If DB2 fails to write to the directory that you specify by using the diagpath configuration parameter, important diagnostic information might be lost. To reduce the chances of losing diagnostic information, you should set the alt_diagpath configuration parameter, which does not have a default value. If you set the alt_diagpath configuration parameter to the same path that you use for the diagpath configuration parameter, an error message is generated. Also, you should not set the diagpath and alt_diagpath configuration parameters to the same file system. If you do, a warning message is generated.