3Com 3C8S5007 - SuperStack II PathBuilder S500 Switch, User Manual

Page: 129 / 190

Performing a Memory Dump 129
Performing a
Memory Dump
If a PathBuilder switch unexpectedly stops functioning, it performs a
memory dump. A memory dump provides a view of the internal state of
the system, which can help Technical Support determine the cause of the
failure.
If your operating system does not come with a TFTP server, you can use
3Com’s. The 3Com TFTP server is provided with the Upgrade
Management Utilities on the software CD-ROM. See Upgrading
Enterprise OS Software for more information.
By default, the system performs a partial dump to available flash memory.
If you want a full dump to a TFTP server on the local Ethernet network,
you must have the following items available:
■
IP addresses and subnet masks of the PathBuilder switch, TFTP server,
and possibly, the gateway leading to the network segment where the
TFTP server is located
■
A TFTP server on the local Ethernet network
■
Authorization to write to the TFTP server
■
160 MB of available disk space on the TFTP server
■
The PathBuilder switch configured to dump to the TFTP server
The procedure to obtain a memory dump involves setting up destination
IP addresses and a file to hold the memory dump information. The
PathBuilder switch uses the IP addresses to transmit the memory dump in
a file across the network to a TFTP server.
Notice to users with UNIX TFTP servers: Some UNIX TFTP servers do not
have the capability to create files if they do not exist, but can overwrite an
existing file. Therefore, you must first create a file with the expected
dump file name on the UNIX TFTP server. The procedure for creating such
a file is described in “Creating Files for the Memory Dump” on page 131.
Configuring the
Dump Destination
The Dump Destination parameter selects where the contents of
PathBuilder switch memory are stored in case of a crash.
1 Attach a console or Telnet to your PathBuilder switch.
2 At the Enterprise OS # prompt, enter:
SysconF