Checklist for Troubleshooting a System Crash
Answer the questions in the following checklist to help isolate the system problem and
to prepare to consult with your Oracle Support providers.
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Is a system crash dump available?
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Identify the operating system release and appropriate software application
release levels.
The user should receive information for more/etc/release
or pkg info entire.
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Identify system hardware.
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Include the prtdiag output for SPARC and x86 systems.
Include Explorer output, which is often requested by services for all
systems.
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Are patches installed?
Because Oracle Solaris 11 does not show showrev -p output,
include information about installed SRUs & IDRs instead.
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Is the problem reproducible?
A reproducible test case is often essential for debugging difficult problems.
By reproducing the problem, the service provider can build kernels with special
instrumentation to trigger, diagnose, and fix the bug.
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Does the system have any third-party drivers?
Drivers run in the same address space as the kernel. With all the same
privileges, they can cause system crashes if they have bugs.
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What was the system doing before it crashed?
Unusual circumstances like running a new stress test or experiencing
a load that is higher than usual might have led to the crash.
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Did any unusual console messages display right before the system
crashed?
Sometimes the system will show signs of distress before it actually crashes;
this information is often useful.
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Did you add any parameters to the /etc/system
file?
/etc/system is now supplemented by
/etc/system.d/* starting with Oracle Solaris 11.2.
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Did the problem start recently?
If so, did the onset of problems coincide with any changes to the system? For
example: new drivers, new software, different workload, CPU upgrade, or a memory
upgrade.
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