Troubleshooting SAP OS Collector (saposcol) Issues and Resolving ST06 Data Access Problems

[Vimal_Soosairaj]

Introduction:

       In this article, I will share my experience troubleshooting issues related to the SAP OS Collector (saposcol) not running, which led to challenges in accessing ST06 data and analyzing system performance. We will explore the common symptoms such as shared memory errors and missing dump status data, discuss the underlying causes, and outline the steps taken to resolve the issue. This guide aims to help SAP administrators quickly identify and address similar issues in their environments.

Key Notes:

1. Always Use the Latest saposcol
   SAP recommends using the latest version of saposcol. It is part of the SAPHOSTAGENT.SAR package.

2. Root Privileges Required for saposcol
   To start saposcol, ensure you have root privileges, not the SIDadm user. This is because saposcol collects all OS statistics.

3. Location of saposcol Executables
   To start or check the status of saposcol, navigate to the following directory: /usr/sap/hostctrl/exe

4. useful commands for saposcol:

   ./saposcol -s (to check the status)

   ./saposcol -l (to start)

   ./saposcol -k (to stop)

   ./saposcol -d (to access saposcol by dialog mode, once ./saposcol -d executed then type help, it will show the list of dialog mode commands in the dialog mode)

Solution:

In my case, I used saposcol’s dialog mode and executed the launch command to start it. After starting, I encountered a NipConnect error that kept displaying. Initially, I thought it was a persistent error, so I waited without closing the command prompt. After approximately 5 minutes, saposcol successfully started.

If you're still facing issues when checking the history of collected saposcol data in ST06, follow the solutions provided in the SAP Notes listed below.

Recommended SAP Notes:

👉 SAP Note 1915341 – ST06: No historical data available

👉 SAP Note 2338673 – SM12: Lock entry remains in system

Additional Steps:

In my case, I resolved the issue by restarting the sapstart service. The command for restarting the service is as follows:

sapcontrol -nr <instance nr> -function RestartService

After restarting the service, I was able to see the ST06 history for previous hours.

Additional Useful SAP Notes:

• SAP Note 1102124

• SAP Note 19227

• SAP Note 1031096

• SAP Note 548699

Conclusion:

By following the steps outlined above and referring to the relevant SAP Notes, I was able to resolve the issue and restore access to ST06 data. If you encounter similar problems, I hope this guide will provide you with the necessary steps to troubleshoot and fix the issue in your SAP environment.