Commit | Line | Data |
---|---|---|
804d23f3 JG |
1 | README for gdb-4.9 release |
2 | Updated 10-May-93 by Fred Fish | |
c45c19f8 | 3 | |
846058ed | 4 | This is GDB, the GNU source-level debugger, presently running under un*x. |
c50c5197 | 5 | A summary of new features is in the file `NEWS'. |
c45c19f8 | 6 | |
bd5635a1 | 7 | |
846058ed JG |
8 | Unpacking and Installation -- quick overview |
9 | ========================== | |
bd5635a1 | 10 | |
fbda4193 JG |
11 | In this release, the GDB debugger sources, the generic GNU include |
12 | files, the BFD ("binary file description") library, the readline library, | |
c50c5197 | 13 | and other libraries all have directories of their own underneath |
804d23f3 | 14 | the gdb-4.9 directory. The idea is that a variety of GNU tools can |
fbda4193 JG |
15 | share a common copy of these things. Configuration scripts and |
16 | makefiles exist to cruise up and down this directory tree and | |
17 | automatically build all the pieces in the right order. | |
bd5635a1 | 18 | |
804d23f3 JG |
19 | When you unpack the gdb-4.9.tar.z or gdb-4.9.tar.Z file, you'll find |
20 | a directory called `gdb-4.9', which contains: | |
bd5635a1 | 21 | |
804d23f3 JG |
22 | Makefile.in config.sub* glob/ opcodes/ |
23 | README configure* include/ readline/ | |
24 | bfd/ configure.in libiberty/ texinfo/ | |
25 | config/ etc/ mmalloc/ | |
26 | config.guess* gdb/ move-if-change* | |
170d0c85 | 27 | |
846058ed | 28 | To build GDB, you can just do: |
170d0c85 | 29 | |
804d23f3 JG |
30 | cd gdb-4.9 |
31 | ./configure | |
170d0c85 | 32 | make |
846058ed | 33 | cp gdb/gdb /usr/local/bin/gdb (or wherever you want) |
170d0c85 | 34 | |
846058ed | 35 | This will configure and build all the libraries as well as GDB. |
804d23f3 JG |
36 | If `configure' can't determine your system type, specify one as its |
37 | argument, e.g. sun4 or decstation. | |
38 | ||
c45c19f8 JG |
39 | If you get compiler warnings during this stage, see the `Reporting Bugs' |
40 | section below; there are a few known problems. | |
361cc81a | 41 | |
c45c19f8 | 42 | GDB can be used as a cross-debugger, running on a machine of one type |
846058ed JG |
43 | while debugging a program running on a machine of another type. See below. |
44 | ||
45 | ||
46 | More Documentation | |
c50c5197 | 47 | ****************** |
846058ed | 48 | |
804d23f3 JG |
49 | The GDB 4 release includes an already-formatted reference card, |
50 | ready for printing with PostScript or GhostScript, in the `gdb' | |
51 | subdirectory of the main source directory. (In `gdb-4.9/gdb/refcard.ps'.) | |
52 | If you can use PostScript or GhostScript with your printer, you can | |
53 | print the reference card immediately with `refcard.ps'. | |
846058ed | 54 | |
c50c5197 JG |
55 | The release also includes the source for the reference card. You |
56 | can format it, using TeX, by typing: | |
846058ed | 57 | |
575945e3 | 58 | make refcard.dvi |
846058ed | 59 | |
575945e3 JG |
60 | The GDB reference card is designed to print in landscape mode on US |
61 | "letter" size paper; that is, on a sheet 11 inches wide by 8.5 inches | |
62 | high. You will need to specify this form of printing as an option to | |
63 | your DVI output program. | |
846058ed | 64 | |
c50c5197 JG |
65 | All the documentation for GDB comes as part of the machine-readable |
66 | distribution. The documentation is written in Texinfo format, which is | |
67 | a documentation system that uses a single source file to produce both | |
68 | on-line information and a printed manual. You can use one of the Info | |
69 | formatting commands to create the on-line version of the documentation | |
70 | and TeX (or `texi2roff') to typeset the printed version. | |
846058ed | 71 | |
c50c5197 JG |
72 | GDB includes an already formatted copy of the on-line Info version of |
73 | this manual in the `gdb' subdirectory. The main Info file is | |
575945e3 | 74 | `gdb-VERSION-NUMBER/gdb/gdb.info', and it refers to subordinate files |
c50c5197 JG |
75 | matching `gdb.info*' in the same directory. If necessary, you can |
