Managing log streams and SMF log stream data

Once you've set up your SMF log streams, there are a few things you need to know about managing them:

How much data and for how long? System logger can help you manage data retention and archiving of your SMF data in log streams, so that you might not need to dump SMF data from log streams for archiving. Use the RETPD and AUTODELETE parameters in a LOGR couple data set to manage:
- How much SMF data you keep in a log stream.
- How long you keep SMF data in the log stream.
- How you archive log data.
See "Managing Log Data: How Much? For How Long?"in z/OS MVS Setting Up a Sysplex.
Deleting log streams: Do you want to remove a log stream from use for SMF logging, or do you want to actually delete the log stream itself?
- To remove a log stream from use in your SMF logging configuration, create a new SMFPRMxx parmlib member and remove the log stream you no longer wish to use. Then issue the SET SMF=xx command to switch to using that SMFPRMxx parmlib member.
- To delete a log stream from your installation, you must delete it from the LOGR policy. To accomplish this you can use either:
  - The IXCMIAPU utility for system logger, with DELETE LOGSTREAM NAME(log_stream_name) parameters.
  - The IXGINVNT service, with the REQUEST=DELETE TYPE=LOGSTREAM parameters.
  - The SETLOGR FORCE,DELETE command with the LSN=name parameter.
  See "Deleting Log Streams from the LOGR Policy"in z/OS MVS Setting Up a Sysplex.
Update a log stream: You can update certain attributes of a DASD-only or structure-based log stream using either the IXGINVNT macro with REQUEST=UPDATE or the IXCMIAPU utility. See "Updating a Log Stream's Attributes"in z/OS MVS Setting Up a Sysplex.
To add or delete log streams and record types from use in your SMF logging configuration, see Changing the log streams or record types used for SMF logging.