How to reduce size of file "core" ?

[TSch]

Hi folks,

there's a file called "core" located under / on each of our RS6000 machines...

What does it do ?
How is it being created ?

And most important: How do I reduce the size of this file (It's become quite large right now) ?

Is it safe to use command

> /core

Thanks in advance !

Regards
Thomas

 

[nwardez]

Hi,

Core files is memory dump when a program crashes. You can limit its size within /etc/security/limits (core and core_hard parameters) and remove it if you don't know what to do with it. The best thing to do is to determine which program crashes and correct it (ML, update...)

 

[bi]

core files are usually created when your an application has had some kind of problem.

Do an errpt to see if you can tell when the system core dumped. Apps can core dump for various reasons. Sometimes you can examine (using special tools) what is in the core file and fix a problem. Check the FAQ section here -- I think someone has written an FAQ on examining a core file.

Do a long listing of the core file to see when it was created. If it wasn't in the last few days, I'd just delete it.

 

[JSiva]

Hi

Or just to use "lquerypv -h core 6b0 64" to see which program has created the core. For further analyze (if you really wanted to know)use "strings core".

Or just "rm core"

JSiva Om Maha Ganapathiye Namaga!