Preventive Service Planning
Abstract
Configure your IBM Spectrum Protect system to produce full core dumps so that, in the unlikely event that the server stops responding, IBM Software Support can diagnose the problem.
Content
Estimating space requirements for core dumps
The IBM Spectrum Protect Blueprints provide reference architectures for configuring small, medium, and large storage solutions. Based on these reference architectures, you can apply the following guidelines when planning space for core dumps:
- Small system: 5 GB
- Medium system: 10 GB
- Large system: 20 GB
The actual size required for a core dump can vary, based on your system environment.
Core dumps on Linux operating systems
Different versions of Linux® use different methods to control how core dumps are produced. On all supported Linux systems, the core-dump process is controlled by the /proc/sys/kernel/core_pattern file. This file establishes a naming pattern for core files, and can also specify a program to be called to process core dumps as they are produced.
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 and 7
On Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 6 and RHEL 7, the core_pattern file calls the /usr/libexec/abrt-hook-ccpp program by default to process core dumps. This program is part of the Automatic Bug Reporting Tool (ABRT). You can use the ABRT tool to specify the location and maximum size of core dumps. Edit the ABRT configuration file, /etc/abrt/abrt.conf, to specify the following settings:
- A location with sufficient space for an IBM Spectrum Protect server core dump. Specify the location by setting the DumpLocation parameter.
- A sufficient size for crash reports to help ensure that core dumps are not truncated. Specify the size of crash reports by setting the MaxCrashReportsSize parameter.
For more information about configuring the ABRT tool, see Automatic Bug Reporting Tool (ABRT).
- SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 and 15, and RHEL 8
On SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) 12, SLES 15, and RHEL 8, the core_pattern file defaults to calling the /usr/lib/systemd/systemd-coredump system service. The systemd-coredump service uses the /etc/systemd/coredump.conf file to control the location and maximum size of core dumps.
Edit the /etc/systemd/coredump.conf file to specify that core dumps are stored in an external location instead of the systemd journal. When an external location is specified, the systemd-coredump service stores core dumps in the /var/lib/systemd/coredump directory. For this reason, you must ensure that the drive with this directory has enough space to store an IBM Spectrum Protect server core dump. Specify sufficient values for the ProcessSizeMax and ExternalSizeMax parameters to ensure that core dumps are not truncated.
- Ubuntu Server 16.04 LTS
On Ubuntu Server 16.04 LTS, the core_pattern file defaults to calling the apport system service. However, no core processing utilities are configured by default. If you have not configured core processing utilities, ensure that sufficient space for core dumps is maintained in the IBM Spectrum Protect server instance directory.
On Ubuntu, the apport system can be enabled to facilitate troubleshooting. For more information, see Apport. If apport is enabled, it stores core dumps in the /var/crash directory by default, and you should ensure that sufficient space is maintained in the file system with that directory.
Reference information for core dumps on Linux systems
For more details, see the respective man pages:
Core dumps on IBM AIX operating systems
On AIX, core dumps are stored by default in the directory from which the IBM Spectrum Protect server is running. However, the location can be changed by using the chcore or syscorepath command. To ensure that complete core dumps are available, take the following actions:
- Ensure that sufficient space is maintained in the directory that is configured to store core dumps.
- Set the core size user limit to allow complete core dumps to be stored.
For information about enabling core dumps on AIX, see the product documentation.
Memory dumps on Microsoft Windows operating systems
On Microsoft® Windows, ensure that the directory where the IBM Spectrum Protect server was installed has sufficient space to hold a full memory dump. Typically, the server is installed in the following directory:
c:\program files\tivoli\tsm\server
c:\program files\tivoli\tsm\server
[{"Line of Business":{"code":"LOB26","label":"Storage"},"Business Unit":{"code":"BU058","label":"IBM Infrastructure w\/TPS"},"Product":{"code":"SSEQVQ","label":"IBM Spectrum Protect"},"ARM Category":[{"code":"a8m50000000Ci5XAAS","label":"Server"}],"ARM Case Number":"","Platform":[{"code":"PF016","label":"Linux"}],"Version":"8.1.10;8.1.11"}]
Product Synonym
TSM; Spectrum Protect
Was this topic helpful?
Document Information
Modified date:
20 November 2020
UID
ibm16357399