From Debuntu

First, we need to disable the limit for the maximum size of core dump files (default 0):

ulimit -c unlimited

Optionally, you might want to modify the name pattern of generated core files (default: core )

echo "core.%e.%p" > /proc/sys/kernel/core_pattern

This will generate file called core.myexe.pid .

Also, you might want to enable core for setuid and setgid processes (default 0):

echo 2 > /proc/sys/fs/suid_dumpable

Reference

* man 5 core
* man 5 proc
* http://www.novell.com/support/viewContent.do?externalId=3054866&sliceId=1