Microsoft KB Archive/886666

= FIX: Host print sessions may stop responding (hang) when the Request Definite Response option is enabled in Host Integration Server =

Article ID: 886666

Article Last Modified on 12/4/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Host Integration Server 2000 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Host Integration Server 2000 Service Pack 1
 * Microsoft Host Integration Server 2004 Standard Edition

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SYMPTOMS
In Microsoft Host Integration Server, host print sessions that have the Request Definite Response option enabled may stop responding (hang). After this problem occurs, you cannot send any new host print jobs to the host print session.



CAUSE
This problem occurs because the print server does not send a response to the host system when a print job is completed if the time that is between print jobs is more than the timeout that is configured in the After Job Ends, Delay Closing Printer option in the print session. Because the host system is waiting for a response that indicates that the previous job has completed printing, additional print jobs cannot be sent to the print session. This behavior causes the print session to stop responding.



Service pack information
To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Microsoft Host Integration Server 2000. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

328152 How to obtain the latest service pack for Host Integration Server 2000

Hotfix information
The English version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later file attributes) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in coordinated universal time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time tool in Control Panel.

  Date         Time   Version     Size     File name -  29-Sep-2004  16:34  5.0.0.1002   20,752  Msg5250.dll 29-Sep-2004 16:34  5.0.0.1002  250,128  Ppd3270.dll 29-Sep-2004 16:34  5.0.0.1002  139,536  Ppd5250.dll 29-Sep-2004 16:34  5.0.0.1002   49,424  Prmngext.dll 29-Sep-2004 16:34  5.0.0.1002  209,168  Snacfg.dll 29-Sep-2004 16:34  5.0.0.1002   24,848  Snaxlt.dll 29-Sep-2004 16:34  5.0.0.1002  282,896  Winvprt.dll 29-Sep-2004 16:34  5.0.0.1002   57,616  Pdfcomp.exe 29-Sep-2004 16:34  5.0.0.1002   94,480  Snaprint.exe

Note Because of file dependencies, the most recent fix that contains these files may also contain additional files.

Host Integration Server 2004
A supported hotfix is now available from Microsoft. However, this hotfix is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem. This hotfix might receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next service pack that contains this hotfix.

To resolve this problem, submit a request to Microsoft Online Customer Services to obtain the hotfix. To submit an online request to obtain the hotfix, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=6294451

Note If additional issues occur or any troubleshooting is required, you might have to create a separate service request. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for this specific hotfix. To create a separate service request, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support

The English version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later file attributes) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in coordinated universal time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time tool in Control Panel.

  Date         Time   Version     Size     File name -  29-Sep-2004  17:33  6.0.1905.0   29,184  Msg5250.dll 29-Sep-2004 17:33  6.0.1905.0   39,424  Pdfcomp.exe 29-Sep-2004 17:33  6.0.1905.0  183,808  Ppd3270.dll 29-Sep-2004 17:33  6.0.1905.0   93,184  Ppd5250.dll 29-Sep-2004 17:33  6.0.1905.0   33,280  Prmngext.dll 29-Sep-2004 17:33  6.0.1905.0  167,936  Snacfg.dll 29-Sep-2004 17:33  6.0.1905.0   61,440  Snaprint.exe 29-Sep-2004 17:33  6.0.1905.0   12,288  Snaxlt.dll 29-Sep-2004 17:33  6.0.1905.0  194,560  Winvprt.dll

Note Because of file dependencies, the most recent fix that contains these files may also contain additional files.



WORKAROUND
To work around this problem, disable one or both of the following configuration options in the print session properties:
 * Request Definite Response
 * After Job Ends, Delay Closing Printer



STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the &quot;Applies to&quot; section. This problem was corrected in Microsoft Host Integration Server 2000 Service Pack 2.



MORE INFORMATION
In SNA Server 4.0 and earlier versions, the host print service (Snaprint.exe) opens all defined printers that are used by the configured host print sessions when the service starts. The After Job Ends, Delay Closing Printer option was added in Host Integration Server 2000 to optimize performance and system resources. If the printer is always available, system resources such as printer handles are consumed. However, if the printer is constantly opened and closed with each print job that is sent, performance suffers. By setting the After Job Ends, Delay Closing Printer timeout option, the printer will remain available for print jobs that are sent close together to improve performance, and the printer will close during non-busy times to free resources.

By default, the After Job Ends, Delay Closing Printer option is enabled and the timeout is set to 10 seconds on Host Integration Server 2000 and Host Integration Server 2004.

The problem that is described in the &quot;Symptoms&quot; section occurs when the Request Definite Response and After Job Ends, Delay Closing Printer options are both enabled on a host print session. If multiple host print jobs are sent to the host print session and the delay between each print job is less than the timeout that is specified in the After Job Ends, Delay Closing Printer timeout option, all the print jobs are printed. Additionally, the host print service sends a response to the host system to indicate that each job printed successfully. The Request Definite Response option provides this functionality.

If multiple host print jobs are sent to the host print session and the delay between one or more of the print jobs is more than the After Job Ends, Delay Closing Printer timeout option, all the print jobs are successfully printed. However, the host print service does not send a response to the host system for the print job that was sent after the After Job Ends, Delay Closing Printer timeout expired. This behavior causes the print session to stop responding because the host system will not send any additional print jobs to the print session while it is waiting for the response to the previous print job.

Additional query words: HIS HIS2000 HIS2004

Keywords: kbbug kbfix kbhostintegserv2000presp2fix kbqfe kbhotfixserver KB886666

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