NAME

       xfs_metadump - copy XFS filesystem metadata to a file

SYNOPSIS

       xfs_metadump [ -efgow ] [ -l logdev ] source target

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  should  only  be  used  to  copy  unmounted  filesystems,  read-only mounted
       filesystems, or frozen filesystems (see xfs_freeze(8)).   Otherwise,  the  generated  dump
       could be inconsistent or corrupt.

       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 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).

       -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.

       -o     Disables obfuscation of file names and extended attributes.

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

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)