Systems Programmer's Guide to: z/OS System Logger

Book description

The z/OS System Logger is a function provided by the operating system to exploiters running on z/OS. The number of exploiters of this component is increasing, as is its importance in relation to system performance and availability. This IBM Redbooks document provides system programmers with a solid understanding of the System Logger component and guidance about how it should be set up for optimum performance with each of the exploiters.

System Logger is an MVS component that provides a logging facility for applications running in a single-system or multi-system sysplex. The advantage of using System Logger is that the responsibility for tasks such as saving the log data (with the requested persistence), retrieving the data (potentially from any system in the sysplex), archiving the data, and expiring the data is removed from the creator of the log records. In addition, Logger provides the ability to have a single, merged, log, containing log data from multiple instances of an application within the sysplex.

Table of contents

  1. Notices
    1. Trademarks
  2. Preface
    1. The team that wrote this Redbooks document
    2. Become a published author
    3. Comments welcome
  3. Summary of changes
    1. July 2007, Second Edition
  4. Chapter 1: Introduction to System Logger
    1. What is the z/OS System Logger?
      1. How System Logger is used
      2. Where System Logger stores its data
    2. Assumptions
    3. Logger exploiters
    4. Division of responsibilities
  5. Chapter 2: System Logger fundamentals
    1. Common System Logger terms
    2. System Logger installation and setup tasks
    3. LOGR CDS and System Logger policy
      1. LOGR CDS usage
      2. The System Logger policy
    4. Common System Logger services and reporting (1/2)
    5. Common System Logger services and reporting (2/2)
    6. Log streams
      1. CF-Structure based log streams (1/5)
      2. CF-Structure based log streams (2/5)
      3. CF-Structure based log streams (3/5)
      4. CF-Structure based log streams (4/5)
      5. CF-Structure based log streams (5/5)
      6. DASD-only log streams (1/2)
      7. DASD-only log streams (2/2)
      8. Updating log stream definitions
      9. Deleting log stream and CF structure definitions
    7. Offload processing
      1. CF-Structure size and offloading
      2. Staging data set size and offloading
    8. Deleting log data
      1. When log data is marked for deletion
      2. When is my log data or offload data set physically deleted?
    9. System Logger recovery
      1. Failure independence
      2. Failure recovery
      3. Other recovery processes and errors
    10. An introduction to SMF88 records
    11. Recommended service
      1. Collecting documentation for problem diagnosis
      2. Recommended maintenance policy
  6. Chapter 3: DFSMStvs and Logger
    1. Function description
      1. Log stream usage
      2. Criticality/persistence of data
      3. Log streams sizing
    2. Definitions
      1. Subsystem definitions
      2. Logger definitions
      3. Coupling Facility log streams
      4. Security definitions
    3. Operational considerations
      1. Can you stop/start the use of Logger
      2. Defining log streams dynamically
      3. Displaying log stream information
      4. Monitoring for offload conditions
    4. Recovery
      1. Missing data in the log streams
      2. Log stream full condition
      3. CF failures
      4. System Logger failure
      5. Subsystem failure
    5. Performance
  7. Chapter 4: IMS Common Queue Server and the System Logger
    1. Functional description
      1. Overview of shared queues in the IMSplex
      2. How CQS uses the System Logger
      3. System Logger offload processing
      4. Offload data set deletion
      5. Importance of the log stream data
    2. Defining the System Logger in the IMSplex
      1. Subsystem (CQS) definitions
      2. System Logger definitions
      3. Security definitions
    3. CQS and System Logger operational considerations
      1. Controlling the use of System Logger
      2. Defining log streams dynamically
      3. Displaying log stream information
      4. Monitoring for offload conditions
    4. CQS and System Logger error recovery considerations
      1. Non-zero return and reason codes from the System Logger
      2. Important messages
    5. CQS and System Logger performance considerations
      1. Structure checkpoints
      2. Structure checkpoint recommendations
      3. Staging data sets
