name of the printer on the AS/400 (which we will probably see right in the terminal window).

4) Also, since this is a Zebra printer, things are a little more complicated than if it was your average HP laser printer.  The AS/400 doesn't "speak" ZPL (Zebra Printer Language) natively, so that means that you are using some software on the AS/400 or on the PC to generate ZPL directly.  One common AS/400 software package that does that is TL Ashford's Barcode/400 product, but a lot of companies use a PC product, and just send data to the PC and let the PC software handle the printing.  And some companies write their own RPG or COBOL programs on the AS/400 that generate ZPL directly.

Hope that helps.

Regards,

- Gary
Just re-read question, and I can't tell if this is an "add" or a "replace".  If it is a replacement, then my first suggestion is easiest.  If it is an add, then things of course are more complicated.
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Thank you for the detailed reply. I believe our setup is a bit different than it should be. Each customer that needs the particular label we print on the existing Zebra has its own icon on the desktop which opens a terminal window which is set to the printer communication mode and is assigned to a pinter queue (example is for UCC labels, we have UCCBLM128, UCCNOR128, etc), so they close one and then open the other when we need to print a label for that particular customer.

In our System I Navigator you can easily see the list of them below :

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When I put in DSPDEVD UCCBLM128  (the other one said it was not found in the library?) The below is what comes up :

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The message queue library is called SCANNING, as is the user that uses that particular station.

This new one (it will be an additional one at a different PC, and neither are networked themself, we just use the IP of the system they are attached to) will be used for printing a different type of label and will be coming from the Vanguard Elite Forms application. I was told by someone over the phone a good while back that I might only have to copy the current ones device, rename it, set the IP to the new PC, and I believe same with copying and renaming the output queue, and then just set the PC it is attached to, to open up the printer communication terminal like the other PC, but the process of copying and what not (and if that is even the right way to do it), I am unsure of.

Thanks again!
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Gary Patterson, CISSP
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Ah very good, I didn't know it would do it automatically. I will attempt what you had mentioned about moving over the .WS file and see how that turns out and if it is not looking like it is doing what I need it to do, I will upload it somewhere for you to have a look at.
Ok, looks like I have it more or less configured on the windows side. Here is the windows screenshot and then the config of what it showed up with when I connected. Do I need to set an IP on the iSeries or anything? Is there an easy way to try and test if it is able to print something or not? Does not really matter what it is, at this moment I just need to know if it can get the communication to print.

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Nice work.  Now you need to generate some output.  This part is application specific on the as400 side most likely.  You have a program that creates labels and somewhere in that programs code or configuration  is a setting that controls what printer it goes to.  

Basically you want to hold the output queue associated with one of the printers then print a label, then move it to the new outq, then release the outq you held.  You can use the WRKOUTQ command which shows a list of queues and allows operations on them.  Or you can use the ops nav gui you used in a prev screen shot.
I really appreciate the help Gary. I was able to print out a test label today. We currently use MarkMagic for our label printing but it is such a pain in the ass. We bought EliteForms by Vanguard, but it is just as much a pain. We use an ERP called VAI (Vormitag Associates Incorporated I believe?) and we are looking to redo all of our label. I am looking in to other solutions and the TL Ashford, it looks 10 times easier than trying to make them with our current ones. I need to make 52 labels on 1 sheet from a single spool file that are all the same, every field has to be manually named in the editor, then you have to do on the as400 side and create the same names for fields in there, so 52 labels x 6-7 fields per label. Then we need to make 10 different label sheets, it is going to take hours upon hours.

    I noticed also BarTender Enterprise might be able to either watch for spool files, or connect via ODBC. Do you happen to have any experience with it? We are on a bit of a tight budget, especially after spending $9k on that darn Elite Documents. Both Bartender and TLA look 100x easier to use and more powerful especially since they can print to any windows printer, we have been having to get specific printers that are AS400 compatible.

Thanks a ton!
Ive used MarkMagic and TLA. And others.   TLA is widely used in the as400 iseries ibm i  world and I like it a lot.

It is easy to get to ibm i db2 from pc based products using ibm supplied odbc jdbc oledb, or ado.net drivers.
Yeah, we use the ODBC currently to copy information back and forth for our webstores that we had some one create for us, so I imagine one of the much easier to use label / form creation software should be able to work just fine. I am currently using a trial of BarTender and attempting to try to locate a spool file to see if I can read from it. (My AS400 knowledge is not that great, but it is getting there). Are you able to get to spool files through the file system, such as \\x.x.x.x\root\some_folder, or does it have to be done via odbc?

We have a custom program that when you scan a bar code, it will populate a spool file with a bunch of different info, and I wanted to see if I can use BarTender instead of MarkMagic / Elite to map the data and print out some labels, but not sure the best way to find and access that data.

** Edit, I am having trouble trying to figure out where I can find the data in the spool file. I can easily see all the tables on the as400 over ODBC, but can't figure out how or where to find that spool file data via BarTender. : /
Probably best to open another question at this point.  Pm or email me (see my EE profile) with a link to the new question if you like so Im sure to see it.
Looks like I got it figured out. I am working with TL Ashford now (30 day trial), we will see how it turns out. : D