System to Allow Local EMail Printing from Mainframe Accounts

You can easily set up a system to allow users with mainframe-based email programs to print their email to local network printers. All you need is a computer with OS/2 WARP Connect or WARP Server installed, and one other software utility. (And a bit of configuration...)

Note: This document assumes both the MPTN and TCPIP directories are installed on drive C:. If on another drive, suitable changes must be made in the paths suggested...

The Process:

Enable the SENDMAIL server

Do this either via the TCPIPCFG program, or by editing the TCPSTART.CMD file in the C:\MPTN\BIN directory. (Maybe C:\TCPIP\BIN...)

Edit the SENDMAIL.CF file in the ETC directory

(Note: You must edit with an editor that preserves characters. Suggest using E.EXE.)
In this file, you must locate the line beginning with the word "Mlocal". It should look like one of the following two lines:

Mlocal, P=C:\TCPIP\UMAIL\umailer.exe , F=lsm, S=10, R=0, A=c:\mptn\etc\mail C:\TCPIP\UMAIL\SERVER\INBOX -to $u
Mlocal, P=c:\tcpip\bin\mail.exe, F=lsmDFP,  S=10, R=0, A=c:\mptn\etc\mail $u

You need to comment any existing "Mlocal" lines by placing a "#" character in front of the line, and replace it with the following line:

Mlocal, P=c:\tcpip\bin\flexmail.exe, F=lsmDFP,  S=10, R=0, A=c:\mptn\etc\mail $u

Save and exit at this point.

Obtain the SHUFF20.ZIP archive

<http://w3.aces.uiuc.edu/DLM/Shuffle/shuff20.zip>

Install the FLEXMAIL.EXE program

Expand the SHUFF20.ZIP archive in a temporary directory, and copy the FLEXMAIL.EXE program to the \TCPIP\BIN directory.

Create/edit the USERIDS.LST file

This file controls the operation of the FLEXMAIL mail distribution program. This file must be located in the ETC directory, along with the SENDMAIL.CF file.

We want to add an entry to the file to instruct it to execute a process called PRNTMAIL.CMD on any mail message arriving at the local machine for a specific mail ID - let's say "PRINTER1".

Edit the file C:\TCPIP\BIN\USERIDS.LST:

        E %ETC%\USERIDS.LST

... and add the following line:

printer1        %c:\tcpip\bin\PRNTMAIL.CMD &&F; LPT1:

Save and exit at this time.

Retrieve the file PRNTMAIL.CMD

And save this file in the C:\TCPIP\BIN directory...

Once this process is completed, you then need to shutdown and restart your machine. After restart, your SENDMAIL server should be operational, and any mail sent to the email address: <printer1@{your.machine.address}> should be automatically processed and sent to the printer connected to the port LPT1: on your OS/2 machine.

You may add addresses for additional printers as necessary...