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Error sequence numbers and time stamps?

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The Question is:

 
Why would a VMS error log (ERRLOG.SYS) have frequent and/or large gaps in ERROR SEQUENCE numbers? Is there anything that can be done to minimize the number of missing log entries? Also, are there any rules as to when VMS will write a TIME STAMP message in
to the log? We are running VMS V5.5-2 on MicroVAX 3100's with at least 16 MB of memory and using RZ26 drives or better.

The Answer is :

    ERRFMT writes a time stamp message approximately every 10 minutes.
 
    The most likely cause of gaps in error sequence numbers is
    that ERRFMT collapses adjacent time stamp messages into one time
    message with the most recent time stamp. This avoids filling the error
    log file with time stamps and ensures that the newest one is recorded.
    It can, however, cause a sequence number gap in the error log file
    messages.
 
    It is also possible to get sequence number gaps if error messages
    cannot be buffered in the system error log buffers. System global
    cell ERL$GL_ALLOCFAILS contains the number of such messages.
    You can increase the size of the system error log buffers through
    SYSGEN parameter ERLBUFFERPAGES.
 
    For further details consult the VAX/VMS V5.2 Internals and Data
    Structures book, Chapter 32, Error Logging. [There's probably some info in
    a sysmgr manual, but I don't have a 5.5-2 docset]

  
     
     answer written or last revised on ( 7-MAR-2000 )
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