Tool for Server-based printing on Windows (SAPSprint)

This note provides information about how to solve problems you may have when printing with SAPLPD as a print server.

The previous implementation of SAPLPD as a print server is increasingly unstable since the introduction of Windows 2000. In particular for high print output, the process may hang.

For this reason, we have prepared an entirely new implementation of the print server as a Windows service in SAPSprint. It replaces SAPLPD. You can print using the access methods 'S' and 'U' from every SAP system, just as before. No changes are necessary in the SAP system itself. You must replace SAPLPD with SAPSprint on the print server, and configure it accordingly. This is described below.


Installation 

Before you install SAPSprint, delete SAPLPD manually. To do this, you normally need to completely delete the installation directory only. If you installed SAPLPD as a service using the srvany tool, you can remove the service by calling 'Instsrv SAPLPD remove'.

You can download SAPSprint as a self-extracting executable file from SAP Service Marketplace:

Call http://service.sap.com/patches and navigate
as follows:

1. Entry by Application Group (on the left)
2. SAP Frontend Components (on the right)
3. SAPSPRINT (on the right)
4. SAPSPRINT <release.>(on the right)
5. SAPSPRINT <release.>(on the right)
6. Win32 (on the right)


Start the program. After you enter the installation path, the system asks for the TCP/IP port and another path for storing log files. Normally, the default setting of 515 is suitable for the port. You should only change this setting if the Windows TCP/IP print service is also running on the computer. The SAPSprint Windows service starts as soon as the installation is over.

We recommend that you set up the following options for the service in the Windows Service Control Manager: Restart the service after the first error in the recovery actions, and set the wait time until the restart to zero. This ensures that the service is restarted when errors are detected. This should minimize the number of incorrect print requests in the SAP system.

Furthermore, the service must run under a domain user that has the relevant authorizations for the required printers. After the installation, the service runs under "Local system account". This can access locally-defined printers only. You can also set the user in the Windows Service Control Manager, in the options of the SAPSprint service.

If you want to delete SAPSprint, you can do so using the normal Windows uninstall tool.


Settings 

You can display the call parameters available for SAPSprint by calling 'sapsprint -?' on the command line. The most important parameters are those that set options, especially log options for troubleshooting.

You can set the log level to 5 by specifying 'sapsprint -oi LogLevel 5'. Immediately after installation, no log level is set up, which means that no log file is created. By setting the log level to 1, 5, or 9, you can ensure that more information is available in the directory that you specified during the installation. A file called sapsprint.dbg and a print job specific file with a variable name are generated. The second file is deleted after successful printing. It is only retained if the printout is recognized as incorrect. If you set the option 'sapsprint -oi KeepFile 1', then both this file and the print file are retained. This is primarily intended for troubleshooting by SAP Support.

All options are case-sensitive. You can display the most important SAPSprint options by calling 'sapsprint -?'. Normally, the options described there are not necessary - you should use them only in exceptional circumstances.


Technical details 

SAPSprint consists of the program 'sapsprint.exe', which contains the implementation of the Windows service and the receiver for print data from the SAP system. The SAPWIN data stream is processed in the DLL 'sapwin.dll'. This DLL is also used by the new front-end printing. SAPWIN processing errors therefore affect both print methods. Patches for SAPSprint and the new front-end print are available in Note 841175.


Solution 

Install SAPSprint as described above. SAPSprint replaces the  SAPLPD's server functions. Use the new method described in Note 821519 for front-end printing. Do not install SAPSprint on every workstation.

SAPLPD is no longer developed.