Performing a Trace in Reflection for IBM

  • 7021602
  • 03-Nov-1999
  • 06-Aug-2021

Environment

Reflection for IBM version 11.0 or higher

Situation

While troubleshooting a Reflection for IBM problem, technical support may request that you obtain one or more traces. This technical note describes how to generate the following Reflection for IBM traces: Host Data, Command, Internal, SNA, and HLLAPI.

Resolution

Generating a Host-Data Trace (*.HST)

A host-data trace captures information passed between a terminal, or printer, and the host during a 3270 or 5250 session. This type of trace is useful when a host connection is working, but the terminal or printer session does not behave as expected. For instance, a host-data trace would be useful when troubleshooting problems with colors, cursor movements, print job formatting, or IND$FILE transfer problems (for 3270 sessions). Host traces are not useful when a connection to the host cannot be established.

Note: HST traces capture both *.HST and *.RIT data.

Follow the steps below to generate a host-data trace.

  1. Open Reflection for IBM.
  2. On the Connection menu, point to Trace, and then click Start Trace.
  3. In the Start Trace dialog box, select Host Data (*.HST).
  4. Specify a name for the trace file. Note: If you already have spoken with a support technician, you can use your call ID number as the name of your trace file.
  5. Click Trace. A bug icon will appear in the Reflection status bar, indicating the trace is active.
  6. Perform the actions that reproduce the problem you want recorded in the trace.
  7. To end the trace, click Connection > Trace > Stop Trace. (The bug icon will no longer appear in the status bar.)

See the section below on "Sending a Trace to Support".

Generating a Command Trace (*.CMD)

Command traces capture actions within Reflection for IBM. An action taken, such as clicking a button or entering text, each represents an individual command. Command traces are useful in determining if commands are correct in a script, macro, or program using OLE automation.

Command traces also can be used to determine which command to use when writing a script. For example, if you want to make a VBA macro that opens the Keyboard Setup dialog box, start a command trace, navigate to the Keyboard Setup dialog box, and then save the trace. Use a text editor to view the command trace and determine which commands are needed to accomplish the task.

Follow the steps below to generate a command trace.

  1. Open Reflection for IBM.
  2. On the Connection menu, point to Trace, and then click Start Trace.
  3. In the Start Trace dialog box, select Commands (*.CMD).
  4. Specify a name for the trace file. Note: If you already have spoken with a support technician, you can use your call ID number as the name of your trace file.
  5. Click Trace. A bug icon will appear in the Reflection status bar indicating the trace is active.
  6. Perform the actions that you want recorded in the trace.
  7. To end the trace, click Connection, point to Trace, and then click Stop Trace. (The bug icon will no longer appear in the status bar.)

See the section below on "Sending a Trace to Support".

Generating an SNA Engine Trace (*.RIT)

SNA engine traces are used to obtained detailed information regarding MPTN, LU6.2, DLC (802.2), SNADFT (COAX) transport types, the EICON gateway, and the CPI-C API.

SNA Engine Traces can be generated manually or, starting in version 12.0 or higher, Reflection can be configured to automatically create the trace when Reflection is started.

Manually Generate an SNA Engine Trace

Follow the steps below to generate an SNA engine trace.

  1. Open Windows Explorer and go to the Reflection for IBM directory.
  2. Double-click the file Snaeng.exe. This will start the SNA Engine, which will show up as a gray icon in your system tray (near the clock).
  3. Right-click the SNA engine icon. On the shortcut menu point to Trace, then click Start.
  4. In the Start internal trace dialog box, enter a name for the file. Note: If you already have spoken with a support technician, you can use your call ID number as the name of your trace file.
  5. By default, all items in the Trace Options list will be traced. Do not change the options, unless directed to do so by technical support. Right-click on an item to deselect it, or select the item then clear the Enabled check box. (When you deselect an item, all items below that heading are automatically deselected.) Note: Unlike the other types of traces, no bug icon will appear in the Reflection status bar while the trace is active.
  6. Connect to the host and perform the actions that you want recorded in the trace.
  7. To stop the trace, either exit Reflection for IBM or right-click the SNA engine icon. On the shortcut menu point to Trace, and click Stop.
  8. Right-click the SNA engine icon and click Close to exit the SNA engine utility.

Automatically Generate and SNA Engine Trace

To configure Reflection version 12.0 or higher to automatically initiate a trace when Reflection is started, follow these steps.

  1. Open Windows Explorer and go to the Reflection for IBM directory.
  2. Double-click the file Snaeng.exe. This will start the SNA Engine, which will show up as a gray icon in your system tray (near the clock).
  3. Right-click the SNA engine icon, click Configuration > View Settings.
  4. Scroll to and select the Trace file for Auto Started Internal Trace setting.
  5. In the Setting details field, enter a file name with a *.rit extension. For example, trace1.rit, and then click OK.

The trace starts automatically when Reflection is opened. To stop the trace:

  1. Exit Reflection for IBM or right-click the SNA engine icon. On the shortcut menu point to Trace, and click Stop.
  2. Right-click the SNA engine icon and click Close to exit the SNA engine utility.

See the section below on "Sending a Trace to Support".

Generating a HLLAPI Trace (.TMP)

HLLAPI is an API specified by IBM for automating terminal tasks. HLLAPI traces are available in Reflection for IBM versions 11.x. An HLLAPI trace will allow you to see the HLLAPI calls the application is making, including return codes.

Follow the steps below to generate a HLLAPI trace.

  1. From the Start menu, click Run. In the Run dialog box, type win.ini in the Open field. Click OK. This will open your Win.ini file in Notepad.
  2. Add the following two lines to the end of the Win.ini file:
[Reflection HLLAPI]
ExtTraceOn=1
  1. Save the Win.ini file (click File > Save).
  2. Start Reflection for IBM, connect to your IBM host, and start the HLLAPI application. Perform the actions that you want recorded in the trace.
  3. Close the HLLAPI application.
  4. The trace file is automatically named Hll*.TMP (or ~hll*.TMP if you are running a 16-bit version of Reflection for IBM). The * is a randomly generated hex number. The file is located in the PC's TEMP directory, if a TEMP directory has been defined in the System Environmental settings. Otherwise, it is located in the root Windows directory.
  5. Re-open the Win.ini file (see step one) and set the ExtTraceOn setting to zero:
[Reflection HLLAPI]
ExtTraceOn=0

See the section below on "Sending a Trace to Support".

Sending a Trace to Support

If you are already working with Technical Support, see the instructions at https://support.microfocus.com/kb/doc.php?id=7024990 on how to upload any files gathered.  If you experience issues with getting the FTS credentials from the Support Portal, contact your Support Engineer who can assist and provide the URL, username, and password for the upload.

Additional Information

Legacy KB ID

This document was originally published as Attachmate Technical Note 1109.