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

NAME
     xfs_metadump - copy XFS filesystem metadata to a file

SYNOPSIS
     xfs_metadump [ -aefFgow ] [ -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  de-
     vice  or  file containing the XFS filesystem and the target argument speci-
     fies 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 exceptions 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 in-
     clusively 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 im-
     age can be sent for analysis.

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

OPTIONS
     -a     Copies entire metadata blocks.  Normally, xfs_metadump will zero any
	    stale bytes interspersed with in-use metadata.  Use this  option  to
	    copy full metadata blocks, to provide more debugging information for
	    a  corrupted  filesystem.  Note that the extra data will be unobfus-
	    cated.

     -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  re-
	    sulting 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 success-
     fully 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)

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