Sources of troubleshooting data for OMEGAMON for Storage on z/OS

The primary troubleshooting feature is logging. Logging refers to the text messages and trace data generated by the software. Messages and trace data are sent to an output destination, such as a console screen or a file.

Typically, text messages relay information about the state and performance of a system or application. Messages also alert the system administrator to exceptional conditions when they occur. Consult the explanation and operator response associated with the displayed messages to determine the cause of the failure.

Trace data captures information about the current operating environment when a component or application fails to operate as designed. IBM® Software Support personnel use trace information to determine the source of an error or unexpected condition. Refer to the chapter on diagnostic tools in the IBM Tivoli® Monitoring Troubleshooting Guide for more information about trace tools.

Collecting diagnostic data
If you have a problem that you are unable to solve using the information in this guide, gather the following information that relates to the problem and contact IBM Software Support for further assistance.
Dump Creation
The z/OS MVS™ System Commands reference (SA22-7627-xx) contains the most up-to-date information about using the DUMP command and this should ultimately be your source of information for taking dumps of z/OS address spaces.
Traces
Many components of the OMEGAMON for Storage product contain dynamic tracing capability. For these components you can start and stop traces while the agent is running and those traces will display information specific to that one component in the RKLVLOG. Whenever possible, you should use these component-specific traces instead of the DEBUG(ON) switch mentioned in Chapter 1 under the section Tips regarding the collection of diagnostic data. The DEBUG(ON) switch will flood the RKLVLOG with information about all components in the product, making it difficult to find information pertinent to the problem you are reporting.
Dumping SMF Records
Older model IBM VTS controllers (pre-TS7700) write statistical data to SMF Type 94 records and this is source for all data displayed for these devices in OMEGAMON for Storage. If you are reporting a problem with this component of the product and the matrix instructs you to collect SMF records as part of the documentation you submit, you can do so by first switching the SMF data sets and then running a job to extract the Type 94 records from the most current copy of the MAN data set.
Creating a BVIR data set
The TS7700 series VTS controllers from IBM write statistical data to virtual tape volumes in response to a request written first on that same volume. This is referred to a Bulk Volume Information Retrieval or BVIR. The OMEGAMON for Storage product writes a BVIR request and collects and analyzes the response data at every VTS collection interval.
Running LISTDATA
The IDCAMS LISTDATA command makes use of the IDCSS01 API which is the same service used by OMEGAMON for Storage to acquire statistics on cache controllers. If your cache status shows TIMEOUT, for instance, it may indicate a problem in OMEGAMON or it may be that there is a problem getting cache information from the controller.
CINFO Output
The only way to tell the exact maintenance levels of all the applications installed in a Tivoli Enterprise Portal Server environment is to run the CINFO command. This command must be run with administrator authority from the command line. It has a different name in Windows than in Linux/UNIX/AIX® environments.
TEPS database export
Workspace definitions, queries, and the like are kept in the TEPS database that resides on the server with your Tivoli Enterprise Portal Server. Support may ask for an export of this data or it might be suggested in the problem determination matrix. To get an exported copy of the data:
RKS3DATA Dump
The Storage Toolkit stores scheduling information, action definitions, and the like in a data set with the low-level qualifier of RKS3DATA. In case the support engineer or the problem diagnostic matrix request a dump of this data set, you can create one using standard DFDSS JCL like this:
Tips regarding the collection of diagnostic data
This section describes problems that might arise when you collect diagnostic data, such as debugging logs.
About log files for product components
The Tivoli Enterprise Monitoring Agent generates log files that contain messages and trace information. The log files contain message and trace information about the events and processing being performed. Log files provide a complete record of system activity, not just of problems. The log files are created when you start the IBM Tivoli Monitoring components.

Parent topic: Troubleshooting product-specific issues