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From: dav@YETTI.UUCP (Dav Ung)
Newsgroups: mod.computers.vax
Subject: Re: User-modified print symbionts.
Message-ID: <8603041145.AA04640@seismo.CSS.GOV>
Date: Sun, 2-Mar-86 16:29:26 EST
Article-I.D.: seismo.8603041145.AA04640
Posted: Sun Mar  2 16:29:26 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 6-Mar-86 22:25:21 EST
References: <8602250741.AA05066@csvax.caltech.edu>
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Reply-To: yetti!dav@seismo.CSS.GOV (Dav Ung)
Organization: York U. Computer Science
Lines: 21
Keywords: PRTSMB
Approved: info-vax@sri-kl.arpa
Summary: VMS Print symbiont goes into COM loop

In article <8602250741.AA05066@csvax.caltech.edu> KVC@ENGVAX.UUCP (Kevin Carosso) writes:
>pps. Oh, and another thing...  Anyone else get the standard VMS 4.2 print
>     symbiont into a COM bound loop using PRINT/PASSALL?  Stopping the queue
>     doesn't help, you have to nail the SYMBIONT_xxxx process.

	Printing a file with variable length, fixed 2-byte header
records and print file carriage control can throw PRTSMB into a COM loop, if
the file had a request to print a record after advancing -5 lines. Such files
are routinely created by COBOL programs and the -5 request may result from:

	WRITE record AFTER variable LINES

and <variable> had a -5. Not sure if other negative numbers will cause the same
behavior, but we can reproduce the problem consistently using -5.
COBOL runtime routines do not stop you from requesting -5 line print
control.

	CSC, Colorado Springs, knows of this problem.  I had not heard back
from them re a solution.

	If this is not the cause of your problem, HAPPY HUNTING...