Using the control panel to perform a system dump

If your next level of support or your service provider suspects a wait or loop in the server firmware, you might be asked to perform a system dump.

About this task

Use this procedure only under the direction of your next level of support or your service provider, after first providing to your next level of support or service provider a dump of the operating system (for example, a main storage dump for IBM® i).

If you do not have a management console, follow these steps to perform a system dump:

Procedure

  1. Perform a controlled shutdown of all operating systems if possible.
    Attention: A system dump will abnormally terminate any running partitions.
  2. On the control panel, select Manual mode.
  3. Use the increment or decrement button to select function 42 (system dump).
  4. Press Enter (the middle button) on the control panel.
  5. Is 00000000 or FF displayed on the control panel for more than 30 seconds?
    • Yes: The service processor or server firmware is not responding to a request from the control panel. Contact your next level of support or your hardware service provider.
    • No: An attention SRC A1xx3042 is displayed, which indicates that function 42 has been selected.
  6. Perform the following steps:
    1. Ensure function 42 is shown on the control panel and press Enter (the middle button) again.
    2. Return to normal mode and wait for the dump to complete.
    3. Wait for the system to IPL again.
  7. For details on how to copy, report, or delete a dump after you have completed a dump, see Managing dumps.