Error Log monitoring (distributed systems only)

By using the Error Log monitoring, you can view and monitor MQ error log data that is retrieved from a monitored queue manager.

Error Log monitoring does not provide error log data that is associated with unknown queue managers or with client applications.

This feature provides data for the Error Log workspace, provides you with Error Log attributes that you can use in situations, and provides the MQSeries_Channel_Out_Of_Sync predefined situation .

For details about attributes, predefined situations, and the workspace provided with IBM MQ Monitoring Agent, see the IBM MQ Monitoring Agent section of the Tivoli Enterprise Portal online help.

Error Log data is available only if it is collected for the queue manager. Monitoring of the queue manager error log is active by default. However, you can deactivate the error log monitoring feature using the ERRLOGCYCLE parameter of the SET MANAGER or SET GROUP monitoring option. You can also adjust the maximum number of messages that are displayed in the Error Log workspace using the ERRLOGMAX parameter of the SET MANAGER or SET GROUP monitoring option. For details of these monitoring options, see Monitoring options .

IBM MQ Monitoring Agent monitors error logs that are in the following default locations.
  • On i5/OS® systems:

    /QIBM/UserData/mqm/qmgrs/qmname/errors

    where qmname is the name of the queue manager.

  • On UNIX® and Linux® systems:

    /var/mqm/qmgrs/qmname/errors

    where qmname is the name of the queue manager.

  • On Windows® systems:

    MQ WorkPath/qmgrs/qmname/errors

    where MQ WorkPath is obtained from the \Software\IBM\MQSeries\CurrentVersion\WorkPath NT Registry Key and qmname is the name of the queue manager.

After you create a queue manager, error log files that are read by IBM MQ Monitoring Agent are automatically created when the queue manager needs them. The files are named as follows:
  • AMQERR01.LOG
  • AMQERR02.LOG
  • AMQERR03.LOG

Each of these error log files has a capacity of 256 KB. As error messages are generated, they are placed in the AMQERR01 file. When the AMQERR01 file gets bigger than 256 KB, it is copied to the AMQERR02 file. Before the AMQERR01 file is copied, the AMQERR02 file is copied to the AMQERR03 file. The previous contents of the AMQERR03 file (if any) are discarded.

The latest error messages are always placed in the AMQERR01 file. The monitoring agent monitors the AMQERR01 file.