Managing operator message routing

Use the product message routing capabilities to control server traffic flow.

You can route many of the BBO prefixed error messages to specific datasets instead of having them go to SYSLOG, which can create a lot of traffic. This is implemented with the use of two environment variables, ras_default_msg_dd and ras_hardcopy_msg_dd, and the specification of the appropriate DD statement in your JCL start procedure.

The following explains, in more detail, how messages get routed.
  • WTO messages issued during initialization are sent to hardcopy, but most can be routed to the data set specified by ras_default_msg_dd (see Log output destinations and characteristics).
  • The Java "Audit" messages are also sent to hardcopy, but can be routed to the data set specified by ras_hardcopy_msg_dd. (see Log output destinations and characteristics).
  • Trace error, service, and fatal messages are sent to the error log specified by the ras_log_logstreamName. Otherwise, they go to CERR (SYSOUT). Some may also go to hardcopy. At the W500104 service level, the ras_log_logstreamName environment variable is not set to the error logstream name in the was.env variables.

    To set the ras_log_logstreamName environment variable, on the administrative console, click Environment > WebSphere® Variables, select a scope, and then click New.

  • Early error messages will go to STDERR (SYSOUT) until the Application Server connects to the log stream. A WTO (BBOO0153I) is issued telling you how many messages went to STDERR before you connected to the log stream.
  • [Updated in October 2011] Starting with z/OS® Version 1.13, instead of using the SEGMENT parameter, you can use JES2 DD keywords to segment output using the periodic writing of form-feed characters to the output streams.

    If you are running on z/OS Version 1.12 or earlier, and using JES2, the SEGMENT= parameter can be added to the SYSPRINT and SYSOUT DD cards if you want to segment output using the periodic writing of form-feed characters to the output streams. Form-feed characters are written to the output streams based on the values of the ras_stderr_ff_interval, ras_stdout_ff_interval, ras_stderr_ff_line_interval, and ras_stdout_ff_line_interval environment variables. These variables are described in more detail in the topic Application server custom properties for z/OS The SEGMENT= parameter is not supported on JES3.

    To set these environment variables, on the administrative console, click Environment > WebSphere variables, select a scope, and then click New.

    [Updated in October 2011]
    oct2011
  • The interval of time between the writing of a form-feed character to standard error, or SYSOUT is determined by the value specified for the ras_stderr_ff_interval variable. The interval of time between the writing of a form-feed character to standard output, or SYSPRINT is determined by the value specified for the ras_stdout_ff_interval variable.

    To set these environment variables, on the administrative console, click Environment > WebSphere Variables, select a scope, and then click New.

  • Trace messages (such as BUFFER, SYSPRINT, and TRCFILE DD) are also routed to ras_trace_outputLocation.
  • System.out.println, System.err.println, Tr.Sysout, stdout (cout), and client output go to SYSPRINT. (see Viewing SYSPRINT output, STDOUT and STDERR streams in an HFS File
  • Tr.Syserr and STDERR (CERR) go to SYSOUT.
To use these message routing variables, you must do two things:
  1. Use the administrative console to add the following parameters to the server definitions

    In the administrative console, click Environment > WebSphere Variables, select the appropriate node or cell from the pull-down list of available nodes, and then click New:

    • ras_default_msg_dd =DEFALTDD
    • ras_hardcopy_msg_dd =HRDCPYDD

    You can set these variables for individual control and servant processes, but it is easier to set them in the Environment variables for the entire cell. For the Daemon, you must prefix them with "DAEMON_" and set them at the cell level:

    • DAEMON_ras_default_msg_dd =DEFALTDD
    • DAEMON_ras_hardcopy_msg_dd =HRDCPYDD
  2. Update the included &Z members in PROCLIB to add these new DD statements:
    //* Output DDs
    //CEEDUMP DD SYSOUT=*,SPIN=UNALLOC,FREE=CLOSE
    //SYSOUT DD SYSOUT=*,SPIN=UNALLOC,FREE=CLOSE
    //SYSPRINT DD SYSOUT=*,SPIN=UNALLOC,FREE=CLOSE
    //DEFALTDD DD SYSOUT=*,SPIN=UNALLOC,FREE=CLOSE
    //HRDCPYDD DD SYSOUT=*,SPIN=UNALLOC,FREE=CLOSE
    
Note:
  • If you specify the new environment variables, but do not specify the DD cards in the procedure, you will not get an error message indicating that the DD cards are missing and the tracing output will not be written anywhere.
  • If you try to direct the output for multiple streams to the same file, such as setting both DEFALTDD and HRDCPYDD variables, the allocation for the HRDCPYDD file fails and output is sent to the default location (JOBLOG/SYSLOG).
For example, these DD files are used to segregate the messages and keep almost all of them off the hardcopy console (SYSLOG):
  1. JESMSGLG - a few start-up and shut-down messages
  2. JESYSMSG - MVS allocation and deallocation messages
  3. SYSOUT - a few start-up and shut-down messages
  4. SYSPRINT - a few start-up and shut-down messages
  5. HRDCPYDD - audit messages that would normally go to SYSLOG
  6. DEFALTDD - informational messages that would normally go to SYSLOG



Related tasks
Choosing diagnostic information sources
Diagnosing problems (using diagnosis tools)
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