Troubleshooting Sign-On Problems

Host-Not-Active Message

While signing on to a server session, you receive the following message:

   ERROR:  Did not get Host prompt. 
           Host not active.

If you are signing on to computer via a TCP/IP connection, one of the following actions might overcome the problem:

Look at the script that you used for signing on. Ensure that the character string in the WAITFOR statement that tests for the server session system prompt exactly matches the character string that normally appears in the server session. The WAITFOR statement is case sensitive.
Look at the value of the REMOTE= option in the client session to be sure it specifies the correct IP address.
If you do not find any errors after checking the two preceding items, modify the script file by adding a TRACE ON statement and an ECHO ON statement at the beginning of the script file. These statements send a copy of the remote screen to the Log window or to a file in the client session. You can examine the SAS log in the client session to see what is displayed by the server session at the time the WAITFOR statement executes.

Absence of SAS Software Start-Up Messages

While signing on to a server session, you receive the following message:

   ERROR:  Did not get SAS software startup messages

This message occurs if the command to invoke the server session is not correct in the script file that is being used for signing on. Look at your script file and make sure that the TYPE statement that invokes SAS in the server session uses the correct SAS command for your site. At some sites, the command to invoke SAS is not the default command name SAS.

For more information about recovery from this error, see SAS/CONNECT Server Session Initialization Errors .

Requested-Link-Not-Found Message

While signing on to a server session from a client session that runs under z/OS, you receive the following message:

   ERROR:  XMS Communication Failure: 
           requested-link XVT not found.

This error occurs if XMS has not been configured correctly. For details about XMS configuration, see Communications Access Methods for SAS/CONNECT and SAS/SHARE.

For more information about recovery from this error, see SAS/CONNECT Server Session Initialization Errors .

SAS/CONNECT Server Session Initialization Errors

The method that you used to sign on to a server session correctly executed the SAS command to start the server session. However, errors prevent SAS from initializing. Possible explanations for initialization failure include the following:

An invalid option name or value might have been specified in the SAS command.
The user might not be authorized by the computer that the server session runs on to execute the SAS program modules or to access the SASHELP, SASUSER, or SASWORK libraries
The sign-on command might try to execute an autoexec file that does not exist.

In order to recover from the initialization failure, you need to view the content of the SAS console log. The location of the SAS console log varies according to the operating environment that the server session runs under.

SAS Console Log Messages for Windows

The SAS console log is written to a file that is located in the user's Application Data Directory. The name of the file is written as a record to the Windows Application Event Log.

You can use the Windows Event Viewer to see the application events on the computer where the server session was being executed. A warning event is logged for each initialization failure for a single server session. For multiple events, the user ID and the time of the event are included in the warning event.

For more information about the failing event, you can select the warning event from the viewer window. Another window is displayed that contains detailed event information, including the name of the file that contains the SAS console log.

SAS Console Log Messages for UNIX

The SAS console log is written to the standard output location for the SAS process. The location for the standard output varies according to the sign-on method that was used.

SASCMD= sign-on

Standard output is piped to the SAS session that issued the sign-on statement. The standard output messages are written to the SAS log in the SAS session. Each message contains a prefix that identifies the server session (the server ID) that was being created.

Spawner sign-on

The standard output location for the SAS session that is started via the spawner is piped to the standard output location of the spawner. The command that is used to start the spawner should ensure that standard output is redirected to a specific location. An example of redirecting standard output to a log follows:

sastcpd -nocleartext > spawner.log

SAS console log messages will be directed to the standard output location. For details about the UNIX spawner, see Communications Access Methods for SAS/CONNECT and SAS/SHARE.

Telnet daemon sign-on

The standard output location for the SAS session is the script processor in the SAS session that issued the SIGNON command. If the script processor does not receive a SESSION STARTED message from the server session, a sign-on failure is assumed. However, error messages that are directed to the SAS console log in the server session might not be displayed. To display error messages in the server session, include the echo on statement in the sign-on script.

SAS Console Log Messages for z/OS

The SAS console log is written to the SASCLOG ddname of the SAS session that is started. The location of the SASCLOG ddname varies according to the sign-on method that was used.

SASCMD= sign-on

The SASCLOG is written to the SYSOUT device.

To locate messages in the SAS console log, you must find the appropriate user ID in the spooled files. You can use a Job Entry System (JES) spool viewer (such as SDSF or EJES) to browse the spooled files.

Spawner sign-on

The SASCLOG is written to the SYSOUT device.

To locate messages in the SAS console log, you must find the appropriate user ID in the spooled files. You can use a Job Entry System (JES) spool viewer (such as SDSF or EJES) to browse the spooled files.

Telnet daemon sign-on

The SASCLOG ddname is directed to the script processor in the SAS session that issued the SIGNON command. If the script processor does not receive a SESSION STARTED message from the server session, a sign-on failure is assumed. However, error messages that are directed to the SAS console log in the server session might not be displayed. To display error messages in the server session, include the echo on statement in the sign-on script.