A key-dump utility generates a keyset from a console. The point of such a tool is that the keyset originates from hardware you control, which is the only provenance this site treats as meaningful. This page explains the category and its responsibilities, not how to obtain or run a particular utility.
What the category is for
The tool reads security material presented by the console it runs against and writes a production keyset. Because the output originates from that specific hardware, its provenance is knowable: you generated it, from a device you possess.
Why the source matters more than the file
Two keysets with identical structure can have entirely different provenance. A file generated from your own console has a traceable origin; a file downloaded from elsewhere does not, regardless of how it looks. This site can describe the first case and cannot vouch for the second.
Expected output
The output is a plain-text keyset with named entries, conventionally written as prod.keys. Treat it as sensitive from the moment it is generated. See handling & storage.
Common errors
- A partial keyset: some categories were not readable, usually because the tool and the console state disagree — verify the environment before assuming the file is fine.
- An empty or truncated file: an interrupted run; regenerate rather than repair.
- Downstream tools rejecting the result: check structure first with a validator before blaming the generating tool.
Scope. This page describes a category of tool and the responsibilities that come with its output. It does not link to, host or endorse a specific implementation, and it does not describe obtaining a keyset from anyone else’s hardware.