Troubleshooting Guide

Using the OS/2 Logging Facility

The OS/2 logging facility logs historical error information to the system log file (SYSLOG). This information represents errors encountered by the OS/2 system and its programs, including DB2. Only the previous 64 KB of data is maintained in the SYSLOG file.

Throughout this section, the term error log refers exclusively to the OS/2 logging facility, which writes to the OS/2 system log (SYSLOG).

Preliminary Considerations

The CONFIG.SYS file specifies whether information in the OS/2 system log file is wrapped or extended when it becomes full. If it specifies "wrap", the file wraps when it is full, and new messages are stored over existing ones at the beginning of the file. If it specifies "extend", the size of the file is increased when it becomes full, and new error messages are appended to the end of the file.

The FFST for OS/2 utility also writes to the SYSLOG, and FFST for OS/2 records can be accessed by using the OS/2 logging facility. For more information, see Using the FFST for OS/2 Utility.

Using OS/2 Logging Facility Commands

Logging is enabled by statements in the CONFIG.SYS file that are added when the OS/2 program is installed. If logging has been disabled, see the following instructions to re-enable it.

Modifying the CONFIG.SYS File for Logging

To enable alert logging and write alerts to a file, the following two statements must be in the CONFIG.SYS file:

RUN=d:\OS2\EPW.EXE ON
RUN=d:\OS2\EPWROUT.EXE -1

The drive d: represents the drive where FFST for OS/2 is installed. Note that the equal sign (=) cannot be immediately preceded or followed by a blank space.

Using the syslog Command

Use the syslog command to view the error log, or to suspend or resume logging. When issued without parameters, this command displays the OS/2 Error Log Formatter window, which shows a formatted version of the OS/2 system error log file and provides menus to perform actions such as suspending or resuming logging.

With parameters, the syslog command can be used directly to suspend or resume logging. Its syntax is as follows:

>>-syslog--+----+----------------------------------------------><
           +-/s-+
           '-/r-'
 

The optional parameter s suspends logging, while the optional parameter r resumes logging.

For information about the syslog command, type the following from an OS/2 command line:

help syslog

Notes

• When the OS/2 system log file is in use, it is locked. To make a copy of this file, you must switch to a different log file. From the OS/2 Error Log Formatter window, choose the File menu and then select Change error log file. Change to another error log, thereby unlocking the one you want to copy.

  (You may also suspend system logging in order to unlock the file.)

• To choose an error log to view, select Change error log file from the File menu of the OS/2 Error Log Formatter window.

  To choose the records you want displayed, select Display Options from the Options menu. You can specify a starting date and time, as well as a unique qualifier, to be more selective when viewing records in the system log.

• To print the contents of a system log file, select Print from the File menu of the OS/2 Error Log Formatter window.

  The date format for the U.S.A. is printed out as MM/DD/YYYY, whereas the date format for the International Standards Organization is printed out as YYYY-MM-DD. For information about country specific date and time formats, see the SQL Reference.