adoptium / adoptium/adoptium-support

How to turn on hs_err_* reporting on JVM crashes on MacOS?

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Description

## Question

I've been trying to track down a crash issue that happens on MacOS, but I can't seem to figure out how to make the JVM write hs_err* log files like it does on Windows and Linux. Impractically enough, I don't have any Apple hardware myself, so I find myself only in temporary access at friends and in stores, making it difficult to do any in-depth research at the time.

What happens is that MacOS seems to do its own error reporting, which gives its own log-file, but since MacOS can't decode Java stack frames, this log file isn't nearly as useful as hs_err_* logs have been on other platforms. Is deferring to MacOS' crash handler a deliberate choice, or is it something that is just difficult to avoid for some reason? In the former case, I'd expect there would be some sort of command-line option to re-enable hs_err_* logging, but I have not been able to find it.

## Context

Java version: Temurin-17.0.7+7 (build 17.0.7+7)

Your operating system and platform: Darwin 21.1.0 Kernel Version 21.1.0 root:xnu-8019.41.0-1/RELEASE_ARM64_T8101 arm64

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

Research direction

Start with the reported Temurin 17.0.7+7 crash on Darwin 21.1.0 arm64 and review the existing discussion. Investigate whether macOS deliberately uses its crash handler instead of hs_err_* files and whether a supported JVM option exists; done means a confirmed explanation and an actionable resolution.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
java, macos
Domain
operating-systems
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Needs clarification
Newbie friendliness
25/100

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