Collect kdump information after an instance experiences an operating system failure - Elastic Compute Service

When the operating system of an Elastic Compute Service (ECS) instance fails, a kdump file is generated. You can collect and submit kdump information to obtain troubleshooting assistance from Alibaba Cloud technical support personnel. This topic describes how to collect kdump information after the operating system of an instance fails.

Background information

Alibaba Cloud technical support personnel analyzes the submitted kdump information and identifies the root cause of the system failure. Then, you are notified about the results of the analysis.

Note You can also check kdump files by using the Windows Debugger (WinDbg) tool for Windows instances or the crash tool for Linux instances.

Linux instance

Connect to the Linux instance.
For more information, see Connect to a Linux instance by using a password or key.
Run the following command to collect kdump information:
```
acs-plugin-manager --exec --plugin=ecs_dump_collector --params="-c"
```
A command output similar to the following one indicates that kdump information is collected.

Windows instance

Connect to the Windows instance.
For more information, see Connect to a Windows instance by using a password or key.
Open Command Prompt.
Run the following command to go to the assist directory:
```
cd C:\ProgramData\aliyun\assist
```
Run the following command to view the information of files in the assist directory:
```
dir
```
Run the following command to access the latest version of the directory. Example: 2.1.3.282.
```
cd 2.1.3.282
```
Run the following command to collect kdump information:
```
acs-plugin-manager.exe --exec --plugin=ecs_dump_collector_win --params="-c"
```
A command output similar to the following one indicates that kdump information is collected.

FAQ

If the error message shown in the following figure is displayed when you attempt to collect kdump information, it indicates that the dump service is not enabled in the operating system.

Solution:

Run one of the following commands to enable the dump service.
- For Linux operating systems, run the acs-plugin-manager --exec --plugin=ecs_dump_collector --params="--enable" command.
- For Windows operating systems, run the acs-plugin-manager.exe --exec --plugin=ecs_dump_collector_win --params="--enable" command.
Restart the instance in the ECS console for the new settings to take effect.
For more information, see Reboot the instance.