OpenSolaris

Visual Panels Help Text|

Core File Management
In the Solaris release, core file management can be used to configure the names, locations and contents of core files that are generated by a host. To write scripts to manage core files, see the coreadm(1M)man page.
The following topics are included:

• What is the Core File Management: Activity Tab Used For?
• What is the Core File Management: Settings Tab Used For?
• What is the Core File Management: Settings: Edit Screen Used For?
• Customizing the Core Name File Pattern
• Customizing the Contents of the Core File

What is the Core File Management: Activity Tab Used For?
The Core File Management: Activity Tab lists all of the core files stored locally, as well as the size of the core file. The following operations are supported from this panel:

• The display can be changed from the icon to the list view or back.
• In the list view, the order of the files can be changed in two ways:
  • Clicking the Name button toggles from descending alphabetic list to an ascending list
  • Clicking the Size button toggles the sorting from largest core file on top to smallest on top
• The Reload button regenerates the list of core files.

What is the Core File Management: Settings Tab Used For?
This tab is used to configure whether core files are generated and how the files are stored. Two types of core files can be created by the system. A per-process core file is owned and can be examined by the owner of the process that terminated. A global core file is owned by superuser. The contents of a per-process and a global core file for an event can be identical, depending on the content options that are selected.
The following configuration options are available:

• Do not generate any core files
• Store the last core file only in the root directory
• Store the core files in a central place (where?), sorted in subdirectories labeled with the username
• Store files in the users home directory
• Customize how store global and per-process core files
  See What is the Core File Management: Settings: Edit Screen Used For? for more information about how to customize core file management.

What is the Core File Management: Settings: Edit Screen Used For?
The Custom Scheme screen is opened by clicking the Edit button on the Core File Management: Settings Tab. The following configuration options can be set for global or per-process core files:

• For global core files, whether to generate a system log message.
• Whether this type of core file is stored.
• Define the core name file pattern that each core file should be stored in. You can insert embedded variables into the path using the insert arrow to the right of the Path. See Customizing the Core Name File Pattern for more information.
• Whether to allow set-id or set-gid core files to use the global or per-process core pattern.
• Select the contents of the core file. See Customizing the Contents of the Core File for more information.
  • Add or deleted content by moving entries into or out of the Selected screen
  • Reset content to the system default by clicking the Defaults button

Customizing the Core Name File Pattern
The core file name pattern is a file name which includes the full path and may include embedded variables. The variables are specified using a leading “%” character. The meaning of these variables is expanded when the core file is generated by the operating system. These are the embedded variables that are available:

• %d — Executable directory file name
• %f — Executable file name
• %g — Effective group ID
• %m — Machine name (uname -m)
• %n — System node name (uname -n)
• %p — Process ID
• %t — Decimal value of time()
• %u — Effective user ID
• %z — Name of the zone in which the process was executed (zonename)
• %% — Literal “%”

Customizing the Contents of the Core File
These are the strings used to add content to the core file:

• Anonymous private mappings — includes thread stacks that are not main thread stacks
• Anonymous shared mappings
• CTF type information — for loaded object files
• DISM — Dynamic Intimate Shared Memory
• Heap — process heap
• ISM mapping — Intimate Shared Memory
• Process stack
• Read-only private mappings
• Readable/exectuable private mappings
• Shared mappings backed by files
• Symbol Table — for loaded object files
• System V shared memory
• Writable private mappings