IV19635: SDK TRACE FORMATTER THROWS A NULLPOINTEREXCEPTION WHEN READING A N INVALID INPUT FILE

APAR status

• Closed as program error.

Error description

• Error Message: TraceFileHeader has invalid endian signature
  Processing pre 50 trace file with 50 formatter. Searching for
  the .dat files supplied with the traced vm.
  ****Will look in current directory and directory specified by
  ibm.dg.trc.format environment variable. ***
  Can't open dat files - you need to copy the dat files from the
  traced vm to the current directory
   or use the -datdir flag to tell the formatter which directory
  it can find them in
  java.lang.NullPointerException
  .
  Stack Trace: java.lang.NullPointerException
          at
  com.ibm.jvm.format.TraceFileHeader.processTraceBufferHeaders(Tra
  ceFileHeader.java:127)
          at
  com.ibm.jvm.format.TraceFormat.readAndFormatOldStyle(TraceFormat
  .java:272)
          at
  com.ibm.jvm.format.TraceFormat.readAndFormat(TraceFormat.java:25
  2)
          at
  com.ibm.jvm.format.TraceFormat.main(TraceFormat.java:129)
  .
  Problem occurs when running the SDK trace formatter tool
  com.ibm.jvm.format.TraceFormat, supplying an input file which is
  not a valid binary trace file.
  

Local fix

• Run the formatter on a valid binary trace file. Alternatively,
  use the latest SDK trace formatter, com.ibm.jvm.TraceFormat as
  documented in the IBM User Guide for Java v7.
  

Problem summary

• The NullPointerException was thrown because the trace formatter
  continued to process the invalid input trace file.
  

Problem conclusion

• This defect will be fixed in:
  7.0.0 SR1
  6.0.1 SR1
  .
  The SDK trace formatter has been change to exit with an improved
  error message when supplied with an invalid input file.
  

Temporary fix

Comments

APAR Information

• APAR is sysrouted FROM one or more of the following:

• APAR is sysrouted TO one or more of the following:

Fix information

• Fixed component name

  J9 COMMON CODE

• Fixed component ID

  620700127

Applicable component levels

• R260 PSY

     UP