Master CICS tracing including internal trace, auxiliary trace, special trace, trace analysis, and troubleshooting techniques for effective problem determination.
CICS tracing is a comprehensive diagnostic facility that records detailed information about CICS operations, program execution, and system events. It provides essential tools for troubleshooting, performance analysis, and understanding system behavior in CICS environments.
By the end of this tutorial, you'll understand different types of CICS tracing, how to configure and use tracing facilities, trace analysis techniques, and how to effectively use tracing for problem determination and performance analysis.
CICS tracing is a diagnostic mechanism that captures detailed information about CICS operations, program execution, resource usage, and system events. It provides comprehensive visibility into system behavior for troubleshooting and analysis purposes.
Think of CICS tracing like a security camera system that records everything happening in a building. Instead of watching people move around, it watches your CICS programs and transactions as they run, recording every step they take, every door they open, and every action they perform.
When something goes wrong, you can "rewind the tape" and see exactly what happened - which programs ran, what data they used, how long they took, and where problems occurred. This helps you figure out what went wrong and how to fix it.
Internal trace is CICS's built-in tracing mechanism that provides comprehensive diagnostic information about CICS operations, program execution, and system events. It's the most commonly used tracing facility for troubleshooting and performance analysis.
Configure internal trace parameters for optimal diagnostic coverage:
1234567891011121314151617Internal Trace Parameters: TRACE=YES /* Enable internal trace */ TRACETYPE=ALL /* Trace all events */ TRACELEN=4096 /* Trace record length */ TRACEBUF=1000 /* Trace buffer size */ TRACEDEST=FILE /* Trace destination */ Trace Levels: - MINIMAL: Basic trace information - STANDARD: Standard trace coverage - DETAILED: Detailed trace information - COMPREHENSIVE: Complete trace coverage Example Configuration: CEMT SET TRACE ON CEMT SET TRACETYPE ALL CEMT SET TRACELEN 4096
Types of events captured by internal trace:
1234567891011121314151617Internal Trace Events: - Program execution (LOAD, LINK, XCTL) - Transaction processing (START, END) - File operations (OPEN, CLOSE, READ, WRITE) - Database access (SQL operations) - Resource management (GETMAIN, FREEMAIN) - Error conditions (ABEND, HANDLE) - System events (STARTUP, SHUTDOWN) Example Trace Record: TIMESTAMP: 2024-01-15 10:30:45.123 EVENT: PROGRAM LOAD PROGRAM: ACCTINQ TASK: 00001234 USER: TELLER01 STATUS: SUCCESS CPU_TIME: 0.025 seconds
Trace analysis involves examining trace records to identify patterns, performance issues, errors, and system behavior. Effective trace analysis requires understanding trace formats, using analysis tools, and correlating events to identify root causes.
Identify patterns in trace data to understand system behavior:
1234567891011121314151617181920Pattern Analysis Techniques: - Event sequence analysis - Performance pattern identification - Error pattern recognition - Resource usage patterns - User behavior analysis Example Analysis: 1. Identify frequent error patterns 2. Analyze performance bottlenecks 3. Correlate events with system load 4. Identify resource contention 5. Track user activity patterns Common Patterns: - Repeated program loads - Excessive file I/O - Database connection issues - Memory allocation problems - Transaction timeout patterns
Use trace data for performance analysis and optimization:
1234567891011121314151617181920Performance Analysis Areas: - Response time analysis - CPU usage patterns - Memory utilization trends - I/O operation efficiency - Database access optimization Performance Metrics: - Average response times - Peak usage periods - Resource utilization rates - Bottleneck identification - Optimization opportunities Example Performance Analysis: 1. Calculate average response times 2. Identify slow transactions 3. Analyze resource usage patterns 4. Identify optimization opportunities 5. Monitor performance trends
Analyze trace data to identify and resolve errors:
12345678910111213141516171819202122Error Analysis Process: 1. Identify error events in trace 2. Correlate errors with system events 3. Analyze error patterns and frequency 4. Identify root causes 5. Develop resolution strategies Error Types to Analyze: - Program abends (ASRA, ASRB, ASRC) - Resource allocation failures - Database connection errors - File access problems - Security violations Example Error Analysis: ERROR: ASRA abend at line 150 PROGRAM: ACCTINQ TASK: 00001234 USER: TELLER01 TIME: 10:30:45.123 CAUSE: Division by zero RESOLUTION: Add input validation
CICS tracing provides essential diagnostic capabilities for troubleshooting, performance analysis, and understanding system behavior. Through internal trace, auxiliary trace, special trace, and effective trace analysis techniques, system administrators can identify and resolve issues efficiently.
The combination of comprehensive tracing facilities and effective analysis techniques provides powerful tools for maintaining optimal CICS system performance and resolving complex issues.