In a production environment there should be no silent failures. AIX has an excellent centralized error reporting facility whose messages are viewed using the errpt command. Compared to other logging sources like syslog, the messages in errpt are of much higher quality and low volume. They are worth reviewing!

Logs always suffer from inattention if they must be checked manually so here's a simple way to email errpt entries to yourself in real time as soon as they happen. This method has two components, forwarding root's email and then using the errdaemon ODM to make errdaemon email any new log entries when they are created.

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I frequently work with customer systems where I need a systems inventory. This could be for troubleshooting or just to save the final state of a system for later reference.

I have worked with many consultants who have an inventory script they give customers but I have found that I prefer to use the tools native to the platform when they are available. On AIX I use IBM's native snap command. If you've ever been on the phone with IBM support before, you know they barely wait to ask your name before they ask for you to upload a snap.

IBM has created an excellent tool for troubleshooting AIX in the snap utility which is distributed as part of the OS. In my experience it captures about 90% of what I need to know about a system, including:

• Installed software

• Devices and attributes

• LVM details and disk layout

• Network statistics and configuration data

Rather than ask a customer to run commands for me and capture the output, or ask them to run a script from an untrusted source as root on their production server, I always ask for a snap.

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I'm proud to announce that Adams Systems Consultancy is now established in The Netherlands and open for business!

This new company allows me to provide services to customers throughout Europe from a central location.

With this site I'm testing a new blog format to allow me to post technical articles and tips. Stay tuned for posts as I migrate content from my notes into useful articles!