All the messages exchanged between consoles, authorized user programs and the system are recorded in a logging file. This excludes the last messages of a session which are output when the home pubset is written back to disk. In addition to the console dialog, the CHANGE-CONSLOG-FILE command is also logged when entered from a data display terminal.
Command | Meaning |
CHANGE-CONSLOG-FILE | Close the current logging file and open a new one |
SHOW-CONSLOG-ATTRIBUTES | Determine the status of system logging and the name of the logging file |
SET-CONSLOG-READ-MARK | Enable read access to the current CONSLOG file without having to close it first. |
TURN | Evaluate the current logging file |
Logging is activated automatically during system initialization.
A message indicates which logging file has been opened.
The file name of the logging file depends on the system parameters NBKESNR and FMTYFNLG. These parameters allow the following file naming conventions to be specified for the SYSAUDIT or TSOS IDs:
New format: | SYS.CONSLOG.yy.mm.dd.xxx.nnn |
Old format: | SYS.CONSLOG.yy.mm.dd.xxx.nn |
where: yy.mm.dd / xxx nnn | New format: date on which the file was opened Number of the current session Serial number of the logging file (001-999 for each day on which the CONSLOG file was switched) |
nn | Serial number of the logging file (01-99 per session) |
With the aid of the system parameter NBKESNR systems support can define whether the CONSLOG file is cataloged under the user ID TSOS or under SYSAUDIT, and whether a total of 99 CONSLOG files per session or 999 per day can be created.
By using the system parameter FMTYFNLG systems support can define whether the year in the name of the logging file is stored as two digits (omitting the century, in the format
yy.mm.dd) or alternatively is in four-digit form (including the century, in the format yyyy-mm-dd).
If an unrecoverable DMS error occurs during logging, then the current logging file is closed and a new one opened with the serial number +1.
If error message
DMS0541 INSUFFICIENT SPACE ON DISK ....
is output and
the system parameter NBLOGENF (force console logging) is set, then the operator also receives the message
NBR0953 ERROR DURING CONSOLE-LOGGING PROCESSING. REPLY (R=RETRY; H=HALT).If memory space is created under the ID under which the CONSLOG file is stored (TSOS or SYSAUDIT) then the query may be answered with
“R”. Console logging is continued with the logging file serial number +1. Data records are not lost. If the operator enters an“H”, then the session is ended.the system parameter NBLOGENF (force console logging) is not set, then console logging is deactivated. Message
NBR0906notifies the operator that console logging is no longer active. If memory space is now created under the relevant ID, console logging may be reactivated with the CHANGE-CONSLOG-FILE command. Data records up to the time that console logging is reactivated are lost. In order to indicate that logging is incomplete, the serial number of the new logging file is incremented by 2.
Messages output from the SYS.CONSLOG file by TURN processing are not included in the logging file in order to avoid multiple logging.
Systems support also has the option of closing the current logging file during the session and opening a new logging file.
System administration can use the SET-CONSLOG-READ-MARK command to make the current open logging file readable so that it can be copied, for example.
All closed logging files can be accessed during the session (e.g. PRINT-DOCUMENT command).
The maximum possible number of logging files during a session is 99 if the sequential number of the logging file has been specified as two digits, or 999 per day if a three-digit sequential number has been specified. There will be no automatic change of the logging file (e.g. when the date changes). If the maximum number is exceeded, a message will be set to the operator and nothing more is written to the logging file until the end of the session. It is possible to prevent the maximum number of logging files being exceeded by means of the system parameter NBLOGENF.
A short date record is written at intervals of approx. 25 records. If the date changes during a session, this is shown in the logging file by the record type “change of day”.
When changing from winter time to summer time and vice versa, a change-of-day record with the new season information is written to the logging file.
This record type is also entered as the first and last record in the logging file. It then contains the date on which the file was opened or closed, and the number of CONSLOG files opened in this session. If the logging file is interrupted due to an error, there is no assurance that the change-of-day record will appear as the last record.
In the last logging file of a session, no final change-of-day record is written. The exportation of the home pubset cannot be logged in the CONSLOG file any more.
The name of the current logging file can be output with the SHOW-CONSLOG-ATTRI-BUTES command.
Structure of the logging file
CONSLOG files are always created as SAM files.
Format of a record:
Message
Recipient | Blank | Message | Sender | - | Job ID | . or # | Time of | Blank | Text |
1-4 | 5 | 6 | 7-10 | 11 | 12-14 | 15 | 16-21 | 22 | 23... |
Change-of-day record
Blank | T | CLOG | Blank | . or # | Time of | Blank | *** | Date | *** | Blank |
1-5 | 6 | 7-10 | 11-14 | 15 | 16-21 | 22-23 | 24-26 | 27-36 | 37-39 | 40 |
Continued: |
|
1) The system parameter SECSTART determines whether the separator is a period (default setting) or a # (see the “Introduction to System Administration” manual [6]).
2) T is the identifier for the change-of-day record.
3) CLOG is the task that writes the messages of all the consoles to the logging file
4) date format: yyyy-mm-dd or **yy.mm.dd
(dependent on the system parameter FMTYFLNG, see the “Introduction to System Administration” manual [6])
5) Difference between local time and UTC in hours and minutes; format of time zone specification: UTC±hh:mm
6) Position 22 of the “response” message type contains a period or colon (. or :).
Date record
Year | - | Month | - | Day |
1-4 | 5 | 6-7 | 8 | 9-10 |
At intervals of 25 records, a date record is entered in the file.
The above representation applies only if the system parameter FMTYFNLG has the value 4; if FMTYFNLG = 2 is specified, the year is only two digits long, and the date record is correspondingly 2 bytes shorter.
The following entries are allowed for “recipient” and “sender”:
mnemonic name of console, in parentheses
name of application
routing code (recipient only)
task sequence number (TSN) of a user or system task, e.g. of an OPRT
The following entries are possible for “message type”:
% | system message which does not require a response |
Logging file analysis and backup
The duties of systems support include the analysis and saving of logging files from preceding sessions.
As the logging file is cataloged as a SAM file, it can be analyzed, for example, by means of EDT procedures.
The current logging file can also be evaluated using the TURN command.
Messages can be selected on the basis of different criteria:
day
time
destination
source.
If the SECOS software product is used, the SATUT component can be applied to analyze CONSLOG files as well. To this end the CONSLOG messages are converted into a SAT logging data record. The code for the event type is always CLG
(see the “SECOS” manual [9]).
Extracts from the logging file
Extract 1: Fetching system information
|
Extract 2: Issuing various operator commands
|