Abend files

When a process does not end normally an abend file is generated.

When a process does not end normally, an abend entry is made in the syslog, or the Windows Event log. If there is more data to be written than is appropriate for the log, a new file is created to contain it, and the log entry tells you the file name. You need to send the file to your IBM® Support Center for analysis.

Abend files are never generated during normal operation; always involve your IBM Support Center when they do occur.

The new file is called:
Windows platformWindows
filename.abend; if you have set the workpath using the -w parameter of the mqsicreatebroker command, the location is workpath\Common\errors. If you have not specified the integration node workpath, the workpath can be resolved by issuing the command echo %MQSI_WORKPATH% from the installation's Command Console. If it is not possible to write to this directory, the file is put in the workpath\Common\log directory, but in either case the message in the Event Log tells you where to find it.
UNIX platformUNIX
filename.abend in the /var/mqsi/common/errors directory.
z/OS platformz/OS®
filename.abend in the /<component_HFS>/common/errors directory.
where filename is a unique dynamically-allocated name, as given in the syslog or Event Log message.

The abend file might provide a stack for the failing thread; this might help you to identify problems in the plug-in code when an abend occurs here. In which case, for z/OS, this stack will be available in a CEEDUMP file in the same directory as the abend file by default.

Each abend file contains a header that includes the following sections:
  • Product details (the integration node product that is being used)
  • Operating System
  • Environment (including the installation path and the process ID that contains the failing thread)
  • Deployment (including the component and, where applicable, the integration server name and UUIDs)
  • Build Information (for IBM internal use)
  • Failure Location (including the time of failure and, where applicable, the message flow name)
The content and organization of the abend file and its header are subject to change without notice.

Periodically clear any unwanted abend files from the errors or z/OS log directory. You can do this by moving the files to an archive, or by deleting them when they are no longer needed. This ensures that the workpath does not become full; in extreme conditions, your system performance can be degraded if significant space is being used up with old abend files.