The transaction (tranlog) log file stores critical transactional
data that is written to databases. It is an internal file that WebSphere® Application Server
uses to manage in-flight transactions and attempt to recover them
should the server crash.
DO NOT delete the transaction log file from a production
environment. Deleting this file removes information on in-flight
transactions from
WebSphere ESB memory.
Without the transaction log file, there is no functionality to recover
transactional information. In addition, long-running processes remain
in an inconsistent state and you cannot complete the process flow
except by deleting running instances. Deleting running instances might
cause you to lose operational or business-critical data, which makes
the database inconsistent with the message destination. Other inconsistencies
that may be caused by deleting the transaction log file includes the
following:
- Started transactions will neither be rolled back nor committed
- Artifacts will remain in the Java™ Virtual
Machine (JVM) since they are referenced or allocated by a transaction
but never garbage collected
- Service Component Architecture (SCA) messages that belong to a
process navigation and transaction remain on SCA-related queues
Note: Deleting the transaction log from a development environment
causes the same problems. Because you can recreate business processes,
deleting the files from a test environment is not as damaging as deleting
them from a production environment.