How to increase the retention time of /var/lib/systemd/coredump

This document (7023701) is provided subject to the disclaimer at the end of this document.

Environment

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 Service Pack 3 (SLES 12 SP3)
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 Service Pack 2 (SLES 12 SP2)
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 Service Pack 1 (SLES 12 SP1)

Situation

An application exists abnormally and a core dump is reported in the systemd journal. The file was requested in the course of a support request, e.g.:

miniontest:~ # coredumpctl list
TIME                            PID   UID   GID SIG PRESENT EXE
Fri 2019-02-01 08:53:11 CET   32346     0     0   7   /usr/bin/top


but when trying to extract it according to the information in TID 7017137 - How to obtain systemd core dumps
the command returns "No such file or directory":

miniontest:~ # coredumpctl -o core.top dump /usr/bin/top
           PID: 32346 (top)
           UID: 0 (root)
           GID: 0 (root)
        Signal: 7 (BUS)
     Timestamp: Fri 2019-02-01 08:53:11 CET (4 days ago)
  Command Line: top
    Executable: /usr/bin/top
 Control Group: /user.slice/user-0.slice/session-667.scope
          Unit: session-667.scope
         Slice: user-0.slice
       Session: 667
     Owner UID: 0 (root)
       Boot ID: 93ce963772084db699b11679c13034b7
    Machine ID: 68fab2bd0879e9143c8210f55c4b0978
      Hostname: miniontest
       Message: Process 32346 (top) of user 0 dumped core.
Cannot retrieve coredump from journal nor disk.
Coredump retrieval failed: No such file or directory

Resolution

Create a file like /etc/tmpfiles.d/core.conf with the following content:

d /var/lib/systemd/coredump 0755 root root 14d

Keep in mind though, that depending on the failing application the /var/ file system may require additional monitoring as disk space usage may increase due to the longer retention time. For further details on the settings please see "man 5 tmpfiles.d".

Cause

The default retention policy for /var/lib/systemd/coredump is configured in /usr/lib/tmpfiles.d/systemd.conf and according to "man 5 tmpfiles.d" may get overridden by creating respective *.conf files in /etc/tmpfiles.d/. For systems operating in enterprise environments a retention time of three days may not be suffcient.

Additional Information


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:7023701
  • Creation Date: 05-Feb-2019
  • Modified Date:03-Mar-2020
    • SUSE Linux Enterprise Server

< Back to Support Search

For questions or concerns with the SUSE Knowledgebase please contact: tidfeedback[at]suse.com

SUSE Support Forums

Get your questions answered by experienced Sys Ops or interact with other SUSE community experts.

Join Our Community

Support Resources

Learn how to get the most from the technical support you receive with your SUSE Subscription, Premium Support, Academic Program, or Partner Program.


SUSE Customer Support Quick Reference Guide SUSE Technical Support Handbook Update Advisories
Support FAQ

Open an Incident

Open an incident with SUSE Technical Support, manage your subscriptions, download patches, or manage user access.

Go to Customer Center