binex(8)binex(8)NAMEbinex - Binary event log extraction utility
SYNOPSIS
/usr/sbin/binex [-a | -A | -l | -v | -q] [-r rangespec] [-w] [-x]
[filename]
OPTIONS
Displays an ASCII text summary of each event on stdout, instead of
writing the binary event. The items that are displayed are: date, time,
event class, event subclass, event sequence number, event summary. If
neither this option nor -A is specified, events are written in their
original binary format. The same as the -a option, but the summary
includes the size of the binary event in bytes and an indication of
whether the event is coded in Common Event Header (CEH) format or in
"classic" (not CEH) format. Displays a list of the recognized event
types on stdout, along with a description of each. Quiet mode. When
this option is specified, binex does not write messages reporting data
corruption to stderr. Other types of errors, such as failure to open
the input file, are reported normally. Outputs only events that fall
within the specified range. The syntax of the rangespec is defined as
follows: timespec[-timespec] | day-count | startup-count
A timespec range has the syntax [[yyyy:][mm:dd:]]hh:mm:ss, rep‐
resenting an optional date (year, month and day) and mandatory
time (hour, minute and second). If no date or a partial date is
specified, the current year, month and day are assumed, as
appropriate. If no ending time is specified, all events in the
file that occurred after the specified starting time are output.
A day-count range has the syntax integerd, representing a number
of days prior to the current time. A value of either 0d or 1d is
interpreted as "today," meaning that all events that occurred
after the last midnight are output. A value of 2d outputs all
events that occurred yesterday or today, and so on. All events
that occurred after the specified day are output.
A startup-count range has the syntax integers, representing a
number of system startups, where startups are identified by
searching backwards through the log file for events of type 300
(system startup). A value of 0s or 1s is interpreted as the cur‐
rent session and results in all events that occurred since the
last startup being output. If 2s is specified, binex searches
for the next-to-last system startup event and uses that event as
the starting point for output.
If a rangespec is specified, binex may begin its output with
events that precede the start of the range. See DESCRIPTION for
more information. Verify mode. In this mode, binex reads events
from the input stream and reports any errors on stderr but does
not write events to stdout. Truncates the file after the last
valid event has been read. This option can be used to remove
corruption that has occurred at the end of the file without
requiring the original file to be copied and replaced.
Note
This option does not remove any corruption that is detected
before the last valid entry. If the -r option is used, this
option forces binex to begin output exactly at the start of the
specified range, instead of beginning from the preceding startup
time.
DESCRIPTION
The binex utility operates on log files produced by the binary error
log daemon binlogd. It can be used to summarize the contents of a bin‐
log file, to copy a selected range of events to another file for remote
analysis, or to clean up corrupted areas of the file. The binex utility
is a system management facility that is primarily used by the binlog
daemon binlogd and by the sys_check utility.
The binex utility reads events from the file filename if specified, or
from the default binary error log file otherwise. If no options are
specified, binex reads all events in the file, skipping any invalid
areas, and writes the events to stdout in their original binary format.
Any invalid areas found in the input file are reported on stderr.
If a rangespec is supplied and the -x option is also specified, output
begins with the first event that falls within the range. If the -x
option is not specified, binex attempts to preserve information that is
likely to be useful for problem diagnosis by beginning its output with
the configuration event (type 110/3, also known as a FRU table event)
and system startup event preceding the start of the range, and includ‐
ing certain other events that may also precede the range. Not all plat‐
forms produce configuration (FRU table) events.
The -a and -A options can be used to produce a summary of the contents
of the file, instead of the usual binary output. See the dia(8), ca(8),
and evmget(1) reference pages for information about performing a
detailed analysis of the file.
The -l option displays on stdout a list of the event types recognized
by binex.
The -w option is used by binlogd at system startup, to remove any
invalid data that may have been appended to the log file if the previ‐
ous session ended with a system panic. When a panic occurs, invalid
data may appear at the end of the file if binlogd is interrupted as it
attempts to write new event data. Truncating the file at the start of
the invalid area before writing any new events is a safe and convenient
way to remove the invalid data without requiring the file to be copied
and replaced.
The -v and -q options restrict the output and are particularly useful
when the -w option is used.
NOTES
To repair a binlog file that contains embedded invalid data, run binex
without options and save its output to a temporary file. The output
file should be free of invalid data and can then replace the original
file. Note that: The active binlog file must not be replaced while the
binlog daemon is running. If the daemon is stopped in order to replace
the file, it must be restarted as soon as possible after the file has
been replaced. The default location of the binlog file is a context
sensitive symbolic link (CDSL). The physical location of the file is
listed in the FILES section below. If you are repairing the active bin‐
log file, be sure to replace the physical file, and not the CDSL. It
is a good idea to copy or move the original file to a backup location
before replacing it.
RESTRICTIONS
The binex utility does not read events from its stdin stream.
EXIT STATUS
Success. An error occurred.
EXAMPLES
The following example extracts events that occurred between 1 October
and 30 November of the current year from the default binary error log
file. The output events are saved in a temporary file. #
/usr/sbin/binex -r 10:1:0:0:0-11:30:23:59:59 > /usr/tmp/saved_bin‐
log_events
The following example reads the file saved by the previous example, and
summarizes the events that occurred during the last two system ses‐
sions. # /usr/sbin/binex -a -r 2s /usr/tmp/saved_binlog_events
The following example produces a summary of events that occurred within
the last three days. # /usr/sbin/binex -a -r 3d
FILES
Command path. CDSL link to the default binary error log file. Physi‐
cal location of the default binary error log file.
SEE ALSO
Commands: evmget(1), evmshow(1), logger(1), binlogd(8), ca(8), dia(8),
syscheck(8)
Files: binlog.conf(4)
Others: EVM(5)
System Administration
binex(8)
