Create display and printer sessions

KB article ID:5017 (permalink)

Available from support.goodinassociates.com/5017 [Cnv- link - make sure it works properly]

Rev. 11.20.21

NOTE: File names and locations can vary from one version of the System i Access/iSeries software to the next. So be prepared to extrapolate.

Create a green screen display session

1. Go to Start/All Programs/IBM iSeries Access for Windows/Emulator/Start or configure session
  1. Win10: Start/All Apps/IBM System i Access for Windows/Start or configure session
2. Click ‘New Session’
3. At ‘Specify new workstation ID’, enter the name of your new session, e.g. DSP12
4. Bullet ‘Display’
5. Check ‘Auto Reconnect’
6. Click OK
7. Enter the System i Access/iSeries400 user ID for the primary person who will work at this PC at the Windows prompt. Should bring up a green screen sign-on.
8. Go to Edit/Preferences/Appearance/Display Setup
9. ‘Shape’ should be ‘Block’
10. ‘Blink’ should be ‘Yes’
11. Leave all other settings as-is, and click OK.
12. Go to Edit/Preferences/Appearance/Window Setup
13. Under ‘Window Title’, only ‘Session Name’ should be checked
14. In the window to the right of ‘Session Name’, enter your session, e.g. DSP12
15. Leave all other settings as-is, and click OK.
16. If this is a first-time iSeries Access setup on this PC, you may wish to ‘map’ your keyboard as follows. Go to Edit/Preferences/Keyboard.
17. Click ‘Customize’.
18. Click on the image of the Lower Right Ctrl key. Should put a red box around it.

- 1. At “Change current actions for selected key”, in the box beside ‘Base’, change the word to [enter], within the exact same style of brackets.
  2. Click on the image of the Return key, two images above your red box.
  3. Message will pop up, “You’ve made changes… Want to keep it?”
  4. Click ‘Yes’.

1. Should have a red box around the Return key.
2. At “Change current actions for selected key”, in the box beside ‘Base’, change it to [field exit], within the exact same style of brackets.
3. Go to File at the top, and Save.
4. Close window w/ the red X at top right.
5. Assign a Windows printer to your display session --assuming your Windows printer for this PC has already been setup/installed.
6. Go to File.
7. Go to Printer Setup.
8. Click on the printer you want to assign to this printer emulation.
9. Click OK.
10. Go to File/Save As
11. At ‘File name’, type your display name, e.g. DSP12.ws
12. Click ‘Save’
13. Close window w/ the X in upper right corner.
14. Should bring you back to the “IBM Personal Communications” window.
15. Click 1x on the icon for the session you created, e.g. DSP12
16. Click Edit.
17. Click Copy
18. Close window w/ the X in upper right corner.
19. Paste the shortcut on your Desktop.
20. You might want to paste the shortcut onto the Desktop for all Windows users.
21. Test to make sure you can sign in to your new session.
22. Go to the JIMS Technical Menu
23. Take Opt 2. Assign printers to workstations
24. Assign appropriate printers to your new session.

Have a stand-alone IP-addressed printer, and need to print to it through the iSeries?

Please call Jeff or Kurt at Goodin Associates to create the queue.

Have a printer attached by USB to your PC, and need to print to it through the iSeries? Create a printer session.

1. Go to Start/All Programs/IBM iSeries Access for Windows/Emulator/Start or configure session
  1. Win10: Start/All Apps/IBM System i Access for Windows/Start or configure session
2. Click ‘New Session’
3. At ‘Specify new workstation ID’, enter name of your new printer session, e.g. PRT13
4. Bullet ‘Printer’
5. Check ‘Auto Reconnect’
6. Click ‘Setup’ to the right of Printer

- 1. Check “Transform print data…”
  2. At “Printer model”, use down arrow at far right to select your printer. If you don't know which printer to assign, call Goodin Associates. Not all printers are IBM compatible.
  3. Click OK.
  4. Click OK.

1. Printer session should come up with a green bar showing Ready and Online.
2. Go to Edit/Preferences/Appearance/Window Setup
3. Under ‘Window Title’, only ‘Session Name’ should be checked.
4. In the window to the right of ‘Session Name’, enter your session, e.g. PRT13
5. Leave all other settings as-is, and click OK.
6. Assign a printer to your printer emulation --assuming your Windows printer has already been setup/installed.
7. Go to File.
8. Go to Printer Setup.
9. Click on the printer you want to assign to this printer emulation.
10. Click OK.
11. Go to File/Save As
12. At ‘File name’, type your printer name, e.g. PRT13.ws
13. Click ‘Save’
14. Close window w/ the X in upper right corner.
15. Should bring you back to the “IBM Personal Communications” window.
16. Click 1x on the icon to the session you created, e.g. PRT13
17. Click Edit.

- 1. Click Copy

1. Close window w/ the X in upper right corner.
2. Paste the shortcut on your Desktop.
3. You might want to paste the shortcut onto the Desktop for all Windows users.
4. Test to make sure you can open your new session to Ready and Online.

Can't create a green screen display or printer session?

1. Ask GAL tech support to "confirm that QAUTOCFG and QAUTOVRT system values on the iSeries are set to allow new sessions to be configured".
  1. WRKSYSVAL QAUTOCFG
    1. Must be set to 1
  2. WRKSYSVAL QAUTOVRT
2. Must be set higher than 0 to allow that number of sessions to be created.

Regarding printer assignments

PC JIMS is installed atop the System i Access/iSeries client software.

When it comes to determining where to send a print job, PC JIMS looks to a given device (green screen session) that's been set up and saved to the appropriate location on a PC. It will print to the printers assigned to that device in the System i Access/iSeries400. In the absence of a device having been setup on a given PC, PC JIMS defaults to printing to the printer assignments made to the logged-in iSeries user ID. This approach to printer assignments allows for flexibility in determining where to send print jobs, which can prove very useful to users who log into PC JIMS at different locations throughout the courthouse.

Note: On the first page that comes up after logging in to PC JIMS, look to the Device block in the lower right of the Session Information section. This will tell you the user ID or the session name that this installation of PC JIMS looks to for printer assignments. --If no session has been setup on a given PC, and no printers have been assigned to the logged-in user ID, an Error will pop-up: “You must assign a Courts printer for your CAE display device or your user ID…” If you get that message, you can get past it, and the logged-in user ID will show in the Device block. But you’ll still need to assign printers to that user ID, or set up a device session on the PC and assign printers to it.