kdump target configuration

Hello All,

I would like to discuss about "kdump target configuration" in RHEL.

My journey into this rabbit hole started with these lines in Common KDUMP Troubleshooting

**Improper dump target configuration in the /etc/kdump.conf file and the system**
-The intended dump target, stated in the "path" parameter, must be an existing directory with write permissions.

-It is recommended to use persistent device names, in the same manner as the "/etc/fstab" configuration file.

-The "path" parameter is relative to the target device mount point. Meaning that the resulting absolute dump path is <target mount point>/<path>.

-For example: If the system has a dedicated disk partition mounted on /var, and the default path is /var/crash, the resulting absolute dump target path would be /var/var/crash.

My understanding of the same is:

If I have "path /var/crash" in /etc/kdump.conf and a dedicated disk is mounted to /var/crash . Then I should not specify "dump target" in /etc/kdump.conf. As this will result in /var/crash/var/crash i.e. [target mount point/path]

How can below line be true even if dump target is not specified in /etc/kdump.conf?

The "path" parameter is relative to the target device mount point. Meaning that the resulting absolute dump path is <target mount point>/<path>.

Product document for RHEL 9 states the same with much clarity

Chapter 10. Configuring kdump on the command line ->

The option path /var/crash represents the path to the file system in which kdump saves the vmcore file. When you specify a dump target in the /etc/kdump.conf file, then the path is relative to the specified dump target.

If you do not specify a dump target in the /etc/kdump.conf file, then the path represents the absolute path from the root directory. Depending on what is mounted in the current system, the dump target and the adjusted dump path are taken automatically.

Kinldy post you understanding/experiences configuring kdump target.

Regards,

Manoj