Configure tracing and logging settings to help diagnose problems or evaluate system performance.
You can configure the application server to start in a trace-enabled state by setting the appropriate configuration properties. You can only enable trace for an application client or standalone process at process startup.
You can also configure tracing from the MVS™ console using the modify command.
Trace option | Output file |
---|---|
all | trace.log |
finest or debug | trace.log |
finer or entryExit | trace.log |
fine or event | trace.log |
detail | SystemOut.log |
config | trace.log and SystemOut.log (If tracing is not enabled, the output file is SystemOut.log) |
info | trace.log and SystemOut.log (If tracing is not enabled, the output file is SystemOut.log) |
audit | trace.log and SystemOut.log (If tracing is not enabled, the output file is SystemOut.log) |
warning | trace.log and SystemOut.log (If tracing is not enabled, the output file is SystemOut.log) |
severe or error | trace.log and SystemOut.log (If tracing is not enabled, the output file is SystemOut.log) |
fatal | trace.log and SystemOut.log (If tracing is not enabled, the output file is SystemOut.log) |
off | trace.log and SystemOut.log (If tracing is not enabled, the output file is SystemOut.log) |
In WebSphere Application Server, V5.1.1 and earlier, trace strings were used for configuring tracing only. Starting in WebSphere Application Server, Version 6 and later, the "trace string" becomes a "logging string"; it is used to configure both tracing and message logging.
In WebSphere Application Server, V5.1.1 and earlier, the trace service for all WebSphere Application Server components is disabled by default. To request a change to the current state of the trace service, a trace string is passed to the trace service. This trace string encodes the information detailing which level of trace to enable or disable and for which components.
In all versions of WebSphere Application Server, the tracing for all components is disabled by default. To change to the current state of the tracing and message logging, a logging string must be constructed and passed to the server. This logging string specifies what level of trace or logging to enable or disable for specific components.
You can type in trace strings (or logging strings), or construct them using the administrative console. Trace and logging strings must conform to a specific grammar.
TRACESTRING=COMPONENT_TRACE_STRING[:COMPONENT_TRACE_STRING]* COMPONENT_TRACE_STRING=COMPONENT_NAME=LEVEL=STATE[,LEVEL=STATE]* LEVEL = all | entryExit | debug | event STATE = enabled | disabled COMPONENT_NAME = COMPONENT | GROUP
LOGGINGSTRING=COMPONENT_LOGGING_STRING[:COMPONENT_LOGGING_STRING]* COMPONENT_TRACE_STRING=COMPONENT_NAME=LEVEL LEVEL = all | (finest | debug) | (finer | entryExit) | (fine | event ) | detail | config | info | audit | warning | (severe | error) | fatal | off COMPONENT_NAME = COMPONENT | GROUP
The COMPONENT_NAME is the name of a component or group registered with the trace service logging infrastructure. Typically, WebSphere Application Server components register using a fully qualified Java class name, for example com.ibm.servlet.engine.ServletEngine. In addition, you can use a wildcard character of asterisk (*) to terminate a component name and indicate multiple classes or packages. For example, use a component name of com.ibm.servlet.* to specify all components whose names begin with com.ibm.servlet. Use a wildcard character of asterisk (*) at the end of the component or group name to make the logging string applicable to all components or groups whose names start with specified string. For example, a logging string specifying "com.ibm.servlet.*" as a component name will be applied to all components whose names begin with com.ibm.servlet. When an asterisk (*) is used by itself in place of the component name, the level the string specifies, will be applied to all components.
Logging string | Resulting logging level | Notes® |
---|---|---|
com.ibm.ejs.ras=debug=disabled | com.ibm.ejs.ras=finer | debug (version 5) = finest (version 6) |
com.ibm.ejs.ras=all=disabled | com.ibm.ejs.ras=info | "all=disabled" will disable tracing; logging is still enabled. |
com.ibm.ejs.ras=fatal=disabled | com.ibm.ejs.ras=off | |
com.ibm.ejs.ras=off=disabled | com.ibm.ejs.ras=off | off is the highest severity |
The logging string is processed from left to right. During the processing, part of the logging string might be modified or removed if the levels they configure are overridden by another part of the logging string.
*=off : MyGroup1=info : MyGroup2=finest : com.mycompany.mypackage.*=info : com.mycompany.mypackage.MyClass=finestThis trace string indicates that the only tracing should come from the MyGroup1 group, the MyGroup2 group, and the com.mycompany.mypackage.* package with more specific tracing for MyClass class. If you reverse this string, all tracing is disabled.
Version 5 syntax | Version 6 syntax |
---|---|
com.ibm.ejs.ras.ManagerAdmin=debug=enabled |
com.ibm.ejs.ras.ManagerAdmin=finest |
com.ibm.ejs.ras.ManagerAdmin=all=enabled,event=disabled |
com.ibm.ejs.ras.ManagerAdmin=detail |
com.ibm.ejs.ras.*=all=enabled |
com.ibm.ejs.ras.*=all |
com.ibm.ejs.ras.*=all=enabled:com.ibm.ws.ras=debug= enabled,entryexit=enabled |
com.ibm.ejs.ras.*=all:com.ibm.ws.ras=finer |