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na_savecore - save a core dump
savecore [ -i | -l | -s ]
savecore [ -f | -k | -w ] [ core id ]
savecore is meant to be called near the end of the initialization
file /etc/rc. Its function is to save the
core dump of the system (assuming one was made) and to
write the panic string to /etc/messages. savecore saves
the compressed core dump file as
core.sysid.YYYY-MM-DD.HH_MM_SS[.n].nz in the coredump
directory (/etc/crash). A smaller, minimal core file,
mini-core.sysid.YYYY-MM-DD.HH_MM_SS[.n] is also stored in
the coredump directory. The timestamp embedded in the
core and mini-core name is the time of the panic, in UTC.
Before savecore writes out a core image, it reads a number
from the file /etc/crash/minfree. The minfree file
defines the number of free kilobytes that should be left
in the root filesystem after savecore runs. It should
contain only a number followed by a newline. If the
amount of space left after saving a core would be less
than this number, savecore will abort, and not save any
more cores. If the minfree file does not exist, savecore
will save cores until it runs out of space in the root
filesystem.
savecore is done in parallel with enabling services such
as NFS. If a panic occurs prior to the completion of the
savecore then the filer will do a synchronous savecore
once it reboots.
When run with no arguments, savecore will save all cores
that do not require the -f flag to be saved. Then, a
mini-core will be generated for each saved core. If a
core id is given, only the specified core will be considered.
A core id is a large integer and only applies to unsaved
cores. They can be found by running savecore -l.
-
-f
- If savecore fails to save an unsaved core
too many times, it will stop trying. This
flag tells savecore to ignore the previous
attempts, and try again. This attempt will
be made synchronously.
-
-i
- Displays information about the type of
coredump that would be performed, if the
system were to panic right now. If unsaved
cores are present on the disks, this information
will be included in the output.
-
-k
- Invalidates the special core area that
resides on each of the disks. Typically
this is used when a savecore command cannot
complete due to an error such as a disk
read error.
-
-l
- Lists all of the saved core files currently
in the coredump directory, along with the
panic string, panic time, and OS version.
This information, along with a core id, is
printed for unsaved cores.
-
-s
- Displays the progress of the current
savecore operation. If no save is in
progress, but an unsaved core is present, a
warning will be printed if the unsaved core
cannot fit in the root filesystem.
-
-w
- Starts savecore in a synchronous mode,
which blocks other processing until the
save has completed. Periodic progress
updates will be displayed on the console.
-
/etc/crash/core.*.nz
- saved core files
-
/etc/crash/mini-core.*
- minimal core files
-
/etc/crash/minfree
- free KB in FS to maintain after
savecore
If the live filer in a cluster has the savecore command in
its /etc/rc file, it can save the cores created by its
partner when its partner crashes. The cores are saved to
the partner's coredump directory.
na_partner(1), na_rc(5).
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