Use the mqsichangetrace command to set the tracing characteristics for a broker.
You can initiate, modify, or end user (or service) tracing for a broker.
You can switch Trace nodes for a broker on and off, but you cannot use this command to initiate service tracing for the IBM Integration Toolkit.
If you specify a broker, or any of its resources (integration server or message flow), you must have deployed them before you can start trace. If you want to use the mqsichangetrace command to start or stop user trace, you must ensure the broker is running. But for service trace, you can also use the mqsichangetrace command to enable or disable trace when the broker is in a shutdown state. This allows you to trace the startup of the broker components.
The output for service and user trace generated by these commands is written to trace files in the log subdirectory. When you have completed the work you want to trace, use the mqsireadlog command to retrieve the log as an XML format file. Use either the mqsiformatlog command (to produce a formatted file), or an XML browser to view the XML records.
When you set tracing on, you cause additional processing to be executed for every activity in the broker that you are tracing. Expect performance to be affected when trace is active.
If you want to trace the command processes themselves, set the environment variables MQSI_UTILITY_TRACE and MQSI_UTILITY_TRACESIZE before you initiate trace.
You can set MQSI_UTILITY_TRACE to normal or debug, depending whether you want normal or debug tracing, and you should set MQSI_UTILITY_TRACESIZE to the maximum size of the trace file that you require in kilobytes (KB), the default being 102400 (100MB).
Ensure that you reset these variables when tracing for the selected command is complete. If you do not do so, all subsequent commands are also traced, and their performance degraded. For more information about MQSI_UTILITY_TRACE and MQSI_UTILITY_TRACESIZE, see Starting service trace.
You can also start and stop tracing activity for integration servers and message flows using the facilities of the IBM Integration Toolkit. See User trace for more information.
If you want to view the tracing options that are currently in effect, use the mqsireporttrace command.