IPX/SPX Configuration and Management Manual

IPX/SPX Configuration and Management Manual—425731-001

4-1

NonStop™ IPX/SPX PTrace Facility

This section provides an overview of the PTrace facility and explains how to use it to

analyze NonStop™ IPX/SPX trace records.

Overview of PTrace

Trace files contain a record of the communications between processes. Each subsystem

determines what information is recorded in its trace files. This information varies as to

the type of events that are recorded, the amount of detail that is included, and other

subsystem-specific parameters.

To start a trace and capture data interactively, you use the SCF TRACE command. The

trace files created through SCF are unstructured and cannot be printed or displayed

directly. You must use PTrace to display and examine the trace files. PTrace formats the

data stored in these unstructured trace files for output to terminals, printers, or disk files.

Figure 4-1

shows the four general steps involved in recording and formatting trace data.

Figure 4-1. Recording and Displaying Trace Data

017CDT .CDD

Start the trace interactively by

using the SCF TRACE

command.

Collect trace data.

Display the trace file

by using PTrace.

Stop the trace by using the

SCF TRACE command.