The first failure data capture (FFDC) log file saves information that is generated from a processing failure. These files are deleted after a maximum number of days has passed. The captured data is saved in a log file for analyzing the problem.
Before you begin
The first failure data capture (FFDC) feature preserves the information that is generated from a processing failure and returns control to the affected engines. The captured data is saved in a log file for analyzing the problem. FFDC is intended primarily for use by IBM Service. FFDC instantly collects events and errors that occur during the WebSphere Application Server runtime. The information is captured as it occurs and is written to a log file that can be analyzed by an IBM Service representative. The data is uniquely identified for the servant region that produced the exception.
The FFDC configuration properties files are located in the properties directory under the WebSphere Application Server product installation. There are three properties files, but only the ffdcRun.properties file should be modified. The ExceptionFileMaximumAge property is the property that you can use to configure the amount of days between purges before being deleted. The value of the ExceptionFileMaximumAge property must be a positive number. Refer to Configuring the number of days between first failure data capture log file purges for information on how to change the value of ExceptionFileMaximumAge. The FFDC feature does not affect the performance of the WebSphere Application Server product.
Why and when to perform this task
Perform the following steps to configure the number of days between the FFDC log file purges. The value is in days.Steps for this task
Result
The FFDC file management function removes the FFDC log files that have reached the maximum age and generates a message in the SystemOut.log file.
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