Support utility (dbsupport)

dbsupport [ options ] operation [ operation-specific-option ]

dbsupport configuration-options

Option	Description
@data	Reads in options from the specified environment variable or configuration file. See Configuration files. To protect passwords or other information in the configuration file, you can use the File Hiding utility (dbhide) to obfuscate the contents of the configuration file. See File Hiding utility (dbfhide).
-o filename	Sends log output messages to the specified file.
-q	Displays only critical log output messages.

Option

Description

@data

Reads in options from the specified environment variable or configuration file. See Configuration files.

To protect passwords or other information in the configuration file, you can use the File Hiding utility (dbhide) to obfuscate the contents of the configuration file. See File Hiding utility (dbfhide).

-o filename

Sends log output messages to the specified file.

-q

Displays only critical log output messages.

Operation Description

-e configuration-option

Displays the setting for the specified configuration option. For example, suppose you ran the following command to configure dbsupport to prompt when possible:

dbsupport -cc promptdefy

When you run the command dbsupport -ecc, the following setting is returned:

-cc "promptdefy"

If the current value of the configuration option has never been explicitly set, nothing is echoed.

-is submission-ID [ -rr N ]

Checks the status of a crash report that has been submitted to Technical Support.

For example, the following command returns the status of submission ID 66:

dbsupport -is 66

-iu [ -r N ]

Checks for updates to your software build. Updates include:

Support Packages A Support Package is a subset of the software with one or more bug fixes. The bug fixes are listed in the release notes for the update. Bug fix updates may only be applied to installed software with the same version number. While some testing has been performed on the software, do not distribute these files with your application unless you have thoroughly tested your application with the software.
Minor releases A minor release is a complete set of software that upgrades installed software from an older version with the same major version number (version number format is major.minor.build). Bug fixes and other changes are listed in the release notes for the upgrade.

You can also check for updates using Interactive SQL, Sybase Central, and the SQL Anywhere Console utility (dbconsole). See Software updates.

-lc Generates a list of all crash reports that have not been submitted to Technical Support. The report names listed can be used with the -sc option.

-ls

Generates a list of submission IDs for all reports that have been submitted. For example:

dbsupport -ls

This command returns information similar to the following:

SQL Anywhere Support Utility Version 16.0.2040
Submission ID: 217756  reported: Wed Jul 30 15:54:43 2011
Submission ID: 217757  reported: Wed Jul 30 15:57:07 2011
Submission ID: 217759  reported: Wed Jul 30 16:14:24 2011
Submission ID: 217760  reported: Wed Jul 30 16:14:30 2011
Submission ID: 217761  reported: Wed Jul 30 16:28:12 2011
Submission ID: 221030  reported: Mon Sep 08 12:34:59 2011
Submission ID: 221031  reported: Mon Sep 08 12:35:05 2011

-pc filename Displays crash report information. You can use this option to view information before it is submitted.

-pd Displays the diagnostic information that has been collected. You can use this option to view information before it is submitted.

-ps submission-ID

Displays information about a specific report that has been submitted. For example, running the command dbsupport -ps 4 returns information about submission 4:

SQL Anywhere Support Utility Version 16.0.2040
Submission ID: 217756  reported: Wed Jul 30 15:54:43 2012

-sa [ -r number-of-submission-retries ] Submits all crash report and diagnostic information stored in the diagnostic directory.

-sc reportname [ -r number-of-submission-retries ] [ -nr | -rr N ]

Submits a crash report and diagnostic information. For example:

dbsupport -sc SA16_20051220_133828_32116

Use the -lc option to see a list of reports that have not been submitted.

-sd [ -r number-of-submission-retries ]

Submits only diagnostic information.

For more information about the diagnostic directory, see SADIAGDIR environment variable.

Configuration option Description

-cc [ autosubmit | no | promptDefY | promptDefN ]

Changes the prompting behavior of dbsupport. This option is You can specify one of the following options:

autosubmit Submit crash reports automatically and submit diagnostic reports regularly.
no Do not prompt for permission to submit reports. Reports are not submitted.
promptDefY If possible, prompt for permission to submit the report. If no answer is given, submit the report.
promptDefN If possible, prompt for permission to submit the report. If no answer is given, do not submit the report. This is the default.
For example, if you are using embedded SQL Anywhere in an application, you may want to configure the Support utility to not submit reports.

