[IBMi]

Error logs on IBM i

Use this information to understand the IBM® MQ for IBM i error logs.

By default, only members of the QMQMADM group can access error logs. To give users access to error logs, who are not members of this group, set ValidateAuth to No and grant those users *PUBLIC authority. See Filesystem for more information.

IBM MQ uses a number of error logs to capture messages concerning the operation of IBM MQ itself, any queue managers that you start, and error data coming from the channels that are in use.

At installation time, a /QIBM/UserData/mqm/errors subdirectory is created in the IFS.

The location of the error logs depends on whether the queue manager name is known.

In the IFS:
  • If the queue manager name is known and the queue manager is available, error logs are located in:
    
    /QIBM/UserData/mqm/qmgrs/qmname/errors
    
  • If the queue manager is not available, error logs are located in:
    
    /QIBM/UserData/mqm/errors
    
You can use the system utility EDTF to browse the errors directories and files. For example:

EDTF '/QIBM/UserData/mqm/errors'

Alternatively, you can use option 23 against the queue manager from the WRKMQM panel.

The errors subdirectory can contain up to three error log files named:
  • AMQERR01.LOG
  • AMQERR02.LOG
  • AMQERR03.LOG

After you have created a queue manager, three error log files are created when they are needed by the queue manager. These files have the same names as the /QIBM/UserData/mqm/errors ones, that is AMQERR01, AMQERR02, and AMQERR03, and each has a capacity of 2 MB (2 097 152 bytes). The files are placed in the errors subdirectory of each queue manager that you create, that is /QIBM/UserData/mqm/qmgrs/qmname/errors.

As error messages are generated, they are placed in AMQERR01. When AMQERR01 gets bigger than 2 MB (2 097 152 bytes), it is copied to AMQERR02. Before the copy, AMQERR02 is copied to AMQERR03.LOG. The previous contents, if any, of AMQERR03 are discarded.

The latest error messages are thus always placed in AMQERR01, the other files being used to maintain a history of error messages.

All messages relating to channels are also placed in the appropriate errors files of the queue manager, unless the name of their queue manager is unknown or the queue manager is unavailable. When the queue manager name is unavailable or its name cannot be determined, channel-related messages are placed in the /QIBM/UserData/mqm/errors subdirectory.

To examine the contents of any error log file, use your system editor, EDTF, to view the stream files in the IFS.
Note:
  1. Do not change ownership of these error logs.
  2. If any error log file is deleted, it is automatically re-created when the next error message is logged.

Early errors

There are a number of special cases where the error logs have not yet been established and an error occurs. IBM MQ attempts to record any such errors in an error log. The location of the log depends on how much of a queue manager has been established.

If, because of a corrupted configuration file, for example, no location information can be determined, errors are logged to an errors directory that is created at installation time.

If both the IBM MQ configuration file and the DefaultPrefix attribute of the AllQueueManagers stanza are readable, errors are logged in the errors subdirectory of the directory identified by the DefaultPrefix attribute.

Operator messages

Operator messages identify normal errors, typically caused directly by users doing things like using parameters that are not valid on a command. Operator messages are national language enabled, with message catalogs installed in standard locations.

These messages are written to the job log, if any. In addition, some operator messages are written to the AMQERR01.LOG file in the queue manager directory, and others to the /QIBM/UserData/mqm/errors directory copy of the error log.

An example IBM MQ error log

Figure 1 shows a typical extract from an IBM MQ error log.
Figure 1. Extract from an IBM MQ error log

************Beginning of data************** 
07/19/02  11:15:56 AMQ9411: Repository manager ended normally.

EXPLANATION:
Cause . . . . . :   The repository manager ended normally.
Recovery  . . . :   None.
Technical Description . . . . . . . . :   None. 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
07/19/02  11:15:57 AMQ9542: Queue manager is ending.

EXPLANATION:  
Cause . . . . . :   The program will end because the queue manager is quiescing.
Recovery  . . . :   None.  
Technical Description . . . . . . . . :   None. 
----- amqrimna.c : 773 --------------------------------------------------------

07/19/02  11:16:00 AMQ8004: WebSphere MQ queue manager 'mick' ended.
EXPLANATION: 
Cause . . . . . :   WebSphere MQ queue manager 'mick' ended.
Recovery  . . . :   None.
Technical Description . . . . . . . . :   None.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
07/19/02  11:16:48 AMQ7163: WebSphere MQ job number 18429 started.

EXPLANATION:
Cause . . . . . :   This job has started to perform work for Queue Manager
                    mick, The job's PID is 18429 the CCSID is 37. The job name is
                    582775/MQUSER/AMQZXMA0.
Recovery  . . . :   None
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
07/19/02  11:16:49 AMQ7163: WebSphere MQ job number 18430 started.

EXPLANATION:
Cause . . . . . :   This job has started to perform work for Queue Manager
                    mick, The job's PID is 18430 the CCSID is 0. The job name is
                    582776/MQUSER/AMQZFUMA.
Recovery  . . . :   None
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
07/19/02  11:16:49 AMQ7163: WebSphere MQ job number 18431 started.

EXPLANATION:
Cause . . . . . :   This job has started to perform work for Queue Manager
                    mick, The job's PID is 18431 the CCSID is 37. The job name is
                    582777/MQUSER/AMQZXMAX.
Recovery  . . . :   None 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
07/19/02  11:16:50 AMQ7163: WebSphere MQ job number 18432 started. 

EXPLANATION:
Cause . . . . . :   This job has started to perform work for Queue Manager
                    mick, The job's PID is 18432 the CCSID is 37. The job name is
                    582778/MQUSER/AMQALMPX.
Recovery  . . . :   None
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------