[Crash-utility] crash fails to start with RHEL4/ia64 vmcore

[Dave Anderson]

----- "Mark Goodwin" <mgoodwin at redhat.com> wrote:

> [re-send now that I'm subscribed]
> 
> Any help would be appreciated - I have an IA64 vmcore
> from a RHEL4 system, and crash doesn't like it :
> 
> # file vmcore
> vmcore: ELF 64-bit LSB core file IA-64, version 1 (SYSV), SVR4-style, from 'vmlinux'
> 
> # crash usr__2.6.9-89.EL/lib/debug/lib/modules/2.6.9-89.EL/vmlinux vmcore
> 
> crash 5.0.6
> .. copyright stuff omitted ..
> GNU gdb (GDB) 7.0
> ...
> WARNING: invalid linux_banner pointer: 8a653075c6c36178
> crash: usr__2.6.9-89.EL/lib/debug/lib/modules/2.6.9-89.EL/vmlinux and vmcore do not match!
> Usage: ...
> 
> I've tried hacking the 5.0.6 src to avoid the linux_banner check,
> but it just breaks further down the track :
> 
> WARNING: boot command line memory limit: 59ab0c85d99b2fa9
> crash: ia64_VTOP(b929ee8856a6b891): unexpected region 5 address
> 
> So I'm stuck. The customer assures me the vmcore is from their 2.6.9-89.EL
> ia64 system. At the very least it would help if I could extract some or all
> of the dmesg buffer.

It appears that there's simply a mismatch between the vmlinux and vmcore file.
If it's not a compressed diskdump vmcore, you can verify that easily enough by
just doing:

 $ strings vmlinux | grep "Linux version"
 $ strings vmcore | grep "Linux version"

and comparing the output.

> Dave, the vmcore is on an internal Red Hat RHEL4/ia64 system - I can
> give you access details off-list if you think it will help.

Sure -- if the strings output doesn't give you a clue, please point me to the files.

Thanks,
  Dave