If you specify the -cc option, its value becomes the default value used by the Support utility (dbsupport). The setting is stored in the dbsupport.ini file in the diagnostic directory.

The following command configures the Support utility so that it does not submit reports and never prompts the user to submit reports:

dbsupport -cc no

See Regularly submit performance data.

-cd retry-delay

Specifies the retry delay, in seconds, for submitting a report if the previous attempt is unsuccessful. The default delay is 30 seconds.

If you specify this option, its value becomes the default value used by the Support utility. The setting is stored in the dbsupport.ini file in the diagnostic directory.

The following command specifies that failed submissions should be retried every three seconds, up to a maximum of four times before giving up:

dbsupport -cr 4 -cd 3

-ce email-address;email-server[:port ][;user-id:password ]

Specifies the address where an email is sent after a crash occurs. The email is sent using the email-server SMTP server. Optionally, you can specify the port that should be used and the user ID and password used to authenticate with the SMTP server.

-cet Tests the email settings specified by the -ce option.

-cid customer-id

Specifies a string that identifies you in the submission report. If you specify this option, its value becomes the default value used by the Support utility. The configuration is stored in the dbsupport.ini file in the diagnostic directory.

The following examples specify a customer identification string for dbsupport:

dbsupport -cid myid@company.com

dbsupport -cid "MyClientApp 1.0"

-cid-

Removes the customer identification string from the dbsupport.ini file.

-cp { host [ :port ] | autodetect }

Configures the HTTP proxy host and port used to submit error reports. The default port is 80.

If you specify -cp autodetect on Windows and a proxy server and port have been set for Internet Explorer, then dbsupport configures its proxy server and port using the system setting.

If you specify -cp autodetect on Unix and the HTTP_PROXY environment variable is set, then dbsupport configures its proxy server and port using the environment variable setting.

-cp-

Removes HTTP proxy host and port settings from the dbsupport.ini file.

-cr number-of-submission-retries

Specifies the number of times a failed submission should be retried.

If you specify this option, its value becomes the default value used by the Support utility. The setting is stored in the dbsupport.ini file in the diagnostic directory.

The following command specifies that failed operations should be retried every three seconds, up to a maximum of four times before giving up:

dbsupport -cr 4 -cd 3

Operation-specific option

Description

-ac

Adds a comment to the submission.

-af

Attaches a file to the submission. You can specify the -af option more than once to attach multiple files to the submission.

-nr

Specifies that dbsupport does not check the database server for the status of the submission. For example, the following command submits the report, but does not check for the status of the new submission:

dbsupport -nr -sc SA16_20051220_133828_32116

By default, dbsupport checks whether there is already a fix for the problem being submitted.

-r number-of-submission-retries

Specifies the maximum number of times dbsupport should try to send the submission. Specifying 0 means retry indefinitely. The default value is 10. Specifying -r overrides the -cr value stored in the dbsupport.ini file, if one exists.

-rd retry-delay

Specifies the number of seconds dbsupport waits between attempts to resend the report. The default value is 30. Specifying -rd overrides the -cd value stored in the dbsupport.ini file, if one exists.

-rr number-of-submission-response-retries

Specifies the maximum number of times dbsupport should try to obtain a submission response. Specifying 0 means retry indefinitely. The default value is 10.

None.

Performance data, such as crash reports and diagnostic information reports, is used to help improve the product.

If a fatal error or crash occurs in any SQL Anywhere program, an error report is created which contains technical information about the program at the time of the error. When an error report is created, you are prompted to submit this report to Technical Support.

You can also submit this report using the Support utility (dbsupport). Submitting error reports assists with diagnosing the cause of a fatal error or assertion. Once an error report is submitted, you receive a submission ID that you can quote to Technical Support. If you report the problem to Technical Support, sending them this error file can speed up the processing of your issue. It is recommended that you submit error and diagnostic reports to help improve the product, even if you choose not to contact Technical Support.

