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Capturing an IPDS Trace in AS400 / OS400 Environments
Knowledge base
Network and wireless issues

Capturing an IPDS Trace in AS400 / OS400 Environments

How to Capture an IPDS Trace in AS400/OS400 Environments

Overview

Network trace information may prove useful in the analysis and troubleshooting of print errors and anomalies in
AS400
 and other systems environments.
The sample host commands included in this article are based on
V6R1
 and specific only to
AS/400
 systems. Hence, host commands specific to customer's mainframe may need to be requested.
Click here for the
English Only
 (.PDF) version of this procedure.

Before you begin

What you will need
Do the following to ensure the most reliable trace outcome. (Failure to follow these prerequisites will lead to an inaccurate trace and further complicate troubleshooting procedures.)
  1. A computer with
    Wireshark
     installed; click here to download this open source application.
  2. A dedicated network hub and not a switch or router; this enables Wireshark to accurately monitor the communication between printer and host.
Connection topology illustration
Illustration Key
  1. Dedicated network "
    Hub
    "
  2. PC hosting "Wireshark
    " application directly connected to hub
  3. Printer
    directly connected to hub
  4. AS400
     or mainframe; make sure to connect the hub to the some WAN/LAN connection where the AS400 server resides.
There is no need to disconnect the AS/400 from the network during this setup.

Preparation and validating communication

Preparation
  1. Connect
     the network
    hub
     to the
    same network
     as the
    AS/400 server
    .
  2. Use an
    Ethernet (UTP) cable
    to
    connect the printer
     or
    printers
     that are to be tested to the
    hub
    .
    The printer may be offline for a few minutes until it reconnects (re-routes) its network connection.
  3. Use an
    Ethernet (UTP) cable
    to
    connect
     a Wireshark-equipped
    computer (laptop)
     to the
    hub
     .
  4. Verify that
    all devices
     (hub, PC and printer) are powered
    ON
    .
  5. Verify whether the
    printer
    has a valid
    IP address
    .
To locate the printer IP address:
  • Print the
    Network Settings
     page via
    Menus
    >
    Reports
     >
    Network Setup Page
    .
  • Or, view this value on the printer's dispaly via
    Menus
    >
    Network/Ports
    >
    Standard Network
    >
    Std Network Setup
    >
    TCP/IP
    .
Validating communication
  1. Verify whether the
    laptop can communicate with the printer
     with
    "NO" packet loss
    ; e.g., a ping test should verify communication.
    To perform ping test, click
    Start
    >
    Run
    , enter
    cmd
    , press
    Enter
     or click
    OK
    .
  2. Verify that the
    AS/400 server can still print
     to the printer by releasing a test job from the server.
    • If AS/400 is
      unable to print
       then the AS/400 operator will have to verify that the IP address on the
      Device Description
       is the same as the printer's IP address (as gathered in
      Step 5
       under
      Preparation
       above) and the
      AS/400 operator
       will have to edit the device description's IP address.
Explanation
The IP may have changed when printer was reattached to the network.

Trace Capture Steps

  1. Log in to the AS400.
  2. End the print writer to be used by typing "
    ENDWTR Name_of_writer
    ".
  3. Wait or refresh until the writer status is
    END.
  4. Launch Wireshark application.
  5. Select the
    Capture
    menu and then
    Options
    .
  6. In the
    Capture Options dialog
    :
    1. Select interface as “
      Local
      ”.
    2. Select
      Ethernet
      as the port to monitor.
    3. Place a checkmark next to "
      Capture packet in promiscuous mode
      ".
    4. In the
      Capture Filter
      entry field, specify the filter string
      ip host (server) [host IP address]
      and
      printer IP address
      . For example:
      ip host 10.0.0.1
       and
      10.0.0.2
      .
    "Promiscuous Mode"
     This mode will capture
    ALL
     network traffic regardless of intended target.
  7. Click
    Start
    .
  8. Start the writer by typing "
    STRPRTWTR Name_of_writer
    ".
  9. Wait (and refresh) until the writer status is
    STR
    .
  10. Send job to the printer; check printer to see whether job has started printing.
  11. Stop trace after job.
    • Monitor
      Wireshark Capture Dialog to make sure packets are being captured.
    • Click
      Stop
       after the job has completed printing.
  12. Click on
    File
     in menu bar, and then
    Save As
     to lauch save dialog.

Correct trace verification

A successful capture does not always indicate that the
correct
 records have been captured. Thus,
verification
 is necessary.
To verify:
  1. Open trace in Wireshark.
  2. Under
    Filter
    , input
    tcp.port == 5001
    , where
    5001
     is the port used for IPDS. Click here for illustration.
    Use 9100 for non-IPDS jobs.
  3. Click
    Apply
    .
  4. Verify that there are packets recorded for
    port 5001
     (or 9100 and 9600 for non-IPDS).
  5. If packets are available, check the packet
    Source
     and
    Destination
     to make sure that the
    IP addresses
     that appear are from the AS/400 and the printer.
    For example, if the AS/400 IP is
    157.184.116.27
     and printer IP is
    10.194.76.88
    , then the packets captured should show
    Source
    and
    Destination
     info like this (for bi-directional communication between server and printer). Click here for an illustration.
    • If you do not see the IP address of the AS/400, check to see whether you can ping the IP address from the laptop or PC.
    • If not, then you may be tracking the wrong IP address for the host. Check with the customer's network admin.
  6. Scroll to the end of the trace and see if the last packet is a
    FIN
     or
    RST
    , which signifies that job has completed. Click here for illustration.
  7. If any of the verification steps fail, see section below.

Submit trace for escalation

Send the trace file to
TSC Level 3
 who in turn sends it to PE.
Please send the trace with the following information:
  • Description of job that was performed when Tace A was captured.
  • Result of job that was performed when Tace A was captured.
  • Printer that AS/400 was printing to when Tace A was captured.
Example of
good submission
:
  • Trace1.pcap is the trace captured from a 20-page job sent to T654 that printed with missing bar code on page 3.
  • Trace2.pcap is the trace captured from the same job sent to T644 that printed correctly.”
Example of
better submission
:
“Captured the following traces of a 20-page job first sent to T654 and then to T644: T654_missing_barcode_pg3.pcap and T644_OK_barcode.pcap”
Both examples are good and acceptable. However, the second example is better because the filenames are descriptive enough to be easily understandable and unambiguous. That is, you know exactly which file is which after downloading from database or email.

Cannot get a good trace?

If you've performed the steps correctly but still fail verification (
Step 3
), repeat
Steps 1
 and
2
 to see if there are items that you missed.
Common culprits
  • Use of a network switch instead of hub
  • Use of an incorrect IP address for the AS400 server or printer
  • Starting the trace after the job has printed
  • Stopping the trace too early (while job is still printing)
  • Customer's network topology uses multiple switches and routers preventing proper trace capture.
If you are not able to capture the trace, please report the problem to PE with the following info:
  1. Sample of trace that was captured so we can cross-verify.
  2. Description of what job was performed when trace in #1 was captured.
  3. Diagram or description of setup used during network trace capture
  4. Description of problems encountered during network trace capture.
  5. Description of any limitations or restrictions in customer's current network setup; e.g., customer does not want to detach printer from network, etc.

Hub Importance

You may need to set up port mirroring on the switch; otherwise, it may be necessary to use a simple hub to make the traffic reach the sniffing system. It should be noted that some devices advertised as hubs are in fact switches that use various filters or intelligence to prevent the workstations from seeing each other's packets; with this type of device, getting a good trace may not be possible.
LEGACY ID:
HO3616

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