76 | print out these files, or read them with any editor; but they are | |
77 | easier to read using the `info' subsystem in GNU Emacs or the | |
78 | standalone `info' program, available as part of the GNU Texinfo | |
79 | distribution. | |
846058ed | 80 | |
575945e3 | 81 | If you want to format these Info files yourself, you need one of the |
c50c5197 | 82 | Info formatting programs, such as `texinfo-format-buffer' or `makeinfo'. |
846058ed | 83 | |
575945e3 | 84 | If you have `makeinfo' installed, and are in the top level GDB |
804d23f3 | 85 | source directory (`gdb-4.9', in the case of version 4.9), you can make |
575945e3 | 86 | the Info file by typing: |
846058ed | 87 | |
575945e3 JG |
88 | cd gdb |
89 | make gdb.info | |
846058ed | 90 | |
804d23f3 JG |
91 | If you want to typeset and print copies of this manual, you need TeX, |
92 | a program to print its DVI output files, and `texinfo.tex', the Texinfo | |
575945e3 JG |
93 | definitions file. |
94 | ||
804d23f3 | 95 | TeX is a typesetting program; it does not print files directly, but |
575945e3 JG |
96 | produces output files called DVI files. To print a typeset document, |
97 | you need a program to print DVI files. If your system has TeX | |
98 | installed, chances are it has such a program. The precise command to | |
804d23f3 JG |
99 | use depends on your system; `lpr -d' is common; another (for PostScript |
100 | devices) is `dvips'. The DVI print command may require a file name | |
101 | without any extension or a `.dvi' extension. | |
575945e3 JG |
102 | |
103 | TeX also requires a macro definitions file called `texinfo.tex'. | |
104 | This file tells TeX how to typeset a document written in Texinfo | |
c50c5197 JG |
105 | format. On its own, TeX cannot read, much less typeset a Texinfo file. |
106 | `texinfo.tex' is distributed with GDB and is located in the | |
575945e3 JG |
107 | `gdb-VERSION-NUMBER/texinfo' directory. |
108 | ||
c50c5197 JG |
109 | If you have TeX and a DVI printer program installed, you can typeset |
110 | and print this manual. First switch to the the `gdb' subdirectory of | |
804d23f3 | 111 | the main source directory (for example, to `gdb-4.9/gdb') and then type: |
170d0c85 | 112 | |
846058ed | 113 | make gdb.dvi |
170d0c85 | 114 | |
c50c5197 | 115 | |
846058ed | 116 | Installing GDB |
804d23f3 | 117 | ************** |
c45c19f8 | 118 | |
846058ed JG |
119 | GDB comes with a `configure' script that automates the process of |
120 | preparing GDB for installation; you can then use `make' to build the | |
804d23f3 | 121 | `gdb' program. |
c45c19f8 | 122 | |
c50c5197 JG |
123 | The GDB distribution includes all the source code you need for GDB in |
124 | a single directory, whose name is usually composed by appending the | |
575945e3 JG |
125 | version number to `gdb'. |
126 | ||
804d23f3 | 127 | For example, the GDB version 4.9 distribution is in the `gdb-4.9' |
575945e3 | 128 | directory. That directory contains: |
c45c19f8 | 129 | |
804d23f3 | 130 | `gdb-4.9/configure (and supporting files)' |
fbda4193 | 131 | script for configuring GDB and all its supporting libraries. |
c45c19f8 | 132 | |
804d23f3 | 133 | `gdb-4.9/gdb' |
c45c19f8 JG |
134 | the source specific to GDB itself |
135 | ||
804d23f3 | 136 | `gdb-4.9/bfd' |
c50c5197 | 137 | source for the Binary File Descriptor library |
c45c19f8 | 138 | |
804d23f3 | 139 | `gdb-4.9/include' |
c45c19f8 JG |
140 | GNU include files |
141 | ||
804d23f3 | 142 | `gdb-4.9/libiberty' |
c45c19f8 JG |
143 | source for the `-liberty' free software library |
144 | ||
804d23f3 | 145 | `gdb-4.9/opcodes' |
c50c5197 JG |
146 | source for the library of opcode tables and disassemblers |
147 | ||
804d23f3 | 148 | `gdb-4.9/readline' |
c45c19f8 JG |
149 | source for the GNU command-line interface |
150 | ||
804d23f3 | 151 | `gdb-4.9/glob' |
c50c5197 JG |
152 | source for the GNU filename pattern-matching subroutine |
153 | ||
804d23f3 | 154 | `gdb-4.9/mmalloc' |
c50c5197 JG |
155 | source for the GNU memory-mapped malloc package |
156 | ||
804d23f3 JG |
