1.6 Configuring Solaris OS to Generate Core Files

Core files are generated when a process or application terminates abnormally. Core files are managed with the coreadm command. This section describes how to use the coreadm command to configure a system so that all process core files are placed in a single system directory. This means it is easier to track problems by examining the core files in a specific directory whenever a Solaris OS process or daemon terminates abnormally.

Before configuring your system for core files, make sure that the /var file system has sufficient space. Once you configure Solaris OS to generate core files, from now on all processes that crash will write a core file to the /var/cores directory.

To Configure Solaris OS to Generate Core Files

Before You Begin

If you use the Web Server as the web container, make sure that the Web Server user is not nobody, as it may not provide the necessary core file in this case.

1. Run the following commands as root.

   mkdir -p /var/cores
   coreadm -g /var/cores/%f.%n.%p.%t.core -e global -e global-setid -e log -d process -d proc-setid

   In this command:

   -g

   Specifies the global core file name pattern. Unless a per-process pattern or setting overrides it, core files are stored in the specified directory with a name such as program.node.pid.time.core, for example: mytest.myhost.1234.1102010309.core.

   -e

   Specifies options to enable. The preceding command enables:

   • Use of the global (that is, system-wide) core file name pattern (and thereby location)

   • Capability of setuid programs to also dump core as per the same pattern

   • Generation of a syslog message by any attempt to dump core (successful or not)

   -d

   Specifies options to disable. The preceding command disables:

   • Core dumps per the per-process core file pattern

   • Per-process core dumps of setuid programs

   The preceding command stores all core dumps in a central location with names identifying what process dumped core and when. These changes only impact processes started after you run the coreadm command. Use the coreadm -u command after the preceding command to apply the settings to all existing processes.

2. Display the core configuration.

   # coreadmglobal core file pattern: /var/cores/%f.%n.%p.%t.core init core file pattern: core global core dumps: enabled per-process core dumps: disabled global setid core dumps: enabled per-process setid core dumps: disabled global core dump logging: enabled

   See the coreadm man page for further information.

3. Set the size of the core dumps to unlimited.

   # ulimit -c unlimited # ulimit -a coredump(blocks) unlimited

   See the ulimit man page for further information.

4. Verify core file creation.

   # cd /var/cores # sleep 100000 & [1] PID # kill -8 PID # ls