HP Integrity NonStop H-Series - Manual (Page 207)

Problem Resolution
HP NonStop AutoTMF Software User’s Guide—429952-013
C-9
Tracing
Trace Files
The trace output can be written to a disk file or terminal. If the disk file specified does
not exist, it as created as an entry-sequenced file.
Tracing to an Edit file is more efficient than the alternatives; an Edit file can only have
one updater, so only one process at a time can be traced to an Edit file.
Some restrictions on tracing may be applied for security reasons. The global parameter
SECURETRACE can be used to restrict tracing to the users that own a program. See
ALTER GLOBAL on page 6-34 for a description of the SECURETRACE parameter.
Tracing time limit
By default, a trace initiated with a TRACE command will be cancelled after 60 minutes.
To change this default, use the FOR option on the TRACE command.
Trace Interpretation
The trace is more than a diagnostic tool for finding NonStop AutoTMF software
problems; the trace is a useful facility for customers to understand their program’s
behavior in general. The trace is, however, an internal tool to support problem analysis
by product support specialists. The trace format is not formally documented and is
subject to change without notice.
The trace shows a basic timeline of process execution. Most entries have a timestamp,
that can be used to measure the relative elapsed time of various operations. Beware,
however, using the times as absolute costs of system operations. The tracing activity
adds overhead to the process and will lengthen the overall execution time.
The trace shows many, but not all, aspects of process execution. The trace can only
show procedures that are intercepted by the NonStop AutoTMF software runtime
library, such as most file system and transaction management procedures. Procedures
that are not intercepted include process management and memory management.
Most intercepted procedures display a single line of trace, identifying the procedure
and the most important arguments.