Offline Core dump router/switch analysis

[Taylor1]

Hello, 

I am looking for a way to do offline core dump analysis.  Is this possible through a Cisco program or third party software?

-Taylor

[Leo Laohoo]

Not easily possible.  

[Joseph W. Doherty]

Wow, core dump analysis!  I haven't done one of those since the early 80s.

Just curious, why?  I also ask because perhaps there's an alternative.

[Taylor1]

One of my devices is acting odd, and wanting to get more in the weeds of it and am unable to send logs off the network for this one. 

[Joseph W. Doherty]

You're also unable to do a TAC report?  (BTW, I forget it's official name or command to do it, but if don't know to what I refer, likely another reader/poster will.)

For odd acting devices, sometimes a reload will cure that either short term or even long term.

Also, sometimes moving to a newer code release will cure odd behavior (even if there's no documented fix for your particular oddness).

[Taylor1]

Nope i am unable to, i have the write core to TFTP server and have the data and am trying to verify it against a known good.  But just not sure if there are tools out there to check for this. 

[Joseph W. Doherty]

---

@Taylor1 wrote:

Nope i am unable to, i have the write core to TFTP server and have the data and am trying to verify it against a known good.  But just not sure if there are tools out there to check for this. 

---

Well, wish you luck.  Unsure how it will verify known good.  You can do a checksum check on the IOS image.

BTW, believe I remembered the TAC report command I had in mind, show tech-support.

[Ramblin Tech]

Are you wanting to analyze the dump or traceback from a flailing process or system? If so, Cisco's engineering organization produces meta data (eg, symbols files) for use by Cisco's Services/CX (TAC, Advanced Services, etc) for this purpose but this data is proprietary. Cisco's Services produces their own set of utilities for diagnostic purposes, some of which are published on cisco.com for customer use. Since your installation requires an offline method (no ssh access), perhaps their offline File Analyzer might help? I have not used it, so am guessing both as to what it does and what your actual needs are.

Cisco CLI Analyzer

I am curious as to when you say "verify it against a known good", are you looking to verify the integrity of a software image by generating a hash and comparing against a known good value?  If so, this can be done without special Services tools, just the published hashed signature.

[Giuseppe Larosa]

Hello @Ramblin Tech ,

a good suggestion

CLI analyzer should be able to analyze show tech-support and specific show commands for ASA, IOS , IOS XE, NXOS, and WLC I have it installed.

For core dump analysis the OP @Taylor1  should open a TAC service request, but as other have noted an OS upgrade can solve or even a reboot.

Hope to help

Giuseppe

[Leo Laohoo]

What firmware is this machine on?

[johnlloyd_13]

hi,

device "acting odd" is quite vague.

what kind of issue/s are you running into? i.e. network slow, device reloading itself, etc.

for a start, you can do either netflow or a packet capture (EPC).