Trace user interface for stand-alone clients

To enable trace, we can either use a long form or a short form system property.

IBM recommends using the High Performance Extensible Logging (HPEL) log and trace infrastructure . We view HPEL log and trace information using the logViewer .

Long form system properties

The long form system property takes priority over the short form and uses system properties that are unique to WebSphere Application Server.

Property	Description
com.ibm.ejs.ras.lite.traceSpecification	The trace specification string
com.ibm.ejs.ras.lite.traceFileName	The trace destination (<file>, stdout, stderr, java,util.logging)
com.ibm.ejs.ras.lite.maxFileSize	The maximum trace file size in MB (if the trace destination is a file)
com.ibm.ejs.ras.lite.maxFiles	The maximum number of trace files kept (if the trace destination is a file)
com.ibm.ejs.ras.lite.traceFormat	The trace output format, which can be either basic or advanced (the default is basic)

Long form example:

-Dcom.ibm.ejs.ras.lite.traceSpecification=SIB*=all
-Dcom.ibm.ejs.ras.lite.traceFileName=c:/trace.log
-Dcom.ibm.ejs.ras.lite.maxFileSize=20
-Dcom.ibm.ejs.ras.lite.maxFiles=8

Short form system property

The short form uses a system property that is compatible with existing WAS clients but that, because this property is unqualified, might clash with other third party technologies running in the same Java runtime environment (JRE).

The short form system property is:

traceSettingsFile

This property must specify a loadable properties file that can contain the following properties:

Property	Description
traceFileName	The trace destination (file, stdout, stderr, java,util.logging)
maxFilesSize	The maximum trace file size in MB (if the trace destination is a file)
maxFiles	The maximum number of trace files kept (if the trace destination is a file)
<traceSpec>	The trace specification
traceFormat	The trace output format, which can be either basic or advanced (the default is basic)

The following example shows how to use the short form system property:

SIBTrm=all:SIBMfp=all
traceFileName=c:/trace.log

Special meanings for trace file name values

Some trace file name values have a special meaning:

• stdout - causes trace records to be written to stdout
• stderr - causes trace records to be written to stderr
• java.util.logging - causes trace records to be written to java.util.logging

Use any other name causes the trace records to be written to a file of that name.