Mainframe to TCP/IP printing

• VTAM Virtual Printer (VVP) lets you route output created by your online applications to the system spool.

• VVP captures the 3270 based datastream sent to the VTAM printer from any VTAM application (CICS, IMS, etc.) and creates a report in the JES queue for MVS or VSE/POWER queue for VSE.

• Each report created in the system spool by VVP is assigned a class and optional destination, user, and/or forms id.

VTAM Virtual Printer Demo

VVP is a VTAM based application that emulates LU1/SCS or LU3 printers. Each emulated or logical printer is defined to VTAM as an APPL statement. For CICS, a TCT definition is required with the NETNAME equal to one of VTAM Virtual Printer’s APPL statements. Your applications route the print datastream to the logical printer in the same way as real hardware devices. Your existing VTAM printing applications continue to run without any application changes.

From the system spool, the report is available to be routed to your network printers, including VTAM printers, TCP/IP printers, and LAN printers (separate products are required to do the actual printing to the network printers).

How does VVP separate different reports to the same logical printer?
An option is included to separate reports based on when the logical printer is acquired and released or when a VTAM bracket is started and ended. Unlike real printer devices, VVP can manage multiple VTAM applications sending data to the same logical printer concurrently.

VVP can prevent online application delays or abends due to hardware problems like form jams, out of forms, or power off conditions.

VVP Requirements:

VSE
VSE/SP - 3.2 or higher,
VTAM - 2 or higher

MVS
JES2 - 5.2 or higher,
MVS - 5.2 or higher, and
VTAM - 2 or higher

VTAM Virtual Printer Free trial