Using the spool server __AUTOSPOOLSERVER, you can define printers in transaction SPAD without having to specify the name of a specific application server. This can be useful for instance in Cloud systems where application servers are often switched, for example, if a server is stopped or a new one is started.
With no _AUTOSPOOLSERVER for printers, each time the application server is switched, you would have to go through the printer definitions, and enter the new server or delete a stopped server from the printers (or from the logical servers). The logical servers do not serve as an alternative because even there a physical server is assigned. When using __AUTOSPOOLSERVER, the system itself searches for a suitable spool server in the system and a logical server does not have to be defined.
The AUTOSPOOLSERVER concept is compatible with the Rolling Kernel Switch (RKS), which is the mechanism in the spool kernel that distributes a new print request to a printer using _AUTOSPOOLSERVER. It ensures that the print request is not sent to a server that is stopping due to RKS.
Constraints
__AUTOSPOOLSERVER should only be used for printers with access method U and S, which do not require resources (printer queues) on the local application server.
Configuration
To configure the automatic assignment of the spool server for an output device, in transaction SPAD you assign the spool server __AUTOSPOOLSERVER (two underscores at the beginning) to the output device. You can enter the name of the spool server either manually or using F4 input help.
Credit: SAP Help
