IBM RS/6000 SP, Problem Determination Manual

Page: 223 / 316

This soft copy for use by IBM employees only.
Make sure you know your system and know what your primary and secondary
dump devices are set to.
•
To list the current dump destination:
# sysdumpdev -l
primary /dev/hd6
secondary /dev/sysdumpnull
copy directory /var/adm/ras
forced copy flag TRUE
always allow dump FALSE
•
To set the dump device:
# sysdumpdev
[
-P
]
{-p|-s} <device>
Dump devices are usually portable mediums such as tape drives. However, for
the SP nodes, those tape drives are not attached directly. You may copy the
content of the dump into a file, then transfer it to the Control Workstation, and
then download it to a tape.
A dump device can be configured either as a dedicated device that requires no
operator intervention when a dump occurs, or as a shared device that can be
used for other purposes until a dump is requested. A dedicated dump device is
referred to as the primary dump device, and a shared one as a secondary dump
device.
Operator intervention is required when a dump is to be written to the secondary
dump device. When you install the operating system, the dump device is
automatically configured for you. By default the primary device is /dev/hd6,
which is a paging logical volume, and the secondary device is /dev/sysdumpnull.
Note that for systems which have been migrated from AIX Version 3.2.5 to AIX
Version 4.1, the primary dump device is set to what it was formerly /dev/hd7.
Important
/dev/hd7 is the primary dump device by default on the SP nodes, even in
version 4.1. The reason for this is simple: Because /dev/hd6 is the paging
space, after a system dump the node comes back and waits in the S1 line for
a response about what to do with the system dump that resides in its paging
space.
Use the
sysdumpdev
command or SMIT to query or change the primary and
secondary dump devices.
•
To estimate the size of the dump for the current system:
# sysdumpdev -e
estimated dump size in bytes: 16250880
•
To display statistical information about the previous dump:
# sysdumpdev -L
Flags:
-l List
-p Primary
-s Secondary
Chapter 8. Producing a System Dump
203