157 | 'gdb-4.9/sim' |
158 | source for some simulators (z8000, H8/300, H8/500, etc) | |
159 | ||
575945e3 JG |
160 | The simplest way to configure and build GDB is to run `configure' |
161 | from the `gdb-VERSION-NUMBER' source directory, which in this example | |
804d23f3 | 162 | is the `gdb-4.9' directory. |
575945e3 | 163 | |
c50c5197 JG |
164 | First switch to the `gdb-VERSION-NUMBER' source directory if you are |
165 | not already in it; then run `configure'. Pass the identifier for the | |
166 | platform on which GDB will run as an argument. | |
575945e3 JG |
167 | |
168 | For example: | |
c45c19f8 | 169 | |
804d23f3 | 170 | cd gdb-4.9 |
c45c19f8 JG |
171 | ./configure HOST |
172 | make | |
173 | ||
575945e3 JG |
174 | where HOST is an identifier such as `sun4' or `decstation', that |
175 | identifies the platform where GDB will run. | |
176 | ||
c50c5197 JG |
177 | Running `configure HOST' followed by `make' builds the `bfd', |
178 | `readline', `mmalloc', and `libiberty' libraries, then `gdb' itself. | |
179 | The configured source files, and the binaries, are left in the | |
180 | corresponding source directories. | |
fbda4193 JG |
181 | |
182 | `configure' is a Bourne-shell (`/bin/sh') script; if your system | |
183 | does not recognize this automatically when you run a different shell, | |
575945e3 JG |
184 | you may need to run `sh' on it explicitly: |
185 | ||
186 | sh configure HOST | |
fbda4193 | 187 | |
575945e3 | 188 | If you run `configure' from a directory that contains source |
804d23f3 JG |
189 | directories for multiple libraries or programs, such as the `gdb-4.9' |
190 | source directory for version 4.9, `configure' creates configuration | |
575945e3 JG |
191 | files for every directory level underneath (unless you tell it not to, |
192 | with the `--norecursion' option). | |
193 | ||
194 | You can run the `configure' script from any of the subordinate | |
c50c5197 JG |
195 | directories in the GDB distribution, if you only want to configure that |
196 | subdirectory; but be sure to specify a path to it. | |
575945e3 | 197 | |
804d23f3 | 198 | For example, with version 4.9, type the following to configure only |
575945e3 | 199 | the `bfd' subdirectory: |
fbda4193 | 200 | |
804d23f3 | 201 | cd gdb-4.9/bfd |
fbda4193 JG |
202 | ../configure HOST |
203 | ||
c50c5197 JG |
204 | You can install `gdb' anywhere; it has no hardwired paths. However, |
205 | you should make sure that the shell on your path (named by the `SHELL' | |
206 | environment variable) is publicly readable. Remember that GDB uses the | |
207 | shell to start your program--some systems refuse to let GDB debug child | |
208 | processes whose programs are not readable. | |
c45c19f8 | 209 | |
c45c19f8 | 210 | |
804d23f3 JG |
211 | Compiling GDB in another directory |
212 | ================================== | |
846058ed | 213 | |
fbda4193 | 214 | If you want to run GDB versions for several host or target machines, |
804d23f3 | 215 | you need a different `gdb' compiled for each combination of host and |
c50c5197 JG |
216 | target. `configure' is designed to make this easy by allowing you to |
217 | generate each configuration in a separate subdirectory, rather than in | |
218 | the source directory. If your `make' program handles the `VPATH' | |
804d23f3 JG |
219 | feature correctly (GNU `make' and SunOS 'make' are two that should), |
220 | running `make' in each of these directories builds the `gdb' program | |
221 | specified there. | |
846058ed | 222 | |
575945e3 | 223 | To build `gdb' in a separate directory, run `configure' with the |
804d23f3 JG |
224 | `--srcdir' option to specify where to find the source. (You also need |
225 | to specify a path to find `configure' itself from your working | |
c50c5197 JG |
226 | directory. If the path to `configure' would be the same as the |
227 | argument to `--srcdir', you can leave out the `--srcdir' option; it | |
228 | will be assumed.) | |
c45c19f8 | 229 | |
804d23f3 | 230 | For example, with version 4.9, you can build GDB in a separate |
