MustGather information for web server crashes (Windows)

System preparation

The Dr. Watson tool supplied with Windows must be configured to save information about program crashes. This setup step must be performed prior to the crash.

  1. Start DRWTSN32.EXE from the Command Prompt. The Dr. Watson configuration dialog will look similar to the following:
  2. Make a note of the paths of the log file and crash dumps. After a crash has occurred, files will be retrieved from those locations.
  3. Enable the following options:
  4. We recommend that the following option be disabled so that IBM HTTP Server recovers as quickly as possible after a crash:
  5. Ensure that Number of Instructions is at least 10.
  6. Ensure that Number of Errors to Save is at least 10.
  7. If your version of Dr. Watson has the capability to select Crash Dump Type, then select Full.

Obtaining information after the crash occurs

These steps must be performed after the crash occurs.

  1. Crash information

    Save the Dr. Watson log and crash files. These are in the locations configured in the DRWTSN32.EXE program, as displayed above under System preparation. Example:

    C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\DrWatson>dir
     Volume in drive C is C_Drive
     Volume Serial Number is 98E7-6D3C
    
     Directory of C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\DrWatson
    
    08/05/2003  09:32a                .
    08/05/2003  09:32a                ..
    04/05/2005  03:48p           1,118,951 drwtsn32.log
    04/05/2005  03:49p          12,969,444 user.dmp
                   2 File(s)     14,088,395 bytes
                   2 Dir(s)  18,162,450,432 bytes free
    

    The files drwtsn32.log and user.dmp are the files to save.

  2. IBM HTTP Server version

    Type one of the following commands to save the full version information to a file:

  3. web server configuration file

    The default file is

    install_root\conf\httpd.conf
    
  4. web server error log

    The default file is

    install_root\logs\error.log
    

    The configuration file may have been changed to specify a different error log.

  5. WebSphere plug-in trace file

    The actual location is specified in plugin-cfg.xml.

    Example:

    c:\WebSphere\AppServer\logs\native.log
    
  6. Windows system information

    Run Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools/System Information and export the information to a text file:

Recap of information to send to IBM support:

  1. Dr. Watson log and crash files
  2. IBM HTTP Server version, as saved to ihs_version.txt
  3. web server configuration file
  4. web server error log
  5. WebSphere plug-in trace file
  6. Windows system information, as exported by the System Information program
Instructions to send diagnostic information to IBM support.