What is a”Core file” in Linux? 

A running program creates a core file when it crashes/stops abnormally due to some bug. The core file is in massive size which contains all the memory info, crash info which is used for programmers to debug the issue and find a solution and patch the bug.

Why are we interested in that core files?

Ans: This is because of core file size. As we do monitoring of systems on a daily basis and you observe your disk suddenly is full. You are sure that should not as you already have plenty of space. And you may think how come disk is full though there is no much user activity etc. So core files are one reason which will eat up our disk. We have to check for them when we see sudden disk activity.

How to find core files in Linux?

We can use find command or locate command after running updatedb command.

#find / -name core

This find command will search entire filesystem for core files. Once you find them use rm command to remove those files which you feel appropriate.

#rm -rf /path/to/your/core

How core files got its name?

A core dump file gets its name from an old memory technology using tiny magnetic cores for storage.

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Surendra Anne

Mr Surendra Anne is from Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India. He is a Linux/Open source supporter who believes in Hard work, A down to earth person, Likes to share knowledge with others, Loves dogs, Likes photography. He works as Devops Engineer with Taggle systems, an IOT automatic water metering company, Sydney . You can contact him at surendra (@) linuxnix dot com.