Linux kernel mirror (for testing) git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git
kernel os linux

Documentation: Improve crash_kexec_post_notifiers description

The crash_kexec_post_notifiers description could be improved a bit,
by clarifying its upsides (yes, there are some!) and be more descriptive
about the downsides, specially mentioning code that enables the option
unconditionally, like Hyper-V[0], PowerPC (fadump)[1] and more recently,
AMD SEV-SNP[2].

[0] Commit a11589563e96 ("x86/Hyper-V: Report crash register data or kmsg before running crash kernel").
[1] Commit 06e629c25daa ("powerpc/fadump: Fix inaccurate CPU state info in vmcore generated with panic").
[2] Commit 8ef979584ea8 ("crypto: ccp: Add panic notifier for SEV/SNP firmware shutdown on kdump").

Reviewed-by: Stephen Brennan <stephen.s.brennan@oracle.com>
Signed-off-by: Guilherme G. Piccoli <gpiccoli@igalia.com>
Reviewed-by: Michael Kelley <mhklinux@outlook.com>
Signed-off-by: Jonathan Corbet <corbet@lwn.net>
Link: https://lore.kernel.org/r/20241027204159.985163-1-gpiccoli@igalia.com

authored by

Guilherme G. Piccoli and committed by
Jonathan Corbet
7d6094e6 6f33817f

+10 -6
+10 -6
Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.txt
··· 918 918 the parameter has no effect. 919 919 920 920 crash_kexec_post_notifiers 921 - Run kdump after running panic-notifiers and dumping 922 - kmsg. This only for the users who doubt kdump always 923 - succeeds in any situation. 924 - Note that this also increases risks of kdump failure, 925 - because some panic notifiers can make the crashed 926 - kernel more unstable. 921 + Only jump to kdump kernel after running the panic 922 + notifiers and dumping kmsg. This option increases 923 + the risks of a kdump failure, since some panic 924 + notifiers can make the crashed kernel more unstable. 925 + In configurations where kdump may not be reliable, 926 + running the panic notifiers could allow collecting 927 + more data on dmesg, like stack traces from other CPUS 928 + or extra data dumped by panic_print. Note that some 929 + configurations enable this option unconditionally, 930 + like Hyper-V, PowerPC (fadump) and AMD SEV-SNP. 927 931 928 932 crashkernel=size[KMG][@offset[KMG]] 929 933 [KNL,EARLY] Using kexec, Linux can switch to a 'crash kernel'