[comp.unix.sysv386] How To Force System Dump

gwr@linus.mitre.org (Gordon W. Ross) (10/26/90)

In article <2652@dsacg3.dsac.dla.mil> of comp.unix.sysv386,
ntm1569@dsacg3.dsac.dla.mil (Jeff Roth) asks:

> [...] "is there any way to force a system coredump if a machine is hung?"

Yes.  If you have an NMI (Non-Maskable Interrupt) switch on your
machine, pressing it will cause a panic and system dump.

If you don't have such a switch it is trivial to add one.  You need a
switch between the NMI line and ground.  The NMI line is available on
every I/O channel slot, pin 2 (that's from memory -- look it up!)
As always, don't blame me if you fry your mother board...
-- 
Gordon W. Ross  (M/S E095)	internet: gwr@linus.mitre.org
The MITRE Corporation    	uucp: {decvax|philabs}!linus!gwr
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Bedford, MA 01730 (U.S.A.)

rob@phavl.UUCP (Robert Ransbottom) (10/28/90)

In article <124442@linus.mitre.org> gwr@linus.mitre.org (Gordon W. Ross) writes:
>In article <2652@dsacg3.dsac.dla.mil> of comp.unix.sysv386,
>ntm1569@dsacg3.dsac.dla.mil (Jeff Roth) asks:
>
>> [...] "is there any way to force a system coredump if a machine is hung?"
>
>Yes.  If you have an NMI (Non-Maskable Interrupt) switch on your
>machine, pressing it will cause a panic and system dump.
>
On ISC 386ix V.3.2 (2.0.2) with Operating System Messages and Kernel Debugging
built in, system phavl traps NMI's, hovers for a couple of secs, 
issues diagostics, and continues.
(I thought there was a bad tape drive, but seems cpio with -C714400 has been 
grabbing flaky ram.)