IBM RS/6000 - Manual (Page 105)

CTL-ALT-NUMPAD1 will create a dump in the primary dump device, and
CTL-ALT-NUMPAD2 will create a dump in the secondary dump device.
Before AIX Version 4.1.4, on the PCI-Based RS/6000 Systems (40P/43P), the
CTL-ALT-NUMPADx key sequences to initiate a system crash dump were not
functional. This was because AIX expected the key to be in the Service position,
and the key switch value on those systems is always set to Normal when AIX is
operational. To solve this missing functionality, a new item, Always Allow System
Dump, has been added to the System Dump SMIT menu. With this option set, AIX
will cause a system to dump whenever the CTL-ALT-NUMPADx sequence is
activated, even when the key is switched to Normal. As the E20 and F30 always
have their key set to Normal while AIX is running, this option should be set on
these machines to enable a system dump using the CTL-ALT-NUMPADx key
sequence.
You can set your system to always create a system dump when the
CTL-ALT-NUMPADx key sequence is pressed by using the following SMIT fastpath
and setting the Always Allow System Dump option to
yes :
smit dump
Always Allow System Dump
or enter from the command line:
sysdumpdev -K
The new SMIT item sets the attribute enabledump (always allow dump) stored in
the SWservAT database. The default value is FALSE. When this attribute is set to
TRUE, typing CTL-ALT-NUMPAD_1 on a graphical console will initiate a crash
dump to the primary dump device.
The value of the enabledump attribute can be displayed with the sysdumpdev
command:
sysdumpdev -l
primary /dev/hd6
secondary /dev/sysdumpnull
copy directory /var/adm/ras
forced copy flag true
always allow dump true
On machines where there is no operator panel (three-digit LEDs or LCD panel), the
system appears to hang when a dump has actually occurred. On these machines,
the sys0
autorestart value should be set to true . This will automatically reboot
the system after taking a dump, rather than just appearing to hang.
The autorestart attribute can be set using the following SMIT fastpath:
smit system
Change / Show Characteristics of Operating System
or from the command line: chdev -l sys -a autorestart='true'
Chapter 5. AIX Version 4.1.4 Support 81