Reading a message log

Why and when to perform this task

The WebSphere Application Server message logs and trace logs are written as simple text files. These files can be viewed with a text editor or any other text browser-type utility.

It is easier to locate the cause of a problem in smaller message logs. Therefore, consider reducing the size of the message log before attempting to read it. For more information about this, see Message log: Hints and tips. Also, for information about the contents of a message log entry, see Message log entry: Description.

When reading a message log, identify the group of entries that are related to the problem or error that you want to resolve. A group of entries forms a bracket, as follows:

The start of the bracket
       Initial failure, which is a single entry in the log.
Results of the initial failure
       A number of entries in the log.
The end of the bracket
       Last result of the failure, which is a single entry in the log.

In general, when you are reading the message log, start with its last entry and then work backwards reading the previous entry, then the one before that, and so on.

To find the bracket of entries for a problem that you are diagnosing, complete the following steps:

Steps for this task

  1. Identify the end of the bracket. The first step in reading the message log is to identify the last entry that reported the problem that you want to diagnose (that is, the end of bracket entry). This is essential for identifying the cause of the problem. Start with the latest entry in the message log and search backwards for the entry that reports the problem. The last entries of the log do not always relate to the problem that you are trying to solve.
    When the entry related to the failure has been identified, you have found the end of the bracket. Remember the process id, thread id, process type, and process alias associated with the end of bracket entry. This helps to associate other related message entries with this one.
  2. Find relevant entries. Examine each entry with a matching process id, thread id, process type and process alias and focus on the message entries that have a time stamp that is relatively the same as the end bracket entry.
  3. Find the initial failure. When you have found the first entry for the cause of the problem, you can take action to resolve it. Depending on the situation, you also might want to read one or two entries before the initial failure's entry. This is in case there is additional data to help you diagnose the problem.

Related tasks
Resolving CORBA run-time errors
Related reference
Message log entry: Description
Message log: Hints and tips



Searchable topic ID:   tcor_redact
Last updated: Jun 21, 2007 8:07:48 PM CDT    WebSphere Business Integration Server Foundation, Version 5.0.2
http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/wasinfo/index.jsp?topic=/com.ibm.wasee.doc/info/ee/corba/tasks/tcor_redact.html

Library | Support | Terms of Use | Feedback