Technical data

Setting Up and Maintaining Queues
14.6 Using Queue Options
14.6.2.2 Specifying Timed Job Retention
Users can specify timed job retention. For example:
$ SUBMIT/RETAIN=UNTIL=19-MAY-2000:07:31:0.0 MYFILE.DAT
This eliminates the need to delete retained jobs from queues. Encourage users
who include the /RETAIN qualifier to also use timed retention.
14.6.2.3 Changing Job Retention
To change the user-specified retention policy for a job, use the /RETAIN=option
qualifier with the SET ENTRY command in the following format:
SET ENTRY/RETAIN=option entry-number
You can specify one of the following options:
Option Description
ALWAYS Holds the job in the queue regardless of the job’s completion status.
DEFAULT Holds the job in the queue as specified by the queue’s retention
option. If no option has been set on the queue, the job is not
retained.
ERROR Holds the job in the queue only if the job completes unsuccessfully.
UNTIL=time-value Holds the job in the queue for a specified length of time, regardless
of the job’s completion status. This lets you retain the job in the
queue only as long as the job is needed and eliminates the need to
delete the job from the queue later. The time value you specify is
interpreted first as a delta time, then as a combination time, and
finally as an absolute time. For information about specifying time
values, refer to the OpenVMS User’s Manual.
For example, the following command retains job 172 in the queue until 3 hours
after the job completes. At that time, the job will automatically be deleted from
the queue.
$ SET ENTRY/RETAIN=UNTIL="+3:00" 172
To remove a job retention option from a queue, use the /NORETAIN qualifier with
INITIALIZE/QUEUE, START/QUEUE, or SET QUEUE.
14.6.3 Specifying Queue Characteristics
A characteristic is any attribute of a print or batch job that is relevant to your
environment. For example, characteristics for a printer could refer to the color
of the ink, the type of paper, or the location of the printer. Once you define the
characteristics for a queue, users can specify the characteristics they want to
associate with their job when they enter the PRINT or SUBMIT command.
A print job can be processed on an execution queue if the job’s characteristics
are a subset of the queue’s characteristics. However, if any of the characteristics
associated with the job are not associated with the queue, the job remains
pending until you correct the characteristic mismatch as explained in
Section 14.8.2.2.
How to Perform This Task
To specify queue characteristics, perform the following steps:
1. Create characteristics with DEFINE/CHARACTERISTIC.
2. Assign characteristics to a queue.
Setting Up and Maintaining Queues 14–29