>Maybe I should just finally reboot and install a new kernel with gdb
>enabled?

if you can't get a dump, the gdb kernel won't help me much.  :-/

i was hoping that that, in conjunction with the dump, would make it
easier to grovel through the kernel's corpse.

-- 
|-----< "CODE WARRIOR" >-----|
codewarrior@daemon.org             * "ah!  i see you have the internet
twofsonet@graffiti.com (Andrew Brown)                that goes *ping*!"
werdna@squooshy.com       * "information is power -- share the wealth."