xfs_metadump(8) 					      System Manager's Manual						   xfs_metadump(8)

NAME

       xfs_metadump - copy XFS filesystem metadata to a file

SYNOPSIS

       xfs_metadump [ -efFgow ] [ -m max_extents ] ] [ -l logdev ] source target
       xfs_metadump -V

DESCRIPTION

       xfs_metadump  is  a  debugging tool that copies the metadata from an XFS filesystem to a file.  The source argument must be the pathname of
       the device or file containing the XFS filesystem and the target argument specifies the destination file name.  If target  is  -,  then  the
       output is sent to stdout. This allows the output to be redirected to another program such as a compression application.

       xfs_metadump may only be used to copy unmounted filesystems, or read-only mounted filesystems.

       xfs_metadump  does  not	alter  the  source  filesystem	in  any way. The target image is a contiguous (non-sparse) file containing all the
       filesystem's metadata and indexes to where the blocks were copied from.

       By default, xfs_metadump obfuscates most file (regular file, directory and symbolic link) names and extended attribute names to	allow  the
       dumps  to  be  sent without revealing confidential information. Extended attribute values are zeroed and no data is copied. The only excep-
       tions are file or attribute names that are 4 or less characters in length. Also file names that span extents (this can only occur with  the
       mkfs.xfs(8)  options  where  -n	size  >  -b size) are not obfuscated. Names between 5 and 8 characters in length inclusively are partially
       obfuscated.

       xfs_metadump should not be used for any purposes other than for debugging and reporting filesystem problems. The most common usage scenario
       for this tool is when xfs_repair(8) fails to repair a filesystem and a metadump image can be sent for analysis.

       The file generated by xfs_metadump can be restored to filesystem image (minus the data) using the xfs_mdrestore(8) tool.

OPTIONS

       -e     Stops the dump on a read error. Normally, it will ignore read errors and copy all the metadata that is accessible.

       -f     Specifies  that  the  filesystem	image to be processed is stored in a regular file (see the mkfs.xfs -d file option). This can also
	      happen if an image copy of a filesystem has been made into an ordinary file with xfs_copy(8).

       -F     Specifies that we want to continue even if the superblock magic is not correct.  If the source is truly not an XFS  filesystem,  the
	      resulting image will be useless, and xfs_metadump may crash.

       -g     Shows dump progress. This is sent to stdout if the target is a file or to stderr if the target is stdout.

       -l logdev
	      For filesystems which use an external log, this specifies the device where the external log resides. The external log is not copied,
	      only internal logs are copied.

       -m     Set the maximum size of an allowed metadata extent.  Extremely large metadata extents are likely to be corrupt, and will be  skipped
	      if they exceed this value.  The default size is 1000 blocks.

       -o     Disables obfuscation of file names and extended attributes.

       -w     Prints warnings of inconsistent metadata encountered to stderr. Bad metadata is still copied.

       -V     Prints the version number and exits.

DIAGNOSTICS

       xfs_metadump  returns an exit code of 0 if all readable metadata is successfully copied or 1 if a write error occurs or a read error occurs
       and the -e option used.

NOTES

       As xfs_metadump copies metadata only, it does not matter if the source filesystem has a realtime section or not. If the filesystem  has	an
       external log, it is not copied. Internal logs are copied and any outstanding log transactions are not obfuscated if they contain names.

       xfs_metadump is a shell wrapper around the xfs_db(8) metadump command.

SEE ALSO

       xfs_repair(8), xfs_mdrestore(8), xfs_freeze(8), xfs_db(8), xfs_copy(8), xfs(5)

BUGS

       Email bug reports to xfs@oss.sgi.com.

																   xfs_metadump(8)