PI26064: LOGGING NEEDS TO BE IMPROVED

8.5.5.4: WebSphere Application Server V8.5.5 Fix Pack 4
8.5.5.5: WebSphere Application Server V8.5.5 Fix Pack 5
8.5.5.6: WebSphere Application Server V8.5.5 Fix Pack 6
8.5.5.7: WebSphere Application Server V8.5.5 Fix Pack 7
8.5.5.8: WebSphere Application Server V8.5.5 Fix Pack 8
8.5.5.9: WebSphere Application Server V8.5.5 Fix Pack 9
8.5.5.10: WebSphere Application Server V8.5.5 Fix Pack 10
8.5.5.11: WebSphere Application Server V8.5.5 Fix Pack 11
8.5.5.12: WebSphere Application Server V8.5.5 Fix Pack 12
8.5.5.13: WebSphere Application Server V8.5.5 Fix Pack 13
8.5.5.14: WebSphere Application Server V8.5.5 Fix Pack 14
8.5.5.15: WebSphere Application Server V8.5.5 Fix Pack 15
8.5.5.14: WebSphere Application Server V8.5.5 Fix Pack 14
8.5.5.17: WebSphere Application Server V8.5.5 Fix Pack 17
8.5.5.20: WebSphere Application Server V8.5.5.20
8.5.5.18: WebSphere Application Server V8.5.5 Fix Pack 18
8.5.5.19: WebSphere Application Server V8.5.5 Fix Pack 19
8.5.5.16: WebSphere Application Server V8.5.5 Fix Pack 16
8.5.5.21: WebSphere Application Server V8.5.5.21

APAR status

• Closed as program error.

Error description

• No error messages are reported if java.util.logging is
  misconfigured.
  
  Rotated log files can be deleted if output is generated too
  quickly.  In particular, if the maximum number of FFDC log files
  is set to a low value and more than that number of FFDC incident
  reports are generated in a second, then rotated FFDC incident
  reports will be deleted.
  
  Log files grow to twice the maximum file size on double-byte
  character set systems.
  
  The process ID is not reported in any log file.
  
  Some log messages are printed twice unexpectedly if the
  -Xhealthcenter IBM JVM option is enabled.
  
  Timestamps in messages.log and trace.log differ for the same
  message.
  
  The three-column hex, ASCII, and EBCDIC output used in some z/OS
  trace uses an inconsistent line separator.
  

Local fix

Problem summary

• ****************************************************************
  * USERS AFFECTED:  All users of IBM WebSphere Application      *
  *                  Server Liberty Core                         *
  ****************************************************************
  * PROBLEM DESCRIPTION: The logging component needs to be       *
  *                      improved                                *
  ****************************************************************
  * RECOMMENDATION:                                              *
  ****************************************************************
  The logging component replaces System.out and System.err during
  server start, then it attempts to register a global logger
  handler, and then it attempts to connect the replaced System.out
  and System.err streams to console.log and messages.log.  If
  java.util.logging has been misconfigured, then any error
  messages printed by the JVM logging component while registering
  a global logger handler will be lost.
  The logging component does not keep any state while rotating log
  files.  If the maximum number of log files is 2, and 4 rotations
  happen within the same second, then it is expected that the
  rotated files will be named x.0.log, x.1.log, x.2.log, and
  x.3.log.  On the third rotation, x.2.log will be created, and
  x.0.log will be deleted.  However, on the fourth rotation,
  x.0.log will be incorrectly chosen as the log file name, and
  x.1.log and x.2.log will be incorrectly deleted.
  The logging component uses the string length as an estimate of
  the number of bytes that will be written.  On a double-byte
  character set system, this estimate will be off by a factor of
  2, so log files will be twice as large as expected before being
  rotated.
  The process ID is not reported in any log file.
  The -Xhealthcenter JVM option causes the JVM log manager to be
  initialized before it can be overridden by the Liberty log
  manager during server start.
  The z/OS three-column trace output uses a platform-specific line
  separator.
  

Problem conclusion

• The logging component has been modified to attempt to register a
  global logger handler before replacing the System.out and
  System.err objects during server start.
  The logging component has been changed to keep state while
  rotating log files.  In the described example, the fourth
  rotation will remember that the next log file should be named
  x.3.log, and x.1.log will be removed.
  The logging component has been modified to count the actual
  number of bytes written to each log file so that the maximum log
  file size will be respected.
  The process ID will now be printed in the messages.log header if
  the JVM supports it.
  The ws-javaagent.jar has been modified to initialize the Liberty
  log manager, and the server script has been modified to
  initialize ws-javaagent.jar before processing the jvm.options
  file, which might include the -Xhealthcenter option.
  The z/OS three-column trace output has been modified to use a
  consistent line separator.
  The fix for this APAR is currently targeted for inclusion in fix
  pack 8.5.5.4.  Please refer to the Recommended Updates page for
  delivery information:
  http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?rs=180&uid=swg27004980
  

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

  WAS LIBERTY COR

• Fixed component ID

  5725L2900

Applicable component levels

• R855 PSY

     UP