CORE-8618 crash_tracker: record uncaught startup exceptions

src/v/config/node_config.h

@@ -122,6 +122,10 @@ struct node_config final : public config_store {
         return data_directory().path / "startup_log";
     }
 
+    std::filesystem::path crash_report_dir_path() const {
+        return data_directory().path / "crash_reports";
+    }
+
     /**
      * Return the configured cache path if set, otherwise a default
      * path within the data directory.

src/v/crash_tracker/BUILD

@@ -5,12 +5,15 @@ redpanda_cc_library(
     srcs = [
         "limiter.cc",
         "logger.cc",
+        "prepared_writer.cc",
         "recorder.cc",
         "service.cc",
+        "types.cc",
     ],
     hdrs = [
         "limiter.h",
         "logger.h",
+        "prepared_writer.h",
         "recorder.h",
         "service.h",
         "types.h",

src/v/crash_tracker/CMakeLists.txt

@@ -3,8 +3,10 @@ v_cc_library(
   SRCS
     limiter.cc
     logger.cc
+    prepared_writer.cc
     recorder.cc
     service.cc
+    types.cc
   DEPS
     Seastar::seastar
     v::base

src/v/crash_tracker/limiter.cc

@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ ss::future<> limiter::check_for_crash_loop(ss::abort_source& as) const {
                 co_await ss::sleep_abortable(*crash_loop_sleep_val, as);
             }
 
-            throw std::runtime_error("Crash loop detected, aborting startup.");
+            throw crash_loop_limit_reached();
         }
 
         vlog(

src/v/crash_tracker/prepared_writer.cc

@@ -0,0 +1,155 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2025 Redpanda Data, Inc.
+ *
+ * Use of this software is governed by the Business Source License
+ * included in the file licenses/BSL.md
+ *
+ * As of the Change Date specified in that file, in accordance with
+ * the Business Source License, use of this software will be governed
+ * by the Apache License, Version 2.0
+ */
+
+#include "crash_tracker/prepared_writer.h"
+
+#include "crash_tracker/logger.h"
+#include "crash_tracker/types.h"
+#include "hashing/xx.h"
+#include "model/timestamp.h"
+
+#include <seastar/core/file-types.hh>
+#include <seastar/core/file.hh>
+#include <seastar/core/seastar.hh>
+#include <seastar/core/sleep.hh>
+#include <seastar/util/print_safe.hh>
+
+#include <fmt/chrono.h>
+
+#include <chrono>
+#include <fcntl.h>
+#include <system_error>
+#include <unistd.h>
+
+using namespace std::chrono_literals;
+
+namespace crash_tracker {
+
+std::ostream& operator<<(std::ostream& os, prepared_writer::state s) {
+    switch (s) {
+    case prepared_writer::state::uninitialized:
+        return os << "uninitialized";
+    case prepared_writer::state::initialized:
+        return os << "initialized";
+    case prepared_writer::state::filled:
+        return os << "filled";
+    case prepared_writer::state::written:
+        return os << "written";
+    case prepared_writer::state::released:
+        return os << "released";
+    }
+}
+
+ss::future<>
+prepared_writer::initialize(std::filesystem::path crash_file_path) {
+    _crash_report_file_name = std::move(crash_file_path);
+
+    _serde_output.reserve_memory(crash_description::serde_size_overestimate);
+
+    // Create the crash recorder file
+    auto f = co_await ss::open_file_dma(
+      _crash_report_file_name.c_str(),
+      ss::open_flags::create | ss::open_flags::rw | ss::open_flags::truncate
+        | ss::open_flags::exclusive);
+    co_await f.close();
+
+    // Sync the parent dir to ensure that the newly create file is observable to
+    // the ::open() call below and to later restarts of the process
+    co_await ss::sync_directory(_crash_report_file_name.parent_path().string());
+
+    // Open the crash recorder file using ::open().
+    // We need to use the low level open() function here instead of the seastar
+    // API or higher-level C++ primitives because we need to be able to
+    // manipulate the file using async-signal-safe, allocation-free functions
+    // inside signal handlers.
+    _fd = ::open(_crash_report_file_name.c_str(), O_WRONLY);
+    if (_fd == -1) {
+        throw std::system_error(
+          errno,
+          std::system_category(),
+          fmt::format(
+            "Failed to open {} to record crash reason",
+            _crash_report_file_name));
+    }
+
+    _state = state::initialized;
+}
+
+crash_description& prepared_writer::fill() {
+    vassert(_state == state::initialized, "Unexpected state: {}", _state);
+    _state = state::filled;
+    _prepared_cd.crash_time = model::timestamp::now();
+    return _prepared_cd;
+}
+
+void prepared_writer::write() {
+    vassert(_state == state::filled, "Unexpected state: {}", _state);
+    _state = state::written;
+
+    if (try_write_crash()) {
+        constexpr static std::string_view success
+          = "Recorded crash reason to crash file.\n";
+        ss::print_safe(success.data(), success.size());
+    } else {
+        constexpr static std::string_view failure
+          = "Failed to record crash reason to crash file.\n";
+        ss::print_safe(failure.data(), failure.size());
+    }
+}
+
+bool prepared_writer::try_write_crash() {
+    bool success = true;
+    serde::write(_serde_output, std::move(_prepared_cd));
+
+    for (const auto& frag : _serde_output) {
+        size_t written = 0;
+        while (written < frag.size()) {
+            auto res = ::write(
+              _fd, frag.get() + written, frag.size() - written);
+            if (res == -1) {
+                // Return that writing the crash failed but try to continue to
+                // write later fragments as much information as possible
+                success = false;
+                break;
+            }
+            written += res;
+        }
+    }
+
+    ::fsync(_fd);
+
+    return success;
+}
+
+ss::future<> prepared_writer::release() {
+    vassert(_state != state::released, "Unexpected state: {}", _state);
+
+    if (_state != state::uninitialized) {
+        ::close(_fd);
+
+        // Remove the file and sync the parent dir to ensure that later restarts
+        // of the process cannot observe this crash report file
+        co_await ss::remove_file(_crash_report_file_name.c_str());
+        co_await ss::sync_directory(
+          _crash_report_file_name.parent_path().string());
+
+        vlog(
+          ctlog.debug,
+          "Deleted crash report file: {}",
+          _crash_report_file_name);
+    }
+
+    _state = state::released;
+
+    co_return;
+}
+
+} // namespace crash_tracker