575945e3 | 231 | directory for a Sun 4 like this: |
c45c19f8 | 232 | |
804d23f3 | 233 | cd gdb-4.9 |
575945e3 JG |
234 | mkdir ../gdb-sun4 |
235 | cd ../gdb-sun4 | |
804d23f3 | 236 | ../gdb-4.9/configure sun4 |
575945e3 | 237 | make |
c45c19f8 | 238 | |
575945e3 JG |
239 | When `configure' builds a configuration using a remote source |
240 | directory, it creates a tree for the binaries with the same structure | |
241 | (and using the same names) as the tree under the source directory. In | |
242 | the example, you'd find the Sun 4 library `libiberty.a' in the | |
243 | directory `gdb-sun4/libiberty', and GDB itself in `gdb-sun4/gdb'. | |
c45c19f8 | 244 | |
c50c5197 | 245 | One popular reason to build several GDB configurations in separate |
575945e3 JG |
246 | directories is to configure GDB for cross-compiling (where GDB runs on |
247 | one machine--the host--while debugging programs that run on another | |
248 | machine--the target). You specify a cross-debugging target by giving | |
249 | the `--target=TARGET' option to `configure'. | |
846058ed | 250 | |
fbda4193 | 251 | When you run `make' to build a program or library, you must run it |
575945e3 JG |
252 | in a configured directory--whatever directory you were in when you |
253 | called `configure' (or one of its subdirectories). | |
846058ed | 254 | |
804d23f3 | 255 | The `Makefile' that `configure' generates in each source directory |
575945e3 | 256 | also runs recursively. If you type `make' in a source directory such |
804d23f3 JG |
257 | as `gdb-4.9' (or in a separate configured directory configured with |
258 | `--srcdir=PATH/gdb-4.9'), you will build all the required libraries, | |
259 | and then build GDB. | |
c45c19f8 | 260 | |
575945e3 JG |
261 | When you have multiple hosts or targets configured in separate |
262 | directories, you can run `make' on them in parallel (for example, if | |
263 | they are NFS-mounted on each of the hosts); they will not interfere | |
264 | with each other. | |
fbda4193 JG |
265 | |
266 | ||
804d23f3 JG |
267 | Specifying names for hosts and targets |
268 | ====================================== | |
846058ed JG |
269 | |
270 | The specifications used for hosts and targets in the `configure' | |
271 | script are based on a three-part naming scheme, but some short | |
fbda4193 JG |
272 | predefined aliases are also supported. The full naming scheme encodes |
273 | three pieces of information in the following pattern: | |
846058ed JG |
274 | |
275 | ARCHITECTURE-VENDOR-OS | |
276 | ||
c50c5197 | 277 | For example, you can use the alias `sun4' as a HOST argument or in a |
804d23f3 | 278 | `--target=TARGET' option. The equivalent full name is |
fbda4193 | 279 | `sparc-sun-sunos4'. |
846058ed | 280 | |
575945e3 JG |
281 | The `configure' script accompanying GDB does not provide any query |
282 | facility to list all supported host and target names or aliases. | |
283 | `configure' calls the Bourne shell script `config.sub' to map | |
fbda4193 JG |
284 | abbreviations to full names; you can read the script, if you wish, or |
285 | you can use it to test your guesses on abbreviations--for example: | |
846058ed JG |
286 | |
287 | % sh config.sub sun4 | |
c50c5197 | 288 | sparc-sun-sunos411 |
846058ed | 289 | % sh config.sub sun3 |
c50c5197 | 290 | m68k-sun-sunos411 |
846058ed | 291 | % sh config.sub decstation |
c50c5197 | 292 | mips-dec-ultrix42 |
846058ed JG |
293 | % sh config.sub hp300bsd |
294 | m68k-hp-bsd | |
295 | % sh config.sub i386v | |
c50c5197 JG |
296 | i386-unknown-sysv |
297 | % sh config.sub i786v | |
298 | Invalid configuration `i786v': machine `i786v' not recognized | |
fbda4193 | 299 | |
575945e3 | 300 | `config.sub' is also distributed in the GDB source directory |
804d23f3 | 301 | (`gdb-4.9', for version 4.9). |
fbda4193 | 302 | |
846058ed | 303 | |
804d23f3 JG |
304 | `configure' options |
305 | =================== | |
c45c19f8 | 306 | |
c50c5197 JG |
307 | Here is a summary of the `configure' options and arguments that are |
308 | most often useful for building GDB. `configure' also has several other | |
