DebuggingLinuxKernel < DULG

%SECTION0{name=DebuggingLinuxKernel}% Linux Kernel Debugging

%SECTION1{name=DebuggingLinuxDrivers}% Linux Kernel and Statically Linked Device Drivers

%SECTION1{name=DebuggingLinuxModules}% Dynamically Loaded Device Drivers (Modules)

First start GDB in the root directory of your Linux kernel, using the
_vmlinux_ kernel image as file to debug:

<verbatim>
bash$ cd <linux-root>
bash$ ${CROSS_COMPILE}gdb vmlinux 
GNU gdb 5.1.1
Copyright 2002 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
GDB is free software, covered by the GNU General Public License, and you are
welcome to change it and/or distribute copies of it under certain conditions.
Type "show copying" to see the conditions.
There is absolutely no warranty for GDB.  Type "show warranty" for details.
This GDB was configured as "--host=i386-redhat-linux --target=ppc-linux".
(gdb)
</verbatim>

Now attach to the target and start execution with the commands:

<verbatim>
(gdb) target remote bdi:2001
Remote debugging using bdi:2001
0x00000100 in ?? ()
(gdb) c
Continuing.
</verbatim>

Now the target should boot Linux as usual. Next you need to load your
kernel module on the target:

<verbatim>
bash# insmod -m ex_sw.o
Sections:       Size      Address   Align
.this           00000060  cf030000  2**2
.text           000002f4  cf030060  2**2
.rodata         00000134  cf030354  2**2
.data           00000000  cf030488  2**0
.sdata          0000000c  cf030488  2**2
.kstrtab        00000085  cf030494  2**0
.bss            00000000  cf030519  2**0
.sbss           00000008  cf03051c  2**2
...
</verbatim>

The option =-m= prints out the  addresses  of  the
various code and data segments (
_.text_,
_.data_,
_.sdata_,
_.bss_,
_.sbss_
) after relocation. GDB needs these
addresses to know where all the symbols are located. We now
interrupt GDB to load the symbol table of the module as follows:

<verbatim>
(gdb) ^C
Program received signal SIGSTOP, Stopped (signal).
...
(gdb) add-symbol-file <path-to-module-dir>/ex_sw.o 0xcf030060\
 -s .rodata 0xcf030354\
 -s .data   0xcf030488\
 -s .sdata  0xcf030488\
 -s .bss    0xcf030519\
 -s .sbss   0xcf03051c
add symbol table from file "<path-to-module-dir>/ex_sw.o" at
        .text_addr = 0xcf030060
        .rodata_addr = 0xcf030354
        .data_addr = 0xcf030488
        .sdata_addr = 0xcf030488
        .bss_addr = 0xcf030519
        .sbss_addr = 0xcf03051c
(y or n) y
Reading symbols from <path-to-module-dir>/ex_sw.o...done.
</verbatim>

Now you can list the source code of the module, set break points or
inspect variables as usual:

<verbatim>
(gdb) l fun
61      static RT_TASK *thread;
62
63      static int cpu_used[NR_RT_CPUS];
64
65      static void fun(int t)
66      {
67              unsigned int loops = LOOPS;
68              while(loops--) {
69                      cpu_used[hard_cpu_id()]++;
70                      rt_leds_set_mask(1,t);
(gdb)
(gdb) b ex_sw.c:69
Breakpoint 1 at 0xcf03007c: file ex_sw.c, line 69.
(gdb) c
Continuing.
Breakpoint 1, fun (t=1) at ex_sw.c:69
69                      cpu_used[hard_cpu_id()]++;
(gdb) p ntasks
$1 = 16
(gdb) p stack_size
$2 = 3000
</verbatim>

The next section demonstrates a way to
automate the symbol table loading procedure.

%SECTION1{name=GDBMacros}% GDB Macros to Simplify Module Loading

The following GDB macros and scripts help you to load kernel modules
into GDB in a half-automatic way. It assumes, that the module on the
target has been installed with the command:

<verbatim>
bash# insmod -m my_module.o > my_module.o.map
</verbatim>

In your =$HOME= directory you
need the scripts _add-symbol-file.sh_ and the
GDB startup file _.gdbinit_, which are listed
in %REF{type=Section, topic=GDBScripts, name=GDBScripts}% below.

Now you can include the symbol definition into GDB with:

<verbatim>
bash$ ${CROSS_COMPILE}gdb vmlinux 
GNU gdb 5.1.1
Copyright 2002 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
GDB is free software, covered by the GNU General Public License, and you are
welcome to change it and/or distribute copies of it under certain conditions.
Type "show copying" to see the conditions.
There is absolutely no warranty for GDB.  Type "show warranty" for details.
This GDB was configured as "--host=i386-redhat-linux --target=ppc-linux".
0x00000100 in ?? ()
c
Continuing.
^C
Program received signal SIGSTOP, Stopped (signal).
0xcf02a91c in ?? ()
(gdb) add-module rtai4/examples/sw/ex_sw.o
add symbol table from file "/HHL/8xx/target/home/wolf/rtai4/examples/sw/ex_sw.o" at
        .text_addr = 0xcf030060
        .rodata_addr = 0xcf030340
        .data_addr = 0xcf030464
        .sdata_addr = 0xcf030464
        .bss_addr = 0xcf0304f5
        .sbss_addr = 0xcf0304f8
(gdb) b ex_sw.c:69
Breakpoint 1 at 0xcf03007c: file ex_sw.c, line 69.
(gdb) c
Continuing.

Breakpoint 1, fun (t=0x1) at ex_sw.c:69
69                      cpu_used[hard_cpu_id()]++;
(gdb) p/d loops
$2 = 999986939
(gdb) p t
$3 = 0x1
(gdb) d b
Delete all breakpoints? (y or n) y
(gdb) c
Continuing.
</verbatim>
10.1. Debugging of U-Boot		1. Abstract		10.3. GDB Startup File and Utility Scripts
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