src/v/crash_tracker/prepared_writer.h

@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2025 Redpanda Data, Inc.
+ *
+ * Use of this software is governed by the Business Source License
+ * included in the file licenses/BSL.md
+ *
+ * As of the Change Date specified in that file, in accordance with
+ * the Business Source License, use of this software will be governed
+ * by the Apache License, Version 2.0
+ */
+
+#pragma once
+
+#include "base/seastarx.h"
+#include "bytes/iobuf.h"
+#include "crash_tracker/types.h"
+
+namespace crash_tracker {
+
+// Helper to allow writing a crash_description out to a file in an async-signal
+// safe way. The state transition diagram for the object is shown below:
+//
+// clang-format off
+// +---------------+  initialize()   +-------------+  fill()   +--------+  write()   +---------+      
+// | uninitialized +---------------->| initialized +---------->| filled +----------->| written |      
+// +-----+---------+                 +------+------+           +---+----+            +-+-------+      
+//       |                                  |                      |                   |             
+//       |                                  |                      |                   |             
+//       |                                  |                      |                   |             
+//       |                                  |                      |                   |             
+//       |                                  |                      |                   |             
+//       |                                  |                      |        release()  |   +--------+
+//       +----------------------------------+----------------------+-------------------+-->|released|
+//                                                                                         +--------+
+// clang-format on
+class prepared_writer {
+public:
+    // TODO: import the naming of the methods and their correspondence to the
+    // state
+    ss::future<> initialize(std::filesystem::path);
+    ss::future<> release();
+
+    // Async-signal safe
+    constexpr bool initialized() const { return _state == state::initialized; }
+
+    /// Async-signal safe
+    crash_description& fill();
+
+    /// Async-signal safe
+    void write();
+
+private:
+    enum class state { uninitialized, initialized, filled, written, released };
+    friend std::ostream& operator<<(std::ostream&, state);
+
+    // Returns true on success, false on failure
+    bool try_write_crash();
+
+    state _state{state::uninitialized};
+    crash_description _prepared_cd;
+    iobuf _serde_output;
+    std::filesystem::path _crash_report_file_name;
+    int _fd{0};
+};
+
+} // namespace crash_tracker