InfoCenter Home >
6: Administer applications >
6.6: Tools and resources quick reference >
6.6.19: Administering the product messages, logs, and traces (overview) >
6.6.19.1: Administering the product messages, logs, and traces
The Application Server product provides various levels of information,
from high-level messages in the console to more detailed server
execution logs and comprehensive tracing.
The remainder of this article, and associated article in section 6.6.19.1,
describe how to use the following access points to configure messages and
tracing.
Quick summary of trace access points:
- Message filtering
- Console -> Trace -> Enabled menu option
- Console -> Trace -> Settings menu option
- The Trace Service on the Services tabbed page of application server properties
- The Trace... menu option when you right-click a running
administrative node instance, which displays the trace dialog box
For extensive information about logs, traces, and messages, see the
Problem Determination section of the InfoCenter (section 8).
- Locate the application server properties dialog.
- When the application server properties are displayed in the
properties view, click the Services tabbed page.
- Locate the trace service in the list of services.
General approach to tracing a problem
You should not need to trace IBM WebSphere Application Server
unless directed to do so by IBM support personnel. In case you would
like to perform your own tracing, here is a procedure:
- Determine the activity during which the problem usually occurs.
- Configure the server to take a trace, using one of the options
described below: dumping the server trace or tracing a server from startup.
- Perform the activity during which the problem usually occurs.
- After the problem occurs, gather the trace information as appropriate.
(For example, dump the contents of the ring buffer to a file).
- Optionally, analyze the trace output and speculate which server classes
or components are involved in the problem. Repeat the procedure, this
time narrowing the scope of the trace to just those components,
isolating the problem area.
Sometimes the administrator might find it useful to take a trace on a server
process that is already running. The administrator will use the trace dialog
box to select the server components to trace. After the administrator has
enabled trace, the trace output will be routed to the in-memory ring buffer.
The contents of the ring buffer can then be dumped to a file when the trace is
completed.
- Access the trace service as described previously.
- In the trace dialog box, specify the classes to trace. Verify the dump file name.
- Now or later, click the Dump button.
To isolate the activity you are trying to trace, you might want
to delay clicking the Dump button until after the server performs the
activity. See the general trace approach
section above for more details about this strategy.
To trace an administrative server from the time that it starts,
modify its properties related to tracing:
- Open the admin.config file in the bin directory of the WebSphere
Application Server installation root.
- Set the traceString property to specify the server classes to trace. For valid syntax,
see the trace properties help.
- Set the traceOutput property to specify the file to which
to send the trace data. For valid syntax,
see the server trace properties help.
- Save the file.
- Start the server (or stop it and start it again) for the new trace
parameters to take effect.
To trace an application server from the time that it starts,
modify its properties related to tracing:
- In the tree view, locate and click the application server to
display its properties on the right side of the console.
- Set the trace-related properties. Consult the
server trace properties help for syntax.
- Save the property changes.
- Start the server (or stop it and start it again) for the new trace
parameters to take effect.
Finding trace output
The administrator specifies the location of trace output for various servers. The
table summarizes where to find trace output:
Type of output |
Property that specifies location |
Application or administrative server dump |
Trace dialog box |
Administrative server trace |
traceOutput property in admin.config file in
bin directory of product installation root |
Application server trace |
Trace output file property of the application server |
|
 |
 |
Related topics |
|
| Concept help |
|
|
Overviews |
|
| Administrative procedure |
|
| Administering this object type (overview) |
|
| List of help topics for this console |
|
| How to use this console |
|
|
| 6.6.19.1.1.1: Filtering messages |
|
| 6.6.0.1: Using the Java administrative console |
Sub-topics |
|
| 6.6.19.1.1: Administering messages with the Java administrative console |
|
| 6.6.19.1.2: Viewing logs and messages |
|
| 6.6.19.1.3: Updating the trace services of application servers with the Java administrative console |
|
More tasks |
|
| 6.6.0.1.3: Editing resource properties |
| 6.6.0.1.4: Removing resources |
| 6.6.0.1.5: Finding resources |
| 6.6.0.1.6: Starting and stopping resources |
| 6.6.0.1.7: Pinging resources |
|
Peer topics |
|
| 6.6.19.0: Properties for tracing, logging, and messages |
|
InfoCenter |
|
To launch the full documentation set in a separate browser window, click: |
| Display InfoCenter |
| |
PDF library |
|
To browse the PDF library for this product, containing this article and others, click: |
| PDF versions |
| |
Using this documentation |
|
Become an InfoCenter super user! To find out more about navigation, numbering, search, downloads, and more, click: |
| Using this documentation |
| |
|