11
Tracing

11.1 Overview

Using the Mobile Server Control Center, the Administrator can turn the trace feature on and off when required, and change the server's trace configuration while the server is running. The Mobile Server Control Center enables the Administrator to choose any one trace output destination based on the required trace output type.

Using the Console option, trace output can be generated to the Console window only when the Mobile Server is running in standalone mode with the -d0 command line option on. If you set this parameter to the option -d0, the trace output automatically appears on your console screen, because using the -d0 option with this parameter overrides the trace settings for other trace parameters, such as destination and level, in the webtogo.ora file. The -d0 setting enforces the trace output to appear on your console screen instead of appearing in a file.

To generate trace output to a file, the Administrator can choose the File option. When required, the Administrator can generate trace output to a remote machine. The trace output can be viewed using wsh -m% and the corresponding remote trace parameter. Applying changes that are associated with remote trace support automatically launch wsh -m%TRACE_REMOTE_PORT% in the console window. If the port number changes when a wsh -m process is running, the previous process is terminated immediately.

If you specify a valid value for the trace destination, then the specified destination is used. If the necessary parameters for the specified destination are missing, then the default value for such parameters are applied to ensure that the trace output is generated to the default destination. If the default value for the specified parameter is missing, the default trace destination is automatically chosen depending on the mode of the Mobile Server. For more information on Mobile Server modes, see Table 11-2, "Trace Destinations for Mobile Server Modes".

The Administrator can filter the trace output type based on level and user. The Administrator can also use the Tracing feature for MGP. The following sections describe how you can implement the Tracing feature for the Mobile Server and MGP.

11.2 Turning Trace On and Off on a Running Mobile Server

Using the Control Center, the Administrator can turn the trace feature on and off, while the Mobile Server is running.

To turn the trace feature on and off while the Mobile Server is running, click the Server tab and click Trace in the System Status frame of the Mobile Server Control Center to display the Server Trace Setting page.

Figure 11-1 displays the Server Trace Setting page.

Select "On" to enable trace output or select "Off" to disable trace output.

Table 11-1 describes all fields displayed in the Server Trace Setting page.

Table 11-1 Server Trace Setting Window Description

11.3 Filtering Trace Output by Level

The Mobile Server enables the Administrator to filter trace output by level and user. Using the Control Center, the Administrator can generate trace output based on HTTP Requests, SQL Statements, and Java Methods.

To filter trace output by level, click the Server tab and click Trace in the System Status frame of the Mobile Server Control Center to display the Server Trace Setting page.

Figure 11-2 displays the Server Trace Setting page.

To filter trace output only for HTTP Requests, select the "HTTP Requests" check box. To filter trace output only for SQL Statements, select the "SQL Statements" check box. To filter trace output only for Java Methods, select the "Java Methods" check box and click Save.

The Mobile Server Control Center automatically filters exceptions and errors as trace output to a "Mandatory" level. Mandatory trace output is automatically generated only when the trace feature is turned on.

To specify the required trace output level, the Administrator can use the Control Center or webtogo.ora file or the command line "-d" option. The Administrator must specify a number that represents all the levels filtered in, as the number is a Bitwise OR operation of the chosen levels. To display trace output for all three levels, you must use 1|2|4=7. To be compatible backward, you must use the value 0 instead of the value 7, which hides all trace output.

If you set this parameter to the option -d0, the trace output appears on your console screen without appearing in a file, because using the -d0 option with this parameter overrides the trace settings for other trace parameters, such as destination and level, in the webtogo.ora file. The -d0 setting enforces the trace output to appear on your console screen instead of appearing in a file.

All Mobile Server configuration parameters are available in the webtogo.ora file which is discussed in Appendix B, Mobile Server Configuration Parameters. For more information on configuration parameters for Tracing, see Appendix B, "Mobile Server Configuration Parameters".

11.4 Filtering Trace Output by User

The Mobile Server Control Center enables the Administrator to filter trace output by selecting the appropriate trace filter at the user level. Using the Control Center, the Administrator can filter and generate trace output for all or selective users.

To filter trace output by user, click the Server tab and click Trace in the System Status frame of the Mobile Server Control Center to display the Server Trace Setting page.

Figure 11-3 displays the Server Trace Setting page.

To filter trace output for all users, select the "All Users" option. To disable the trace filter for users, select the "No Users" option. To specify a trace filter for selective users, select the "Selective Users" option and enter comma separated user names in the field provided. Click Save to implement the trace filter.

11.5 Specifying Trace Output Destination

The Administrator must specify only one trace output destination when the trace feature is turned on. Using the Control Center, the Administrator can set trace output destinations based on the Mobile Server's mode.

To specify the trace output destination, click the Server tab and click Trace in the System Status frame of the Mobile Server Control Center to display the Server Trace Setting page.

Figure 11-4 displays the Server Trace Setting page.

To generate trace output to the Console, select the "Console" option. To generate trace output to a file, select the "File" option. To generate trace output to a remote machine, select the "Remote" option.

Enter the required information as described in Table 11-1, and click Save. The Mobile Server Control Center saves the new configuration to the webtogo.ora file and implements the new configuration immediately.

Table 11-2 lists all Mobile Server modes, the available trace destinations, and the corresponding default trace destinations.

Table 11-2 Trace Destinations for Mobile Server Modes

11.6 Configuring the Trace File Pool

The Administrator must implement a trace file pool to generate trace output to a file and recycle trace files. The Control Center enables the Administrator to define the number of trace files in the pool, and the maximum size in MB for each trace file. Using the Destination section of the Server Trace Setting page, the Administrator can configure the Trace File Pool.

To configure the trace file pool, click the Server tab and click Trace in the System Status frame of the Mobile Server Control Center to display the Server Trace Setting page.

In the "Trace file base name" field, enter the trace file base name. In the "Trace file size in (MB)" field, enter the trace file size. In the "Trace file pool size" field, enter the trace file pool size and click Save to implement the trace file pool.

11.7 Creating a Trace File for Every User

Using the Destination section of the Server Trace Setting page, the Mobile Server Control Center enables the Administrator to create a trace file for every user.

Click the Server tab and click Trace in the System Status frame of the Mobile Server Control Center to display the Server Trace Setting page.

Figure 11-6 displays the Server Trace Setting page.

To create a trace file for every user, select the "Create trace file for every user" check box and click Save.

To find a specific user's trace file, enter the user's name in the "Trace File Base Name" field, and click Apply to display a specified user's trace output. For example, to find the trace file for John, enter "johntrace.log" in the Trace file base name field.

11.8 Configuring Trace Settings for MGP

Using the MGP Trace Setting page, the Administrator can configure trace settings for MGP.

To configure Trace settings for MGP, click the Server tab in the Mobile Server Control Center and click MGP Trace in the System Status frame to display the MGP Trace Setting page.

Figure 11-7 displays the MGP Trace Setting page.

Administering the Trace feature for MGP is the same as administering the Trace feature for the Mobile Server. For detailed information on implementing the Trace feature, see the sections discussed above.

Table 11-3 describes fields displayed in the MGP Trace Setting page.

Table 11-3 MGP Trace Setting Window Description

Enter the required information as described in Table 11-3, and click Save. The Mobile Server Control Center saves the new configuration to the webtogo.ora file and implements the new configuration immediately.