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Collecting a Thread Dump on IBM WebSphere

A thread dump is a log containing information about currently running threads and processes. It can be useful during troubleshooting when trying to identify exactly when an issue occurs.

To collect a thread dump on IBM WebSphere 5.x and upwards

  1. Open a command prompt.
    1. Select Start > Run.
    2. Type cmd.
    3. Click Enter.
  2. Change to the WAS_HOME\bin directory.
  3. Start the wsadmin command prompt. Type wsadmin and press Enter.

    The command prompt changes to wsadmin>.

  4. At the wsadmin> prompt, point to the application server with the issues.

    For example, at the wsadmin> prompt, type set jvm {$AdminControl completeObjectName type=JVM, process=server1, *] and press Enter.

  5. Generate the thread dump. At the wsadmin> prompt, type $AdminControl? invoke $jvm dumpThreads, and press Enter.
  6. Look for the thread dump file in the WAS_HOME directory. It will have a name like javacode.date.time.id.txt.