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Enable trace on client and stand-alone applications

When stand-alone client applications (such as Java applications which access enterprise beans hosted in WebSphere Application Server) have problems interacting with WAS, it might be useful to enable tracing for the application. Enabling trace for client programs will cause the WAS classes used by those applications, such as naming-service client classes, to generate trace information.

A common troubleshooting technique is to enable tracing on both the application server and client applications, and match records according to timestamp to try to understand where a problem is occurring.

(ZOS) We can also configure tracing from the MVS™ console using the modify command.


Tasks

  1. To enable trace for the WAS classes in a client application, add the system properties shown in the following example to the startup script or command of the client application. The location of the output and the classes and detail included in the trace follow the same rules as for adding trace to WASs. For example, trace the stand-alone client application program named com.ibm.sample.MyClientProgram, enter: 
    java -DtraceSettingsFile=MyTraceSettings.properties 
     -Djava.util.logging.manager=com.ibm.ws.bootstrap.WsLogManager 
     -Djava.util.logging.configureByServer=true com.ibm.samples.MyClientProgram

    
 

     The file identified by file
name must be a properties file placed in the class path
of the application client or  stand-alone process. We must create
a trace properties file by copying the %install_root\properties\TraceSettings.properties file
to the same directory as the client application Java archive
(JAR) file. 
    


     (iSeries)  The file identified by file
name must be a properties file placed in the class path
of the application client or stand-alone process. We must create
a trace properties file by copying the app_server_root/properties/TraceSettings.properties file
to the same directory as the client application Java archive
(JAR) file
    


     We cannot use the -DtraceSettingsFile=TraceSettings.properties property
to enable tracing of the ORB component for thin clients. ORB tracing
output for thin clients can be directed by setting com.ibm.CORBA.Debug.Output
= debugOutputFilename parameter in the command line. 
    


     The java.util.logging.manager and java.util.logging.configureByServer
system properties configure Java logging
to use a WAS-specific LogManager
class and to use the configuration from the file specified by the traceSettingsFile property. The default Java Logging properties file, located in the Java SE
Runtime Environment 6 (JRE6), will not be applied.
    



  2.  (iSeries)  We can configure the MyTraceSettings.properties file
to send trace output to a file using the traceFileName property.
Specify one of two options: 


     
      

    • The fully qualified name of an output file. For example, traceFileName=c:\\MyTraceFile.log.
Specify this property to generate visible output.


    • stdout. When specified, output is written
to System.out.


    



  3.  We can also specify a trace string for writing messages
with the Trace String property, Specify a startup
trace specification similar to that available on the server. For your convenience, we can enter multiple individual trace strings
into the trace settings file,  one trace string per line.





 





  Here are the results of using each optional property setting:
 


 







 



 






  • Enable trace at server startup


  • Enable trace on a running server



  •  Manage the application server trace service







  •  (ZOS)  Modify command