It is quite common for Oracle Tech support, while troubleshooting any 11i E-Business Suite Self Service Applications (SSWA) related error messages, to ask to enable debug logging in JServ configuration files.

The procedure to enable debug logging in JServ is to update following line in file $IAS_ORACLE_HOME/Apache/Jserv/etc/jserv.properties from log=false to log=true, and then bounce Apache using:

$ cd $COMMON_TOP/admin/scripts/$CONTEXT_NAME
$ adapcctl.sh stop
$ adapcctl.sh start

After the bounce, we start seeing debug messages in the log file $IAS_ORACLE_HOME/Apache/Jserv/logs/jserv.log.

Please note, the logfile’s and config file’s locations can be different from those mentioned above. In case you have a shared tech stack implemented, replace $IAS_ORACLE_HOME with $CONF_TOP/iAS.

The main problem with this procedure is the bounce of Apache. In cases where the client is not a heavy SSWA user and the issue isn’t affecting a significant number of users, then often we will be asked to wait until off-business hours to do the bounce of Apache. These delays can make your metalink SR hop between different Oracle support offices in different timezones, which can lead to delays in resolution of the issue.

Let’s have quick review of JServ configuration files which are of interest to us. jserv.conf — this is the configuration file of mod_jserv module in Apache. Here’s a snippet from jserv.conf: (more…)

Kenny Tilton writes a blog that is mostly about LISP programming, but today he posted about database troubleshooting, and he anecdotally illustrates and elaborates on a law of troubleshooting that I strongly agree with: Always solve the first problem. Based on the way this law is named, I suspect it is his own.

In a nutshell, any time there is a multiplicity of problems affecting an endeavour, simplify mercilessly until you have only one problem left. Then solve that one.

The corollary to his law is that “there only is the first problem.” I’m not sure I entirely agree with that one, but I will admit that that corollary is true at least 90% of the time, which is often enough to make it an incredibly useful insight.

Brilliant stuff! Read it.