What is Spool Administration in SAP?

It is used to output the document to a printer, fax, email and SMS etc. It is only the process
which is used to display the documents before they get printed. Once a spool request is generated
in the system, it can be printed to any printer with n no of copies, at any time.

Where as normal printing, the document will not be available once it is printed. We can change
the output format at any time. Work process used for spool administration is SPOOL 'S'
 

 It is used to print the documents to a printer or output to a fax machine etc.

 The spool processes are configured (defined) by using the parameter
‘RDISP/WP_NO_SPO’.
 There should be at least1 Spool process for the entire system.
 It is also possible to configure as many spool processes as possible depending on the
print/ spool volume.
 Dialog process or background process initializes/generates the spool/print request.
 The spool requests are converted by Spool Process into output (Printer specific) requests.
 
                                                                                                                                                                                      What is SAP
Spool process work flow?
Step 1: User generates the Spool/Print requests either by dialog work process or by background
work process. (A dialog user or a background process initializes a print request.)
 
Step 2: The print/spool requests are stored in a location which is determined by a parameter
‘RSPO/Store_Location =’ G’ or ‘db’
Where G --- Global directory at OS level (usr/sap/sid/sys/global) & db --- TST01, TST03   tables
in database.
This location is referred as “TemSe” (Temporary Sequential Object). ‘Temse’ stores spool
requests. Temse is stored in Global directory when it is referred as ‘G’. It is stored in database
tables TST01 & TST03, if it is referred as ‘db’. By default the value is ‘db’.

G: (Global Directory):

1. If G is specified it is stored in global directory at OS level.

2. Default directory is ‘usr/sap/sid/sys/global’.
Advantage:
 The printing will be faster if there are less no of documents. Because from file system to
spooler, the communication is faster than that of database to host spooler.
 
 
 
Disadvantages:
 Data is backed up outside database backup. This means the administration tables TSP01
TST03 may be inconsistent with the files in the file system.
  A dedicated backup has to be planned to save the contents of Global directory
 Space is required on file system and space monitoring is required on daily basis.
 File system is virus prone and if the requests size grows then the printing may become
slower.
SP01 is used to monitor the spool requests by administrators.
SP02 is used to monitor the users own spool requests (user specific).
 
db (Lower Case):
1. Saves in the database table TST03
Advantages:
 No special attention is required to backup the spool requests.
 The spool and TemSe data are backed up during the normal database backup
 The backup keeps the various spool and TemSe tables consistent during arestore.
 No additional file system memory is required for TemSe.
 No special monitoring required and the db requests are not virus prone.
 RDBMS rules are inherited to spool requests, because they are in the database.
Disadvantages:
 Writing to the database is slower than writing to the file system.
 The TemSe spool data is always backed up along with regular backup, thus
increasing                      backup time.

Step 3:Spool process gets initiated and reads the contents from TemSe (‘TST01’ name of the
Author, no of copies name of the printer and spool data from ‘TST03’) and converts spool
requests into “Output Requests’ (Printer specific requests) based on Access Method.
            Access Method specifies how the spool work process transfers data to the host spool
system for the printer.
                                                                                                                                                                    How to configure
Frontend printer in SAP?
Go to transaction SPAD
Click on Display for Output Device (or choose menu Configuration  Output Devices)
 
 
 
Click on the change icon (or type F8)
 

Click on the create icon (or type Shift-F1)

 

Fill-in fields as needed

In First tab "Device Attributes" 

 Output Device: any name starts with "Z"

 Device Type: SWIN or SAPWIN
In Second tab "Access Method"

 Host Spool Access Method: F: Printing on Front End Computer

 Host printer: __DEFAULT
 Please remember in above step its two times under-score then DEFAULT
 

In the other tabs, please leave the default settings and press save which creates an output device
 
                                                                                                                                                                                  How to setup a
Default Printer in SAP?
Step 1: After logging on to the SAP GUI you will be at the SAP Easy Access Menu. Type in
Transaction Code SU3 and hit Enter
 

 
Step 2: The following screen will appear and you should click on the Defaults tab. 
 

 
Step 3: Click on the right side of the Output Device box so the Pick List icon appears. 
 

 
Step 4: When the following box appears, click on the
 
 

 
Step 5: This will bring up a list of all of your available printers. The standard printer options high
light the printer you want as your default printer, and then click on