The Support utility (dbsupport) can be used for any of the following tasks:

submitting diagnostic information and crash reports
submitting feature statistics
listing information about submitted and unsubmitted crash reports
printing information about submitted and unsubmitted crash reports
inquiring about the status of a submission
inquiring whether there are software updates available for your build of SQL Anywhere
configuring dbsupport behavior for when a fatal error (assertion/crash) is detected. For example, dbsupport can be configured to run a specified handler program each time the database server submits an error report. This feature is useful for adding your own custom actions to the error handling process.
configuring how many times to retry sending a report. For example, when submitting a report, it could be configured to retry the operation again in 30 seconds, up to a maximum of ten times. This feature is useful for handling the case where the service may be temporarily unavailable.

Settings for the Support utility are stored in the dbsupport.ini file in the diagnostic directory.

The operation-specific options are useful for overriding default behavior, including those that have been saved in the dbsupport.ini file.

The graphical administration tools can be configured to remove the option to submit error reports. See Administration tools configuration.

If you choose not to submit a report, it remains in the diagnostic directory on your hard disk. This directory is created automatically by the software programs and is used only for saving reports and for storing settings for the Support utility (dbsupport).

Diagnostic directory location The location of the diagnostic directory varies depending upon the platform.
The database server checks for the diagnostic directory according to the following order of precedence:
- Windows (excluding Windows Mobile)
  1. The directory specified by the SADIAGDIR environment variable, if it is set.
  2. The default diagnostic directory location:
    
    On Windows XP: %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Application Data\SQL Anywhere 16\diagnostics.
    
    On Windows Vista and later: %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\SQL Anywhere 16\diagnostics.
  3. The current directory.
  4. The temporary directory. See SATMP environment variable and TMP, TMPDIR, and TEMP environment variables.
  On Windows, the diagnostic directory is in a location that is writable by all users of the computer. If a computer has a number of user accounts and you need to keep the error reports isolated from other users, set the SADIAGDIR environment variable for each user to point to a directory that is readable and writable only to that particular user. See SADIAGDIR environment variable.
- Windows Mobile
  1. The directory of the executable file.
  2. The current directory.
  3. The temporary directory. See Registry settings on Windows Mobile.
- Unix, Linux, OS X
  1. The directory specified by the SADIAGDIR environment variable, if it is set.
  2. The default diagnostic directory: $HOME/.sqlanywhere16/diagnostics.
  3. The current directory.
  4. The temporary directory. See SATMP environment variable and TMP, TMPDIR, and TEMP environment variables.
  Note
  
  On Unix, writing crash reports to the user's home directory is not recommended when the database or MobiLink server is running as a daemon, or the user is root/nobody.

Error report file names Error report file names are composed as follows:

a prefix that identifies the application:

Application prefix	Application
DBCONSOLE	SQL Anywhere Console utility
ISQL	Interactive SQL utility
LSN	Listener utility
MLC	MobiLink client
MLS	MobiLink server
ML_MON	MobiLink Profiler
SA	Personal or network database server
SCJ	Sybase Central
SR	SQL Remote

a value indicating the software version
two fields linked with underscores that provide the timestamp for when the error report was created
the application identifier
the extension .dmp

For example, SA16_20110620_133828_32116.dmp is an error report from a SQL Anywhere version 16 database server from 20011/06/20, at 1:38:28 P.M., from process 32116.

SADIAGDIR environment variable

You can change the default behavior of dbsupport with the -cc option:

The following command configures dbsupport to submit reports automatically without prompting the user:

dbsupport -cc autosubmit

The following command configures dbsupport to automatically submit reports and to send a notification email to myemail@company.com by using the email server emailserver.company.com:

dbsupport -cc autosubmit -ce "myemail@company.com";"emailserver.company.com:25"

The following command turns off automatic report submission:

dbsupport -cc no

You can view the list of error reports with the -lc option. The following command generates a list of all crash reports that have not been submitted:
dbsupport -lc
You can manually submit error reports with the -sa, -sc, or -sd option. The following command submits all reports stored in the diagnostic directory:
dbsupport -sa

You can include comments and files with the error report by specifying the -ac and -af options, respectively:

dbsupport -sc SA16_20080901_113308_3360 -ac "The message.txt file provides more 
information about this error report." -af c:\scenario.txt -af c:\message.txt

Support utility (dbsupport)

Syntax

Privileges

Remarks

Note

See also

Example