309 | options not listed here. *note : (configure.info)What Configure Does, | |
310 | for a full explanation of `configure'. | |
c45c19f8 | 311 | |
c50c5197 JG |
312 | configure [--help] |
313 | [--prefix=DIR] | |
314 | [--srcdir=PATH] | |
575945e3 JG |
315 | [--norecursion] [--rm] |
316 | [--target=TARGET] HOST | |
c45c19f8 | 317 | |
575945e3 JG |
318 | You may introduce options with a single `-' rather than `--' if you |
319 | prefer; but you may abbreviate option names if you use `--'. | |
c45c19f8 | 320 | |
c50c5197 JG |
321 | `--help' |
322 | Display a quick summary of how to invoke `configure'. | |
323 | ||
324 | `-prefix=DIR' | |
325 | Configure the source to install programs and files under directory | |
326 | `DIR'. | |
c45c19f8 | 327 | |
575945e3 | 328 | `--srcdir=PATH' |
c50c5197 | 329 | *Warning: using this option requires GNU `make', or another `make' |
804d23f3 | 330 | that compatibly implements the `VPATH' feature.* |
575945e3 JG |
331 | Use this option to make configurations in directories separate |
332 | from the GDB source directories. Among other things, you can use | |
c50c5197 JG |
333 | this to build (or maintain) several configurations simultaneously, |
334 | in separate directories. `configure' writes configuration | |
335 | specific files in the current directory, but arranges for them to | |
336 | use the source in the directory PATH. `configure' will create | |
337 | directories under the working directory in parallel to the source | |
338 | directories below PATH. | |
575945e3 JG |
339 | |
340 | `--norecursion' | |
341 | Configure only the directory level where `configure' is executed; | |
342 | do not propagate configuration to subdirectories. | |
343 | ||
344 | `--rm' | |
846058ed | 345 | Remove the configuration that the other arguments specify. |
c45c19f8 | 346 | |
575945e3 | 347 | `--target=TARGET' |
c50c5197 JG |
348 | Configure GDB for cross-debugging programs running on the specified |
349 | TARGET. Without this option, GDB is configured to debug programs | |
350 | that run on the same machine (HOST) as GDB itself. | |
846058ed JG |
351 | |
352 | There is no convenient way to generate a list of all available | |
353 | targets. | |
c45c19f8 JG |
354 | |
355 | `HOST ...' | |
575945e3 | 356 | Configure GDB to run on the specified HOST. |
846058ed JG |
357 | |
358 | There is no convenient way to generate a list of all available | |
359 | hosts. | |
c45c19f8 JG |
360 | |
361 | `configure' accepts other options, for compatibility with configuring | |
c50c5197 JG |
362 | other GNU tools recursively; but these are the only options that affect |
363 | GDB or its supporting libraries. | |
364 | ||
bd5635a1 | 365 | |
c50c5197 JG |
366 | Languages other than C |
367 | ======================= | |
bd5635a1 | 368 | |
575945e3 | 369 | GDB provides some support for debugging C++ progams. Partial Modula-2 |
804d23f3 JG |
370 | and Chill support is now in GDB. GDB should work with FORTRAN programs. |
371 | (If you have problems, please send a bug report; you may have to refer to | |
372 | some FORTRAN variables with a trailing underscore). Pascal programs which | |
373 | use sets, subranges, file variables, or nested functions will not | |
374 | currently work. | |
bd5635a1 | 375 | |
bd5635a1 | 376 | |
c50c5197 JG |
377 | Kernel debugging |
378 | ================= | |
bd5635a1 | 379 | |
c45c19f8 JG |
380 | I have't done this myself so I can't really offer any advice. |
381 | Remote debugging over serial lines works fine, but the kernel debugging | |
c50c5197 JG |
382 | code in here has not been tested in years. Van Jacobson has |
383 | better kernel debugging, but the UC lawyers won't let FSF have it. | |
bd5635a1 | 384 | |
bd5635a1 | 385 | |
c50c5197 JG |
386 | Remote debugging |
387 | ================= | |
bd5635a1 | 388 | |
c50c5197 JG |
389 | The files m68k-stub.c, i386-stub.c, and sparc-stub.c are examples of |
390 | remote stubs to be used with remote.c. They are designed to run | |
804d23f3 | 391 | standalone on an m68k, i386, or SPARC cpu and communicate properly with |
c50c5197 | 392 | the remote.c stub over a serial line. |
361cc81a | 393 | |
170d0c85 RP |
394 | The file rem-multi.shar contains a general stub that can probably |
395 | run on various different flavors of unix to allow debugging over a | |
361cc81a | 396 | serial line from one machine to another. |
bd5635a1 | 397 | |
fbda4193 JG |
398 | Some working remote interfaces for talking to existing ROM monitors |
399 | are: | |
804d23f3 | 400 | remote-adapt.c AMD 29000 "Adapt" |
fbda4193 | 401 | remote-eb.c AMD 29000 "EBMON" |
804d23f3 | 402 | remote-es1800.c Ericsson 1800 monitor |
c50c5197 | 403 | remote-hms.c Hitachi Micro Systems H8/300 monitor |
804d23f3 | 404 | remote-mips.c MIPS remote debugging protocol |
fbda4193 | 405 | remote-mm.c AMD 29000 "minimon" |
804d23f3 JG |
406 | remote-nindy.c Intel 960 "Nindy" |
407 | remote-sim.c Generalized simulator protocol | |
408 | remote-st2000.c Tandem ST-2000 monitor | |
409 | remote-udi.c AMD 29000 using the AMD "Universal Debug Interface" | |
410 | remote-vx.c VxWorks realtime kernel | |
411 | remote-z8k.c Zilog Z8000 simulator | |
170d0c85 RP |
412 | |
413 | Remote-vx.c and the vx-share subdirectory contain a remote interface for the | |
414 | VxWorks realtime kernel, which communicates over TCP using the Sun | |
415 | RPC library. This would be a useful starting point for other remote- | |
416 | via-ethernet back ends. | |
bd5635a1 | 417 | |
804d23f3 JG |
418 | Remote-udi.c and the 29k-share subdirectory contain a remote interface |
419 | for AMD 29000 programs, which uses the AMD "Universal Debug Interface". | |
420 | This allows GDB to talk to software simulators, emulators, and/or bare | |
421 | hardware boards, via network or serial interfaces. Note that GDB only | |
422 | provides an interface that speaks UDI, not a complete solution. You | |
423 | will need something on the other end that also speaks UDI. | |
424 | ||
c45c19f8 | 425 | |
c50c5197 JG |
426 | Reporting Bugs |
427 | =============== | |
c45c19f8 JG |
428 | |
429 | The correct address for reporting bugs found in gdb is | |
804d23f3 JG |
430 | "bug-gdb@prep.ai.mit.edu". Please email all bugs, and all requests for |
431 | help with GDB, to that address. Please include the GDB version number | |
432 | (e.g. gdb-4.9), and how you configured it (e.g. "sun4" or "mach386 | |
433 | host, i586-intel-synopsys target"). If you include the banner that GDB | |
434 | prints when it starts up, that will give us enough information. | |
435 | ||
436 | For more information on how/whether to report bugs, see the GDB Bugs | |
437 | section of the GDB manual (gdb/doc/gdb.texinfo). | |
438 | ||
439 | Known bugs: | |
440 | ||
441 | * Under Ultrix 4.2 (DECstation-3100), we have seen problems with backtraces | |
442 | after interrupting the inferior out of a read(). The problem is caused by | |
443 | ptrace() returning an incorrect value for register 30. As far as we can | |
444 | tell, this is a kernel problem. Any help with this would be greatly | |
445 | appreciated. | |
fbda4193 | 446 | |
804d23f3 JG |
447 | * On the SPARC GDB reports incorrect values of struct arguments to |
448 | functions, for the seventh and subsequent arguments. We have been looking | |
449 | at this but no fix is available yet. | |
fbda4193 | 450 | |
804d23f3 JG |
451 | * On DECstations there are warnings about shift counts out of range in |
452 | various BFD modules. None of them is a cause for alarm, they are actually | |
453 | a result of bugs in the DECstation compiler. | |
454 | ||
455 | * On Solaris using the "run" command when the program is already running | |
456 | restarts the program, but may leave a core dump from the previous | |
457 | execution in the current directory. Other SVR4 based systems don't seem | |
458 | to have this problem, using the same gdb source code. | |
bd5635a1 | 459 | |
846058ed JG |
460 | GDB can produce warnings about symbols that it does not understand. By |
461 | default, these warnings are disabled. You can enable them by executing | |
462 | `set complaint 10' (which you can put in your ~/.gdbinit if you like). | |
463 | I recommend doing this if you are working on a compiler, assembler, | |
464 | linker, or gdb, since it will point out problems that you may be able | |
465 | to fix. Warnings produced during symbol reading indicate some mismatch | |
fbda4193 | 466 | between the object file and GDB's symbol reading code. In many cases, |
846058ed | 467 | it's a mismatch between the specs for the object file format, and what |
fbda4193 | 468 | the compiler actually outputs or the debugger actually understands. |
c45c19f8 | 469 | |
c45c19f8 | 470 | |
c50c5197 JG |
471 | X Windows versus GDB |
472 | ===================== | |
bd5635a1 | 473 | |
804d23f3 JG |
474 | There is an "xxgdb", which seems to work for simple operations, |
475 | which was posted to comp.sources.x. | |
bd5635a1 | 476 | |
804d23f3 | 477 | For those interested in auto display of source and the availability of |
bd5635a1 RP |
478 | an editor while debugging I suggest trying gdb-mode in gnu-emacs |
479 | (Try typing M-x gdb RETURN). Comments on this mode are welcome. | |
480 | ||
c45c19f8 | 481 | |
c50c5197 JG |
482 | Writing Code for GDB |
483 | ===================== | |
484 | ||
804d23f3 JG |
485 | There is a lot of information about writing code for GDB in the |
486 | internals manual, distributed with GDB in gdb/doc/gdbint.texinfo. You | |
487 | can read it by hand, print it by using TeX and texinfo, or process it | |
488 | into an `info' file for use with Emacs' info mode or the standalone | |
489 | `info' program. In particular, see the nodes Getting Started, | |
490 | Debugging GDB, New Architectures, Coding Style, Clean Design, and | |
491 | Submitting Patches. | |
492 | ||
493 | If you are pondering writing anything but a short patch, especially | |
494 | take note of the information about copyrights in the node Submitting | |
495 | Patches. It can take quite a while to get all the paperwork done, so | |
496 | we encourage you to start that process as soon as you decide you are | |
497 | planning to work on something, or at least well ahead of when you | |
498 | think you will be ready to submit the patches. | |
499 | ||
500 | ||
501 | GDB Testsuite | |
502 | ============= | |
503 | ||
504 | There is a dejagnu based testsuite available for testing your newly | |
505 | built gdb, or for regression testing gdb's with local modifications. | |
506 | The testsuite is distributed separately from the base gdb distribution | |
507 | for the convenience of people that wish to get either gdb or the testsuite | |
508 | separately. | |
509 | ||
510 | The name of the testsuite is gdb-4.9-testsuite.tar.z. You unpack it in the | |
511 | same directory in which you unpacked the base gdb distribution, and it | |
512 | will create and populate the directory gdb-4.9/gdb/testsuite. | |
513 | ||
514 | Running the testsuite requires the prior installation of dejagnu, which | |
515 | should be available via ftp. Once dejagnu is installed, you can run | |
516 | the tests in one of two ways: | |
517 | ||
518 | (1) cd gdb-4.9/gdb (assuming you also unpacked gdb) | |
519 | make check | |
bd5635a1 | 520 | |
804d23f3 | 521 | or |
bd5635a1 | 522 | |
804d23f3 JG |
523 | (2) cd gdb-4.9/gdb/testsuite |
524 | make (builds the test executables) | |
525 | make site.exp (builds the site specific file) | |
526 | runtest -tool gdb GDB=../gdb (or GDB=<somepath> as appropriate) | |
c45c19f8 | 527 | |
804d23f3 JG |
528 | The second method gives you slightly more control in case of problems with |
529 | building one or more test executables, in case you wish to remove some | |
530 | test executables before running the tests, or if you are using the testsuite | |
531 | 'standalone', without it being part of the gdb source tree. | |
846058ed | 532 | |
804d23f3 | 533 | See the dejagnu documentation for further details. |
c45c19f8 | 534 | |
bd5635a1 RP |
535 | \f |
536 | (this is for editing this file with GNU emacs) | |
537 | Local Variables: | |
538 | mode: text | |
539 | End: |