Systems management software provider, Halcyon Software, announced a major release of one of its key products - the Spooled File Manager v9.0 for the IBM i platform.

Spooled File Manager v9.0 is a comprehensive spooled file distribution and archiving tool which offers real-time spooled file monitoring, filtering and fast retrieval of archived spooled files. It performs actions on spooled files without the need for program changes such as automatically emailing the summary page of a report or converting them into PDFs or HTML web pages.

Enhancements include:

- The capability of archiving files has been substantially enhanced so that archived spooled files can be retrieved in sub seconds. There are no limits to the number of spooled files that can be stored within an archived file.

- The new version now has the capability of defining “Subset Templates”, for example by department, type, user or any combination, so that spooled files or archived spooled files can be viewed according to defined categories.

- New authorization features within the software give security administrators the ability to define by default or individually permit which subset templates members of staff can use, thereby restricting the spooled files they can view at the user level.

- Other changes have been made to the software to significantly improve performance by using smart caching techniques.

- A further enhancement in the new version enables system administrators to use “report types” to identify spooled files and define the archive and retention periods.

Donnie MacColl, Technical Services Director, Halcyon Software, said, “Our customers really rely on the automatic distribution of their reports and being able to archive significant volumes of spooled files. However they also need superfast retrieval. This major upgrade has been designed to provide all the scalability they need for efficient authorisation, reporting and retrieval. Coming soon in May 2012 is phase 2; a new software suite for advanced management of spooled files. It will include a web based interface with point and click functionality.”