Answer

• Procedure
  • Client tier
  • Engine tier
• Setting the environment variables
  • Client tier
  • Alternative Client method
  • Engine tier
  • Engine tier - RFC Server Managers (Listeners)
• RFC tracing
• JCo tracing
• Generating the trace

Procedure

To enable SAP RFC and JCo tracing, you must set certain environment variables on the tier where the component is running. 
Some components use the RFC libraries, others use JCo. 

Client tier

All stage editors use RFC Netweaver (NW) libraries.

Engine tier

See the following table for applicable tracing, by component.

Setting the environment variables

Client tier (all stage editors)

To enable tracing for the client components, complete the following procedure:

1. Close the DataStage Designer client
2. Set the environment variables as System Environment Variables. For example, you can set by clicking Control Panel > Administrative Tools > System under the Advanced tab
3. Restart the DataStage Designer client.

The procedure described above will enable the RFC tracing system wide, which may create a large number of files (difficult to investigate). To avoid that, you can use this alternative method:

Alternative Client command line method

1. Close the IBM InfoSphere DataStage Designer client.
2. Open a command prompt window (cmd)
3. Set the environment variables indicated above using the SET command, for example: set RFC_TRACE=1
4. From the same command window, run the DS Client application (get the exe file name from the DS Client program shortcut). For example:
   C:\IBM\InformationServer\Clients\Classic\DSDesign.exe

Engine tier - stages and connectors

To enable tracing for only the selected jobs of run-time components, complete the following procedure:

1. Open DataStage Administrator for the target Project
2. Add the specified environment variables, but do not set a value at this time.
3. In the specific job,  add the environment variables from the Project; set their values as indicated

Engine tier - RFC Server Managers (Listeners)

• To enable RFC tracing once for the RFC Server on UNIX, set the variables manually at the command prompt. Restart the listener by running the appropriate startup script.
• To permanently enable RFC tracing, complete one of the following procedures depending on your operating system:
  • On UNIX, set the environment variables in the startup script:
    • For the IDoc Manager edit the $DSSAPHOME/DSSAPbin/dsidocd.rc script, then restart the IDoc Manager.
    • For the BW RFC Server Manager edit the $DSSAPHOME/DSBWbin/dsrfcd.rc script, then restart the BW RFC Server Manager.
  • On Windows, set the environment variables as System Environment Variables and restart the services.

RFC tracing

Environment variables:
RFC_TRACE=1
RFC_NO_COMPRESS=1
RFC_TRACE_DIR=<directory_of_trace_files>

Generated trace files: rfc*.trc, rfc *.log, and dev_rfc.trc (last one shows only the errors)

Important Note : Due to a known issue in the RFC library, some files are created in the application current folder instead of the folder specified in the RFC_TRACE_DIR environment variable:

• For the Engine tier the current folder is the Project folder (for example /opt/IBM/InformationServer/Server/Projects/dstage1)
• For the Client tier the current folder is the Clients\Classic subfolder of the installation location (for example C:\IBM\InformationServer\Clients\Classic)

JCo tracing

Environment variables:
IBM_JAVA_OPTIONS - when using IBM Java (default)
JAVA_TOOL_OPTIONS - when using non-IBM Java
IBM_JAVA_OPTIONS =  -Djco.trace_level=<0…10>  -Djco.trace_path=<directory_of_trace_files>
for example -Djco.trace_level=8 -Djco.trace_path=C:\tmp\JcoTraces

Generated trace files:  JCO<date>_<timestamp>.trc, e.g. JCO20170821_201849819.trc

Generating the trace

1. Delete all trace files from the target trace folders (alternatively you can collect based on date/time stamp)
2. Perform the faulting action. For example, run the job that fails or execute the GUI operation.
3. Collect and archive (.zip or .tar) the generated trace files. Transfer to IBM Support.