NAME

savecore − save a core dump of the operating system

SYNOPSIS

/usr/etc/savecore dirname [ system ]

DESCRIPTION

savecore saves a core dump of the kernel (assuming that one was made) and writes a reboot message in the shutdown log.  It is meant to be called near the end of the /etc/rc.local file after the system boots.  However, it is not normally run by default.  You must edit that file to enable it. 

savecore checks the core dump to be certain it corresponds with the version of the operating system currently running.  If it does, savecore saves the core image in the file dirname/vmcore.n and the kernel’s namelist, in dirname/vmunix.n The trailing .n in the pathnames is replaced by a number which grows every time savecore is run in that directory. 

Before savecore writes out a core image, it reads a number from the file dirname/minfree. If there is less free space on the filesystem containing dirname than the number obtained from the minfree file, the core dump is not done.  If the minfree file does not exist, savecore always writes out the core file (assuming that a core dump was taken). 

savecore also writes a reboot message in the shutdown log.  If the system crashed as a result of a panic, savecore records the panic string in the shutdown log too. 

If the core dump was from a system other than /vmunix, the name of that system must be supplied as sysname.

FILES

/usr/adm/shutdownlog shutdown log

/vmunix the UNIX kernel

SEE ALSO

crash(8s), sa(8)

BUGS

Can be fooled into thinking a core dump is the wrong size. 
You must run savecore very soon after booting -- before the swap space containing the crash dump is overwritten by programs currently running. 

Sun Release 3.2  —  Last change: 23 December 1985