Before you configure the dump-to-disk feature, you must define what the system should do if complete dump information is not stored to a dump file on disk. If either of the following are true, then complete dump information is not stored to disk:
No dump files are available because existing dump files contain dump information and are protected from overwrites.
The size of the dump is larger than the size of the available dump file.
Use the BLDDUMP TAPE command to select either of the following dump strategies:
Do a dump-to-tape if a dump-to-disk is not successful.
Terminate the dump if the dump-to-disk is not successful.
If dump-to-disk was previously invoked, and you do not reinvoke the BLDDUMP TAPE command, BLDDUMP defaults to dump-to-disk.
Dump-to-tape |
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You can have the dump facility initiate a dump-to-tape if it cannot write complete dump information to a dump file; however, operator intervention is required to mount tapes and put the tape drive online. In this case, valuable dump information is guaranteed at the expense of an operator-less environment.
If a dump-to-tape was initiated because the size of the dump is larger than the size of the dump file, you must use the ALTSIZE command to change the dump file size. This can be done after a system restart. Refer to "Reset a Dump File," later in this chapter, for directions on emptying the contents of this dump file.
The BLDDUMP utility defaults to the dump-to-disk option if you do not use the TAPE command to specify otherwise. If you configured BLDDUMP to terminate the dump on an unsuccessful dump-to-disk, you can use the TAPE command to change the dump strategy and enable dump-to-tape. Refer to "Specify the Alternate Dump Device Strategy," later in this chapter, for more information about the TAPE command.
Terminate dump |
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You can choose to have the dump facility terminate if it cannot store complete dump information to a dump file. Autoboot continues by invoking the next ISL command in the autoboot file.
Dump results depend on the reasons for the unsuccessful dump-to-disk:
If the dump facility initially determines that no dump files are available, dump terminates immediately and all dump information is lost. This option guarantees an operator-less environment at the expense of valuable dump information.
If the size of the dump is larger than the size of the dump file, the dump facility terminates when the file is filled. In this case, the last part of the dump is lost. An operator-less environment is guaranteed, but the partial dump information may not be useful for determining the reasons for the system software failure.
