Stack Dump Production

Restriction: This only applies to Linux platforms.

The Micro Focus COBOL Run-Time System enables you produce a stack dump when a run-time system error occurs for native COBOL applications that are built to an executable or shared object. .NET COBOL programs, or programs built to INT/GNT format, are not supported by this functionality.

If the stackdump_on_error tunable is enabled, a stackdump file is generated at the point of the application's failure. The file is created in the program's working directory unless a different location has been set using the stackdump_filename tunable.

Note: If the core_on_error tunable is also in effect and set to produce a core file, then due to the order in which the two tunables a processed, a stackdump file is only generated if core_on_error is set to 3.

The stackdump file contains a stack trace for each thread within the program. The level of detail within a trace can depend on how the program was compiled: compilation for debug generates a more comprehensive stack trace, with most (if not all) COBOL statements appearing in the stack; compilation for a production environment produces a more optimized code and therefore may produce a less comprehensive stack. In either case, the top-most entry indicating the COBOL program and its line number should give a strong indication of where the program is failing.