IBM System SSL Environment Variables on z/OS

There are some System SSL environment variables related to tracing and debug messages which must be specified before the EMS library is loaded.

Note: Tracing is supported only on z/OS systems.

These environment variables are discussed in the IBM System Secure Sockets Layer programming guide, but a short summary is provided here:

  • Set the file name (USS only) for raw trace records:
    • GSK_TRACE_FILE <trace file name>  
    • GSK_TRACE <mask> — specify 255 to trace everything

      These two values enable detailed tracing of all GSK calls to a file. The file may subsequently be formatted for viewing using the gsktrace command.

  • GSK_HW_CRYPTO <crypto mask> 65535 to enalble all, 0 to disable all hardware cryptographic functions.
  • GSK_SSL_HW_DETECT_MESSAGE — if set, causes brief messages regarding the state of the installed hardware to be written to stdout when the application is started.