Specifications

146 System Software Diagnostics Guide — September 2006
Runtime Trace Facility (RTF) Reference
Notes: 1. Due to the internal buffers used by RTF, the actual size of the log file may be up to 1 MB larger
than the size attribute’s value. For example, if the size attribute is set to 1000 KB, the actual log
file may grow up to 2000 KB.
2. This attribute is only applicable when RTF preservation mode is turned OFF. When RTF
preservation mode is ON, the preserve_size attribute determines the size of the log file. Refer to
Section 28.5.3, “Running RTF in Preservation Mode”, on page 156 for information about
preservation mode.
maxbackups
Indicates the maximum number of backup log files the RTF creates when the RTF is run with
preservation mode turned OFF. If this attribute is set to 0, all trace information is written to one log
file. If this attribute is set to 1 or greater, all trace information is initially written to one log file.
When the size of this initial log file reaches the threshold defined in the Logfile tag’s size attribute,
the RTF trace data “rolls over” into a second log file. When the size threshold is reached in the
second log file, the RTF trace data “rolls over” into a third log file. This sequence occurs until the
number of backup log files created equals the maxbackups attribute setting. When the “roll over”
occurs, the previous log file is saved under the following timestamped name:
rtflog-<year><month><day>-<hour>h<minute>m.<second>s.txt
If the number of backup log files exceeds the number defined in maxbackups, the oldest backup file
will be deleted and a new one will be created, on a first in, first out basis. The default maxbackups
value is 10.
Notes: 1. This attribute is only applicable when RTF preservation mode is turned OFF. When RTF
preservation mode is ON, the preserve_maxbackup attribute determines the number of backup
log files. Refer to Section 28.5.3, “Running RTF in Preservation Mode”, on page 156 for
information about preservation mode.
2. There is no limit to the maximum backups imposed by the RTF itself. However, a higher limit
will increase the usage of disk space and impact performance since RTF needs to keep track of
all backup files and remove old ones as necessary.
preserve_size
Sets the maximum size, in Kilobytes (KB), of the log file when the RTF is run with preservation
mode turned ON. The default setting is 300. When the file reaches its maximum size, RTF “rolls
over” the log file, much like a circular buffer. The previous log file is saved as a timestamped text
file. RTF aligns the entries so that the oldest entry is always at the top of the log file and the newest
entry is always at the bottom of the log file.
Note: This attribute is only applicable when RTF preservation mode is turned ON. When RTF
preservation mode is OFF, the size attribute determines the size of the log file. Refer to
Section 28.5.3, “Running RTF in Preservation Mode”, on page 156 for information about
preservation mode.