Logging harmony among WebSphere Application Server platforms and versions

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Trace: 2011/06/27 12:04:37.931 01 t=6CC718 c=UNK key=P8 (13007002)
  ThreadId: 00000012                                             
  FunctionName: com.ibm.ws.runtime.component.EJBContainerImpl    
  SourceId: com.ibm.ws.runtime.component.EJBContainerImpl        
  Category: INFO                                                 
  ExtendedMessage: BBOO0222I: WSVR0057I: EJB jar started: querybean.jar

The same WSVR0057I message appears as below in a WebSphere Distributed server's trace.log file:

[23/06/11 13:00:52:343 BST] 0000002b EJBContainerI I   WSVR0057I: EJB jar started: querybean.jar

You may want to have common logging format across both platforms. Perhaps you have some scripts for parsing WebSphere logs to look for certain messages. By having a common logging format the same scripts can be used across WebSphere z/OS and Distributed. Or you may like the terse format of WebSphere Distributed log messages.

You can make the WebSphere for z/OS logs look the same as Distributed by setting the following nifty Java system property:
com.ibm.ws.dist.trace.format.on.zos=true

This can set be via the WebSphere for z/OS Administrative Console via the path below:

Servers > Application servers > server_name > Java and Process Management > Process Definition > Servant | Control | Adjunct > Java Virtual Machine > Custom Properties > New

Name: com.ibm.ws.dist.trace.format.on.zos
Value: true

Click OK, then Save and Synchronize the changes. Please restart the server and examine your SYSPRINT DD to see the messages in the new format.

The same WSVR0057I message from the previous example now appears as follows:

[6/7/11 15:44:07:176 GMT] 0000000c EJBContainerI I   BBOO0222I: WSVR0057I: EJB jar started: querybean.jar

Notes:
* To use this property in V7.0 you must be at or above service level 7.0.0.11. Using this property at an older service level will cause a NullPointerException.
* This property only affects the SYSPRINT DD of WebSphere for z/OS output, the remaining DDs are unaffected.

New developments in V8:
In V8 we have introduced: High Performance Extensible Logging (HPEL). This is a common logging solution for both z/OS and Distributed platforms. Read more about it in the V8 InfoCenter: High Performance Extensible Logging (HPEL)