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    Case Study-Linux Kernel Crash Dump

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    Linux kernel crash dumps provide important information for enterprise servers. Wipro worked on enhancing the Linux Kernel Crash Dump (LKCD) project for Fujitsu in two phases. First, they addressed six areas including porting LKCD to new platforms and ensuring compatibility with different debugging formats. Second, Wipro provided solutions like patches for various issues and a standalone dumping mechanism. Their technical skills helped get the patches accepted and they completed the work on time.

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    Case Study-Linux Kernel Crash Dump

    Uploaded by

    PSG
    109 views2 pages
    Linux kernel crash dumps provide important information for enterprise servers. Wipro worked on enhancing the Linux Kernel Crash Dump (LKCD) project for Fujitsu in two phases. First, they addressed six areas including porting LKCD to new platforms and ensuring compatibility with different debugging formats. Second, Wipro provided solutions like patches for various issues and a standalone dumping mechanism. Their technical skills helped get the patches accepted and they completed the work on time.

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    Case Study-Linux Kernel Crash Dump

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    Linux kernel crash dumps provide important information for enterprise servers. Wipro worked on enhancing the Linux Kernel Crash Dump (LKCD) project for Fujitsu in two phases. First, they addressed six areas including porting LKCD to new platforms and ensuring compatibility with different debugging formats. Second, Wipro provided solutions like patches for various issues and a standalone dumping mechanism. Their technical skills helped get the patches accepted and they completed the work on time.

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    109 views2 pages

    Case Study-Linux Kernel Crash Dump

    Uploaded by

    PSG
    Linux kernel crash dumps provide important information for enterprise servers. Wipro worked on enhancing the Linux Kernel Crash Dump (LKCD) project for Fujitsu in two phases. First, they addressed six areas including porting LKCD to new platforms and ensuring compatibility with different debugging formats. Second, Wipro provided solutions like patches for various issues and a standalone dumping mechanism. Their technical skills helped get the patches accepted and they completed the work on time.

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    Case Study: Linux Kernel Crash Dump (LKCD)

    1 Introduction
    Linux is increasingly being deployed in enterprise class servers. The rise of linux as a production
    kernel is phenomenal considering the fact that linux kernel development is done by a loosely knit
    community of developers across the world. Its only in the recent years that the corporate world
    has taken notice and is investing in linux in a big way.
    Fujitsu and Wipro are involved in contributing to the open source initiatives by undertaking kernel
    development projects.
    The Linux Kernel Crash Dump project is one among the many kernel development projects
    undertaken by the Wipro team for Fujitsu. This project involved enhancing LKCD.

    2 Linux Kernel Crash Dump


    Most modern enterprise servers address Reliability, Availability and Serviceability (RAS). One of the
    key features of RAS is the ability to generate a crash dump after a kernel crash.

    2.1

    Problem Definition

    Six broad areas as shown below were identified for LKCD development. These areas of
    design and development were undertaken in two different phases. The scope of design and
    development included the following:
    IPF Porting
    Existing LKCD is compliant with architectures like IA32 and PPC. LKCD enhancement
    includes making LKCD compliant with the IA64 platform.
    DWARF Compliance of lcrash
    The existing lcrash implementation is specific to reading stabs debug information. On IA64,
    the default debug information generated by gcc compilers is in dwarf2 format. Hence
    existing lcrash implementation cannot analyze dump images if debug information is stored
    in dwarf2 format. This activity requires making lcrash compliant with DWARF2. Targeted
    kernel version is 2.6.x and hardware platforms are IA32 and IA64.
    Compatibility with multiple device
    Existing LKCD implementation supports dumping on a single device. Fujitsu has come up
    with a patch, which supports dump to multiple devices for kernel version 2.4.17. This
    activity requires porting of multiple dump device code from kernel version 2.4.17 to kernel
    version 2.6-x for IA64 platform. In addition, this activity shall involve resolution of the
    dump-overwriting problem.
    Quality Upgradation
    Six quality related issues are observed in the LKCD implementation. This activity requires
    addressing of these problems. Targeted kernel version is 2.6.x and hardware platform is
    IA64.
    SCSI polling mode drivers
    This involved development of polling based functionality in the existing SCSI drivers
    available in the linux kernel (e.g. the fusion driver)

    Stand Alone Dump Design


    This involved designing a safe and reliable dumping mechanism for the next generation
    linux servers. This dumping mechanism is independent of the crashing system. The stand
    alone dumping mechanism is targeted on IA64 platforms.
    The above requirements will help in improving the flexibility of the enterprise server
    systems. Fujitsu is planning to launch these servers by 2005 in association with Red Hat
    and open source community.
    Fujitsu evaluated this as a potential project to be outsourced mostly due to the open
    source interaction required and their associated limitations with English language.

    2.2

    Solutions from Wipro

    Wipro undertook all the above mentioned requirements and completed them successfully.
    The solutions provided involved the following
    Patches for LKCD on the IA64 platform
    Patches for LKCD/lcrash for ensuring dwarf2 compatibility
    Patches for LKCD/MDD
    Resolving issues in Quality
    Patches for SCSI drivers
    Design for the Stand Alone Dumping Mechanism
    All the above solutions involved
    Prototyping
    Multiple design alternatives
    Usage of tools for code coverage, performance benchmarking and detecting memory
    leaks
    Usage Six Sigma methodologies
    Interaction with the open source community
    Acceptability of designs from the open source community and the client

    2.3

    Wipro demonstrated a high degree of technical competency to ensure that the patches
    were accepted by the open source community.
    Wipro met all the timelines and the schedules set in consultation with clients
    Fujitsu-Wipro collaboration gave a high degree of visibility to the open source initiatives
    of the 2 corporates

    2.4

    Benefits to client

    Measurable Results

    Multiple design alternatives proposed for every requirement. This has been commended
    by the client.
    Recognition and presence in the linux community
    No slippage in schedule and timelines
    CSAT rating of 5/5

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