      4. Staging data set recommendations
      5. Measurements
      6. Measurement environment
      7. Utilities and tools
      8. Measurement methodology and reports
      9. Measurement results
      10. Summary of measurement results
      11. Additional considerations
  8. Chapter 5: CICS and System Logger
    1. Function description
      1. Log stream usage
      2. Criticality/persistence of data
    2. Definitions
      1. Subsystem definitions
      2. System Logger definitions (1/3)
      3. System Logger definitions (2/3)
      4. System Logger definitions (3/3)
    3. Operational considerations
      1. RACF authorizations
      2. Data set lifetime
      3. HSM considerations
      4. Disaster recovery
      5. Log stream sizing (1/3)
      6. Log stream sizing (2/3)
      7. Log stream sizing (3/3)
      8. Performance (1/5)
      9. Performance (2/5)
      10. Performance (3/5)
      11. Performance (4/5)
      12. Performance (5/5)
  9. Chapter 6: Other Logger exploiters
    1. APPC protected conversations
      1. Functional description
      2. Definition
      3. Operational considerations
      4. Recovery
      5. Performance
    2. Logrec
      1. Functional description
      2. Definition
      3. Operational considerations
      4. Recovery
      5. Performance
    3. OPERLOG
      1. Functional description
      2. Definition
      3. Operational considerations
      4. Recovery
      5. Performance
    4. Resource Recovery Services
      1. Functional description
      2. Definition (1/2)
      3. Definition (2/2)
      4. Operational considerations
      5. Recovery
    5. System Automation for OS/390
      1. Functional description
      2. Definition
      3. Operational considerations
      4. Recovery
      5. Performance
    6. WebSphere Application Server
      1. Functional description
      2. Definition
      3. Operational consideration
      4. Recovery
      5. Performance
  10. Chapter 7: Logger operations
    1. Reporting - System Logger status
      1. Display Logger command
      2. LIST Option on IXCMIAPU
      3. Display GRS command
      4. How to identify log streams with problems / damaged log stream
    2. Offload monitoring
    3. Stopping/Starting Logger Address Space
    4. Handling Directory Full Condition
    5. Handling of Couple Data Sets
    6. HSM considerations
    7. Deletion of a log stream with valid data in interim storage
    8. Structure rebuilding
    9. Tools
      1. DUMP command parmlib member
      2. SMF88
      3. IXGRPT1
      4. LOGR Couple Data Set Audit Tool
  11. Chapter 8: System Logger performance and tuning
    1. Introduction
    2. Estimating log stream sizes
      1. Sizing offload data sets
      2. Sizing interim storage (1/2)
      3. Sizing interim storage (2/2)
    3. System Logger duplexing of interim storage
      1. CF-Structure log stream
      2. DASD-only log streams
      3. Sizing duplex copy of CF log streams
    4. Setting HIGHOFFLOAD and LOWOFFLOAD thresholds
      1. High and low offload thresholds for funnel-type log streams
      2. High and low offload thresholds for active log streams
    5. Other performance recommendations
      1. Which CF log streams to place in the same structure
      2. System Logger DASD performance
      3. Indicators of potential problems
    6. Using System Logger performance data
      1. RMF: Analysis of the CF structure service times
      2. RMF: Workload Activity Reports
      3. SMF Type 88 records and IXGRPT1 program
      4. IXGRPT1 Field Summary and IXGSMF88 Cross Reference
      5. DFSORT jobs to format SMF 88 records
      6. Sample spreadsheet tool to analyze SMF 88 records
  12. Chapter 9: Disaster Recovery considerations
    1. Overview
    2. Providing time consistent data
      1. Peer to Peer Remote Copy - PPRC
      2. Extended Remote Copy - XRC
  13. Appendix A: Rebuilding the LOGR Policy
    1. JCL used to rebuild the LOGR policy
    2. LOGRPOL CLIST
  14. Appendix B: Additional material
    1. Locating the Web material
    2. Using the Web material
      1. How to use the Web material
  15. Related publications
    1. IBM Redbooks
    2. Other publications
    3. Online resources
    4. How to get IBM Redbooks
  16. Index (1/3)
  17. Index (2/3)
  18. Index (3/3)
  19. Back cover

Product information

  • Title: Systems Programmer's Guide to: z/OS System Logger
  • Author(s): Frank Kyne, Stephen Anania, Paola Bari, Gianmario Bescape, Jim Grauel, Hiram Neal, Andrew Sica, Bill Stillwell, David Viguers
  • Release date: July 2007
  • Publisher(s): IBM Redbooks
  • ISBN: None