Checking SWIN’s Performance 

SWIN is the generic R/3 device type for Windows printers. SWIN print requests may print more slowly on a PC than print requests that use another R/3 device type, such as POSTSCPT or HPLJ4.

Windows takes over the print formatting when you use SWIN. With printer-specific device types, the SAP System does the formatting. Further, the S access method, which you should choose when using SWIN, transmits output data in blocks. In slow WAN connections and overburdened networks, this block transmission can be slower than file transmission with access method U

Usually, the difference in performance is slight. If, however, you find that printing is too slow, then you can switch to one of the printer-specific output device types, such as POSTSCPT, for PostScript printers.

For more information, see Device type in Making a Remote or PC Connection to a Windows Printer.

Procedure

  1. Find the SAPlpd window on the PC in question.
  2. Choose Test helps ® Settings in the SAPlpd menu. Set the value in the SAPlpd box to 1.

    3. This switches on the first level of tracing in SAPlpd.

  3. Send some test print requests to the PC printer that is printing too slowly.
  4. As the jobs arrive and are processed, look for the following message at the end of each request:

    5. Elapsed time <seconds> sec. (<seconds> sec. used by Windows)

    The first figure is the total processing time for the print request.

    The second figure is the amount of time that Windows spent formatting the print request. Usually, this value is very small. However, in a few combinations of Windows driver and printer, the processing time can be many seconds for a typical small print request.

    If the Windows processing time is too long, then you should try switching to the printer-specific R/3 device type for this printer. Change the device type in the R/3 definition of the printer: Making a Remote or "PC" Connection to a Windows Printer.

  5. Remember to reset the Test helps ® Settings value for SAPlpd back to 0. This turns tracing back off again.

 

  First Page of SAP Printing Guide