Writing Traces

You can pre-allocate Trace data sets before issuing the Trace commands for Data Traces, OSA Traces, and Packet Traces. For Packet Traces only, you can also dynamically allocate Trace data sets by using the Trace name patterns on the MVIPCNFD view (see Patterns-for-allocating-Trace-files). For the necessary file attributes for pre-allocating data sets, see Data-set-allocation.

You can dynamically allocate a file name for all types of Traces. When you choose the Trace format, a new data set with a specific pattern to offload is displayed. You can also modify the data set pattern. 

To write a formatted Trace to a data set

Use this procedure to write Traces to a sequential data set. 

1. Select the Trace that you want from the following types of Traces and navigate to the corresponding view:
   • PKTTRACE: Packet Tracing
   • DATTRACE: Data Tracing
   • OSATRACE: OSA Tracing
   • SKTTRACE: Socket Tracing
2. In the Command field of the trace that you want to offload, enter W and press Enter.

3. Enter the name of the data set in the File Name field, and any other types of filters that you want, and press Enter.

   Before completing the procedure, you can limit the parameters of the write Packet Trace by entering an entry in one or more of the following fields:

   • Start Date
   • Start Time
   • End Date
   • End Time
   • Protocol
   • IP Address
   • Port Number
4. Press F3 or enter END to complete the task.

To write a Raw IP Trace to an IBM CTRACE file

Use the following procedure to write a Trace in a RAW IBM component trace format to a pre-allocated data set. You can write Packet, Data, and OSA Traces in the IBM CTRACE format.

1. Select the Trace that you want from the following types of Traces and navigate to the corresponding view: 
   • PKTTRACE: Packet Tracing
   • DATTRACE: Data Tracing
   • OSATRACE: OSA Tracing
2. In the Command field of the trace that you want to offload, enter RAW and press Enter.

3. Enter the name of the data set in the File Name field, and any other types of filters that you want, and press Enter.

   Before completing the procedure, you can limit the parameters of the write Packet Trace by entering an entry in one or more of the following fields:

   • Start Date
   • Start Time
   • End Date 
   • End Time
   • Protocol
   • IP Address
   • Port Number
4. Press F3 or enter END to complete the task.

To write a Packet Trace in Sniffer format to a data set

Use the following procedure to write a Packet Trace in Sniffer format to a data set. You can then use the file as input to Wireshark network packet analyzer.

1. Select the Trace that you want from the following types of Traces and navigate to the corresponding view:
   • PKTTRACE: Packet Tracing
   • OSATRACE: OSA Tracing
2. In the Command field of the trace that you want to offload, enter SNIFF and press Enter.
3. Enter the name of the data set in the File Name field, and any other types of filters that you want, and press Enter.
4. Before completing this procedure, you can limit the parameters of the Packet Trace by entering an entry in one or more of the following fields:
   • Start Date
   • Start Time
   • End Date
   • End Time
   • Protocol
   • IP Address
   • Port Number
   • Data Length
5. Press F3 or enter END to complete the task.