Shorten the size of a kernel dump file
This document (7006319) is provided subject to the disclaimer at the end of this document.
Environment
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 Service Pack 2
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 Service Pack 3
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11
Situation
If the dump file needs to be transfered somewhere else for analysis, the transfer or upload might take a very long time, and you may wish to reduce the size of the file.
Resolution
You need to install the kernel debuginfo RPM, matching the same kernel version and flavor of the kernel, the dump file was taken from. Then run makedumpfile specifying another dump level to produce a new smaller dump file. Here's an example of the command:
makedumpfile -d 15 -x /usr/lib/debug/boot/vmlinux-2.6.16.60-0.66.1-default.debug /var/log/dump/2010-06-21-13\:05/vmcore /tmp/shorter-vmcore
-d lets you specify the dump level. 15 is a good, recommended size, producing dump files, sufficient for analysis in most cases.
-x specifies the location of the vmlinux debug file. After the installation of the kernel debuginfo RPM, the vmlinux debug file (vmlinux-kernelversion-kernelflavor.debug) is located per default in /usr/lib/debug/boot.
The vmlinux file is followed by the dump file location, specified in KDUMP_SAVEDIR. If saved on the disk, the default is /var/log/dump/date/.
The last parameter is the new, stripped down version of the dump file.
Additional Information
The following error is displayed:
"check_elf_format: Can't get valid ehdr"
As temporary solution, makedumpfile from openSUSE 11.4 (makedumpfile-1.3.6-2.1) can be used to shorten the size.
Disclaimer
This Support Knowledgebase provides a valuable tool for SUSE customers and parties interested in our products and solutions to acquire information, ideas and learn from one another. Materials are provided for informational, personal or non-commercial use within your organization and are presented "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND.
- Document ID:7006319
- Creation Date: 21-Jun-2010
- Modified Date:03-Mar-2020
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- SUSE Linux Enterprise Server
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