Data collection and symptom analysis

There are two methods for collecting data and analyzing symptoms for problem determination scenarios. The first method is IBMSupport Assistant Lite for WebSphere Portal, which provides automatic data collection and symptom analysis support for problem determination scenarios. This tool collects and analyzes information pertinent to a problem scenario to help identify the origin of the problem being encountered. The second method is running a task that can collect and optionally send the data for you.

IBM Support Assistant Lite reduces the amount of time it takes to reproduce a problem with the proper Reliability, Availability, and Serviceability (RAS) tracing levels set (trace levels are set automatically by the tool) and performs symptom analysis to streamline problem determination. If you need further assistance, IBM Support Assistant Lite also reduces the effort required to send the appropriate log information to IBM Support.

IBM Support Assistant Lite can also create and deploy aspect-enabled JAR files to enable additional troubleshooting. After reproducing the problem, you can use IBM Support Assistant Lite to remove the aspect-enabled JAR files, replace them with the original version, and collect the LOG file. For detailed instructions, see the User Guide that comes with IBM Support Assistant Lite.

If you do not want to install IBM Support Assistant Lite, you can implement an aspect-enabled jar file manually.

Choose one of the following methods to collect data:

Method Description
IBM Support Assistant Lite Perform the following steps:

  1. Download IBM Support Assistant Lite for WebSphere Portal.

  2. Extract the .zip file anywhere on the portal server.

  3. Go to the ISALite directory that was created when you completed the previous step.

  4. To collect data, run the following script:

      Windows™ GUI: runISALite.bat

      UNIX™ /Linux™ GUI: runISALite.sh

      Windows command line: runISALiteConsole.bat

      UNIX/ Linux command line: runISALiteConsole.sh

  5. Select the Problem Type. For example, for a portal logon problem, select WebSphere Portal -> Security and Administration -> Portal Login Problem.

  6. Specify the collection file. The filename must include the path and .zip extension.

  7. Click Collect Data and answer the remaining prompts.

      To have the IBM Support Assistant Lite automatically FTP the logs to IBM so that a manual transfer is not necessary, simply choose the required FTP option when prompted.

  8. If you did not automatically FTP results, locate the collection file specified in step 6, above. To manually FTP results, follow the instructions in "Exchanging information with IBM Technical Support for problem determination" below.

For detailed instructions, see the IBM Support Assistant Lite for WebSphere Portal tool User's Guide.
wpcollector tool Perform the following steps:

  1. If the support team has requested tracing, enable it now as instructed and then re-create the problem. If no tracing is requested, skip to the next step.

  2. Open a command prompt and change to the WP_PROFILE/PortalServer/bin/ directory.

    You must run the wpcollector task from the WP_PROFILE/PortalServer/bin/ directory. If you run the task from a different directory, the task fails.

  3. Run the following script to collect data:

    • Windows: wpcollector.bat

    • UNIX/Linux: wpcollector.sh

    • i: wpcollector.sh

      The wpcollector script can automatically FTP the logs to IBM so that you don't need to manually transfer them. To begin the collection and FTP the results to IBM correctly, use the -Dpmr=pmr_number parameter to identify the collection with PMR (Problem Management Record) number. Format the number using either periods or commas. For example: wpcollector.bat -Dpmr=12345.xxx.000

      To collect files for the Deployment Manager profile, use the -Ddmgr.root=dmgr_root parameter either alone or in conjunction with -Dpmr=pmr_number.

  4. If you did not automatically FTP results, locate the wp.mustgather.zip file or the pmr-wp.mustgather-timestamp.zip file in the WP_PROFILE/filesForAutoPD/ directory. Follow the instructions in "Exchanging information with IBM Technical Support for problem determination" to manually FTP results.


Parent

Tools for troubleshooting and diagnostics


Related tasks


Manual creation of aspect-enabled JAR files

Download the IBM Support Assistant Lite for Websphere Portal

Self-Help Central for WebSphere Portal

Exchanging information with IBM Technical Support for problem determination

BM Support Assistant Lite for WebSphere Portal tool User's Guide

  Updated the steps around the wpcollector tool.


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