Enabling SNA Server Windows 3.x Client Traces (123256)

This article was previously published under Q123256

Microsoft SNA Server provides extensive tracing capabilities at both the server and client side to help diagnose problems. On the server side, you can use the SNATRACE tool to trace SNA Server and Win32 application activity. You can enable Windows 3.x client tracing by following the steps in the Enabling SNA Server Client Tracing section below. Client tracing is useful in diagnosing client-to-server connection problems or Windows 3.x SNA Server application problems. Note that client tracing cannot be used to capture server-to-host SNA Server or link level traffic; these types of traces must be captured at the server.

SNA SERVER CLIENT TRACING TYPES

Following are descriptions of the types of client tracing provided by SNA Server, along with a descriptions of each associated WIN.INI entry:

Internal Tracing

Internal tracing traces code execution of SNA Server components and is intended for SNA Server development. This type of tracing is useful to diagnose:

• Client connection failures in communication (546 errors for example) over any client-server transport supported by SNA Server. If the SNA Server client software encounters an underlying network or operating system error, the error code is logged in the internal trace file.
• Problems automatically loading a invokable transaction program (auto- started APPC or CPIC invokable TP).
• Abnormal terminations of clients (general protection (GP) faults or application exceptions).

WIN.INI Entries Used To Control Internal Tracing:

InternalTraceLevel: [0-8] Level of detail. The most detailed level is 0.

InternalTraceFile1, InternalTraceFile2: ASCII files that store internal trace information. If only InternalTraceFile1 is specified, the trace file will grow indefinitely. If both trace files are listed, each file will grow to the FlipLength (see below) before wrapping to the next file.

TraceFlushing: [OFF/ON] Controls whether or not trace information is immediately flushed to the trace file. When debugging a problem involving a hang condition, this entry should be set to ON to ensure that the most recent trace event is logged to the trace file.

FlipLength: [size in bytes] Controls how large each SNA Server trace file can grow (default: 250,000). If two trace file names are specified, SNA Server traces wrap between two trace files so the hard disk doesn't fill up.

API Tracing

API tracing traces application program interfaces (APIs) supported by SNA Server, in call/return format. You can analyze these traces using the appropriate SNA Server API programmer's guide. This type of tracing is useful in diagnosing:

• User-written applications which use the SNA Server APIs.
• 5250 emulation problems (which use APPC).

SNA Server Trace Entries Used To Control API Tracing:

APPCTraceState: [OFF/ON] Enables APPC API tracing.

CPICTraceState: [OFF/ON] Enables CPIC API tracing.

CSVTraceState: [OFF/ON] Enables Common Service Verb API tracing.

RUITraceState: [OFF/ON] Enables LUA/RUI API tracing.

SLITraceState: [OFF/ON] Enables LUA/SLI API tracing.

APITraceFile1, APITraceFile2: ASCII files that store API trace information. If only APITraceFile1 is specified, the trace file will grow indefinitely. If both trace files are listed, each file will grow to the FlipLength (see Internal Tracing section above) before wrapping to the next file.

Message Tracing

Message tracing traces the internal message flow between the SNA Server client and the server. This type of trace is used by SNA Server development to diagnose:

• 3270 emulator problems communicating with the server.
• APPC or CPIC application problems communicating with the server.

SNA Server Trace Entries Used To Control Message Tracing:

FMITraceState: [OFF/ON] Controls 3270 Emulator Interface (EIS) message tracing, used by 3270 emulators.

PVITraceState: [OFF/ON] Controls LU6.2 message tracing which flows between the client and server.

MessageTraceFile1, MessageTraceFile2: ASCII files to store message trace information. If only MessageTraceFile1 is specified, the trace file will grow indefinitely. If both trace files are listed, each file will grow to the FlipLength (see Internal Tracing section above) before wrapping to the next file.

ENABLING SNA SERVER CLIENT TRACING

To enable SNA Server client tracing on a Windows 3.x client computer:

1. Stop the SNA Server for Windows client software.
2. Make backup copies of the following files on your client workstation:

   <snaroot>\WNAP.EXE -> WNAP.ORG
   <winroot>\SYSTEM\WDMOD.DLL -> WDMOD.ORG
   <winroot>\SYSTEM\LMCLI.DLL -> LMCLI.ORG (MS network/named pipes)
   <winroot>\SYSTEM\NWCLI.DLL -> NWCLI.ORG (Netware ipx/spx)
   <winroot>\SYSTEM\BVCLI.DLL -> BVCLI.ORG (Banyan IP)
   <winroot>\SYSTEM\IPCLI.DLL -> IPCLI.ORG (TCP/IP sockets)

3. Copy the following traced versions of the client components from your SNA Server CD-ROM to your client workstation:

   \clients\win3x\trace\WNAP.EXE -> <snaroot>\WNAP.EXE
   \clients\win3x\trace\WDMOD.DLL -> <winroot>\SYSTEM\WDMOD.DLL
   \clients\win3x\trace\LMCLI.DLL -> <winroot>\SYSTEM\LMCLI.DLL
   \clients\win3x\trace\NWCLI.DLL -> <winroot>\SYSTEM\NWCLI.DLL
   \clients\win3x\trace\BVCLI.DLL -> <winroot>\SYSTEM\BVCLI.DLL
   \clients\win3x\trace\IPCLI.DLL -> <winroot>\SYSTEM\IPCLI.DLL

4. Add the following entries to your <winroot>\WIN.INI file, under the [WNAP] section. Any combination of tracing is supported. Not all entries need to be present in WIN.INI, only those necessary to capture the desired traces.

         [WNAP]
         ; Entries which control Internal tracing:
         InternalMessageTraceState=ON
         InternalTraceFile1=C:\NAPINT1.TRC
         InternalTraceFile2=C:\NAPINT2.TRC
         InternalTraceLevel=2
         ; Entries that control API tracing:
         APPCTraceState=ON
         CPICTraceState=ON
         CSVTraceState=ON
         RUITraceState=ON
         SLITraceState=ON
         APITraceFile1=C:\API1.TRC
         APITraceFile2=C:\API2.TRC
         ; Entries that control message tracing:
         FMITraceState=ON
         PVITraceState=ON
         MessageTraceFile1=C:\NAPMSG1.TRC
         MessageTraceFile2=C:\NAPMSG2.TRC
         ; Other general tracing entries:
         FlipLength=250000
         TraceFlushing=ON
   				

5. Restart WNAP.EXE by choosing Run from the File menu of Program Manager.
6. Once the problem occurs, stop the SNA application and close the SNA Server client icon (WNAP.EXE).

Be sure to rename the client files to the original versions to disable tracing. There is no need to remove the WIN.INI entries if you use the original client files; they will be ignored.