To obtain kernel dumps of IBM® Z instances, you can
use the tools described, for example, kdump or VMDUMP. You can use DASD, tape, or SCSI dump
devices.
What's new for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP5
This edition (SC34-2785-01) contains the following changes compared to SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15.
PDF file for Using the Dump Tools on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server
You can view and print this information in PDF format.
Planning for dumps
Be prepared before disaster strikes! Consider what dump method you want to use, what size dumps you need to handle, and what possibilities exist to limit the size or spread the dump over several devices.
Using kdump
You can use kdump to create system dumps for instances of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server .
Using a DASD dump device
To use a DASD dump device, you need to install the stand-alone DASD dump tool and perform the dump process. Then, copy the dump to a file in a Linux file system.
Using DASD devices for multi-volume dump
You can handle large dumps, up to the combined size of 32 DASD partitions, by creating dumps across multiple volumes.
Using a tape dump device
You can use a channel-attached tape as a dump device. To use a tape, you need to install the stand-alone tape dump tool and perform the dump process. Then, copy the dump to a file in a Linux file system.
Using a SCSI disk dump device
To use a SCSI dump device you need to install the stand-alone SCSI dump tool, perform the dump process, and copy the dump to a file in a Linux file system.
Using an NVMe disk dump device
To use an NVMe device, you need to install the stand-alone NVMe disk dump tool, perform the dump process, and copy the dump from a partition to a file in a Linux file system.
Using virsh dump to create dumps on KVM hosts
The virsh dump command writes KVM guest dumps to a file in the KVM host file system.
Creating dumps on z/VM with VMDUMP
Use VMDUMP to create dumps on z/VM® systems, using the z/VM reader as the dump medium.
Creating live-system dumps with zgetdump
If you require a kernel dump of a Linux instance, but no downtime is acceptable, you can create a kernel dump from a live system without disruption.
Processing dumps
You can copy and transfer the dump file to another system, reduce the dump size, and send the reduced dump to IBM Support.
Obtaining a dump with limited size
The mem kernel parameter can make Linux use less memory than is available to it. A dump of such a Linux system does not need to include the unused memory. You can use the zipl command with the size option to limit the amount of memory that is dumped.
Command summary
The descriptions of the commands contain only the options and parameters that are relevant to dumping on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server . For a full description see the man pages.
Installing the DASD or SCSI dump tool with YaST
You can prepare ECKD DASD and SCSI dump devices with the YaST tool.