[PATCH] kdump: sysrq trigger mechanism for kexec based crashdumps

Add a sysrq-trigger mechanism for kexec based crashdumps.  Alt-Sysrq-c
triggers a kexec based crashdump.

Signed-off-by: Hariprasad Nellitheertha <hari@in.ibm.com>
Signed-off-by: Andrew Morton <akpm@osdl.org>
Signed-off-by: Linus Torvalds <torvalds@osdl.org>

1 files changed, 5 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/Documentation/sysrq.txt b/Documentation/sysrq.txt
index f98c2e31c143..136d817c01ba 100644
--- a/Documentation/sysrq.txt
+++ b/Documentation/sysrq.txt
@@ -72,6 +72,8 @@ On all -  write a character to /proc/sysrq-trigger.  eg:
 'b'     - Will immediately reboot the system without syncing or unmounting
           your disks.
 
+'c'     - Will perform a kexec reboot in order to take a crashdump.
+
 'o'     - Will shut your system off (if configured and supported).
 
 's'     - Will attempt to sync all mounted filesystems.
@@ -122,6 +124,9 @@ useful when you want to exit a program that will not let you switch consoles.
 re'B'oot is good when you're unable to shut down. But you should also 'S'ync
 and 'U'mount first.
 
+'C'rashdump can be used to manually trigger a crashdump when the system is hung.
+The kernel needs to have been built with CONFIG_KEXEC enabled.
+
 'S'ync is great when your system is locked up, it allows you to sync your
 disks and will certainly lessen the chance of data loss and fscking. Note
 that the sync hasn't taken place until you see the "OK" and "Done" appear