For many years, IBM i has provided a means for the system to detect and report problems. What started as hardware problem detection and reporting via a product called Service Director (SD), has grown to include software problem reporting, with inventory and performance data sent using Electronic Service Agent (ESA), which is integrated into the operating system.
(more…)A few weeks ago, I wrote about Job Trace, followed by an update on how you can instrument your applications for IBM i job trace. Job trace is but one of many tools used to collect diagnostic data on i.
(more…)IBM i (and its predecessors) has had the capability to automatically identify and report software problems to IBM for many releases. This was first introduced as the “Software error logging” (QSFWERRLOG) system value.
The capability to automatically identify problems when they occur is something we call First Failure Data Collection (FFDC). The intent is the first time a problem occurs, the data necessary for problem determination is automatically collected. That data, for operating system problems, can then be sent to IBM for diagnostic purposes. The lofty goal is to identify and resolve problems the first time they happen without ever having to recreate the problem.
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