Rebuild kdump kernel initrd after migration and/or hardware changes

This document (000020257) is provided subject to the disclaimer at the end of this document.

Environment

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 all Service Packs
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 all Service Packs

Situation

The initrd for kdump kernel is generated strictly against the system it will run on.
To save memory usage and disk space, it contains the minimum set of kernel modules and utilities to boot the machine to a stage where the dump target can be mounted.

With kdump service enabled, kdump will try to detect possible system changes and rebuild the kdump initrd if needed.
However, it can not guarantee to cover every possible case.

Resolution

After a hardware change, disk migration, storage setup update or any similar system level changes, it is highly recommended to rebuild the initrd manually with following command:

mkdumprd -f ; systemctl restart kdump

Additional Information

'mkdumprd -f' is more verbose and helps with debugging. Another command that can be used alternatively and is less verbose is:
touch /etc/sysconfig/kdump; systemctl restart kdump

Disclaimer

This Support Knowledgebase provides a valuable tool for SUSE customers and parties interested in our products and solutions to acquire information, ideas and learn from one another. Materials are provided for informational, personal or non-commercial use within your organization and are presented "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND.