Say that bug-gdb is also the place to send requests for help with GDB.

This commit is contained in:
John Gilmore 1993-08-01 20:03:51 +00:00
parent 84b5df3255
commit 804d23f31d
2 changed files with 171 additions and 192 deletions

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@ -1,3 +1,8 @@
Sun Aug 1 13:02:42 1993 John Gilmore (gnu@cygnus.com)
* README: Say that bug-gdb is also the place to send requests
for help with GDB.
Sun Aug 1 09:42:13 1993 Fred Fish (fnf@cygnus.com)
* Makefile.in (make-proto-gdb-1): Use -f opt on rm of Makefile.

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@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
README for gdb-4.7 release
Stu Grossman & John Gilmore 23 October 1992
README for gdb-4.9 release
Updated 10-May-93 by Fred Fish
This is GDB, the GNU source-level debugger, presently running under un*x.
A summary of new features is in the file `NEWS'.
@ -11,28 +11,31 @@ Unpacking and Installation -- quick overview
In this release, the GDB debugger sources, the generic GNU include
files, the BFD ("binary file description") library, the readline library,
and other libraries all have directories of their own underneath
the gdb-4.7 directory. The idea is that a variety of GNU tools can
the gdb-4.9 directory. The idea is that a variety of GNU tools can
share a common copy of these things. Configuration scripts and
makefiles exist to cruise up and down this directory tree and
automatically build all the pieces in the right order.
When you unpack the gdb-4.7.tar.Z file, you'll get a directory called
`gdb-4.7', which contains:
When you unpack the gdb-4.9.tar.z or gdb-4.9.tar.Z file, you'll find
a directory called `gdb-4.9', which contains:
COPYING.LIB config/ configure.texi mmalloc/
Makefile.in config.sub* gdb/ move-if-change*
README configure* glob/ opcodes/
bfd/ configure.in include/ readline/
cfg-paper.texi configure.man libiberty/ texinfo/
Makefile.in config.sub* glob/ opcodes/
README configure* include/ readline/
bfd/ configure.in libiberty/ texinfo/
config/ etc/ mmalloc/
config.guess* gdb/ move-if-change*
To build GDB, you can just do:
cd gdb-4.7
./configure HOSTTYPE (e.g. sun4, decstation)
cd gdb-4.9
./configure
make
cp gdb/gdb /usr/local/bin/gdb (or wherever you want)
This will configure and build all the libraries as well as GDB.
If `configure' can't determine your system type, specify one as its
argument, e.g. sun4 or decstation.
If you get compiler warnings during this stage, see the `Reporting Bugs'
section below; there are a few known problems.
@ -43,11 +46,11 @@ while debugging a program running on a machine of another type. See below.
More Documentation
******************
The GDB 4 release includes an already-formatted reference card, ready
for printing with PostScript or GhostScript, in the `gdb' subdirectory
of the main source directory--in `gdb-4.7/gdb/refcard.ps' of the
version 4.7 release. If you can use PostScript or GhostScript with your
printer, you can print the reference card immediately with `refcard.ps'.
The GDB 4 release includes an already-formatted reference card,
ready for printing with PostScript or GhostScript, in the `gdb'
subdirectory of the main source directory. (In `gdb-4.9/gdb/refcard.ps'.)
If you can use PostScript or GhostScript with your printer, you can
print the reference card immediately with `refcard.ps'.
The release also includes the source for the reference card. You
can format it, using TeX, by typing:
@ -79,23 +82,23 @@ distribution.
Info formatting programs, such as `texinfo-format-buffer' or `makeinfo'.
If you have `makeinfo' installed, and are in the top level GDB
source directory (`gdb-4.7', in the case of version 4.7), you can make
source directory (`gdb-4.9', in the case of version 4.9), you can make
the Info file by typing:
cd gdb
make gdb.info
If you want to typeset and print copies of this manual, you need
TeX, a printing program such as `lpr', and `texinfo.tex', the Texinfo
If you want to typeset and print copies of this manual, you need TeX,
a program to print its DVI output files, and `texinfo.tex', the Texinfo
definitions file.
TeX is typesetting program; it does not print files directly, but
TeX is a typesetting program; it does not print files directly, but
produces output files called DVI files. To print a typeset document,
you need a program to print DVI files. If your system has TeX
installed, chances are it has such a program. The precise command to
use depends on your system; `lpr -d' is common; another is `dvips'.
The DVI print command may require a file name without any extension or
a `.dvi' extension.
use depends on your system; `lpr -d' is common; another (for PostScript
devices) is `dvips'. The DVI print command may require a file name
without any extension or a `.dvi' extension.
TeX also requires a macro definitions file called `texinfo.tex'.
This file tells TeX how to typeset a document written in Texinfo
@ -105,55 +108,58 @@ format. On its own, TeX cannot read, much less typeset a Texinfo file.
If you have TeX and a DVI printer program installed, you can typeset
and print this manual. First switch to the the `gdb' subdirectory of
the main source directory (for example, to `gdb-4.7/gdb') and then type:
the main source directory (for example, to `gdb-4.9/gdb') and then type:
make gdb.dvi
Installing GDB
***************
**************
GDB comes with a `configure' script that automates the process of
preparing GDB for installation; you can then use `make' to build the
program.
`gdb' program.
The GDB distribution includes all the source code you need for GDB in
a single directory, whose name is usually composed by appending the
version number to `gdb'.
For example, the GDB version 4.7 distribution is in the `gdb-4.7'
For example, the GDB version 4.9 distribution is in the `gdb-4.9'
directory. That directory contains:
`gdb-4.7/configure (and supporting files)'
`gdb-4.9/configure (and supporting files)'
script for configuring GDB and all its supporting libraries.
`gdb-4.7/gdb'
`gdb-4.9/gdb'
the source specific to GDB itself
`gdb-4.7/bfd'
`gdb-4.9/bfd'
source for the Binary File Descriptor library
`gdb-4.7/include'
`gdb-4.9/include'
GNU include files
`gdb-4.7/libiberty'
`gdb-4.9/libiberty'
source for the `-liberty' free software library
`gdb-4.7/opcodes'
`gdb-4.9/opcodes'
source for the library of opcode tables and disassemblers
`gdb-4.7/readline'
`gdb-4.9/readline'
source for the GNU command-line interface
`gdb-4.7/glob'
`gdb-4.9/glob'
source for the GNU filename pattern-matching subroutine
`gdb-4.7/mmalloc'
`gdb-4.9/mmalloc'
source for the GNU memory-mapped malloc package
'gdb-4.9/sim'
source for some simulators (z8000, H8/300, H8/500, etc)
The simplest way to configure and build GDB is to run `configure'
from the `gdb-VERSION-NUMBER' source directory, which in this example
is the `gdb-4.7' directory.
is the `gdb-4.9' directory.
First switch to the `gdb-VERSION-NUMBER' source directory if you are
not already in it; then run `configure'. Pass the identifier for the
@ -161,7 +167,7 @@ platform on which GDB will run as an argument.
For example:
cd gdb-4.7
cd gdb-4.9
./configure HOST
make
@ -180,8 +186,8 @@ you may need to run `sh' on it explicitly:
sh configure HOST
If you run `configure' from a directory that contains source
directories for multiple libraries or programs, such as the `gdb-4.7'
source directory for version 4.7, `configure' creates configuration
directories for multiple libraries or programs, such as the `gdb-4.9'
source directory for version 4.9, `configure' creates configuration
files for every directory level underneath (unless you tell it not to,
with the `--norecursion' option).
@ -189,10 +195,10 @@ with the `--norecursion' option).
directories in the GDB distribution, if you only want to configure that
subdirectory; but be sure to specify a path to it.
For example, with version 4.7, type the following to configure only
For example, with version 4.9, type the following to configure only
the `bfd' subdirectory:
cd gdb-4.7/bfd
cd gdb-4.9/bfd
../configure HOST
You can install `gdb' anywhere; it has no hardwired paths. However,
@ -202,31 +208,32 @@ shell to start your program--some systems refuse to let GDB debug child
processes whose programs are not readable.
Compiling GDB in Another Directory
===================================
Compiling GDB in another directory
==================================
If you want to run GDB versions for several host or target machines,
you'll need a different `gdb' compiled for each combination of host and
you need a different `gdb' compiled for each combination of host and
target. `configure' is designed to make this easy by allowing you to
generate each configuration in a separate subdirectory, rather than in
the source directory. If your `make' program handles the `VPATH'
feature (GNU `make' does), running `make' in each of these directories
then builds the `gdb' program specified there.
feature correctly (GNU `make' and SunOS 'make' are two that should),
running `make' in each of these directories builds the `gdb' program
specified there.
To build `gdb' in a separate directory, run `configure' with the
`--srcdir' option to specify where to find the source. (You'll also
need to specify a path to find `configure' itself from your working
`--srcdir' option to specify where to find the source. (You also need
to specify a path to find `configure' itself from your working
directory. If the path to `configure' would be the same as the
argument to `--srcdir', you can leave out the `--srcdir' option; it
will be assumed.)
For example, with version 4.7, you can build GDB in a separate
For example, with version 4.9, you can build GDB in a separate
directory for a Sun 4 like this:
cd gdb-4.7
cd gdb-4.9
mkdir ../gdb-sun4
cd ../gdb-sun4
../gdb-4.7/configure sun4
../gdb-4.9/configure sun4
make
When `configure' builds a configuration using a remote source
@ -245,11 +252,11 @@ the `--target=TARGET' option to `configure'.
in a configured directory--whatever directory you were in when you
called `configure' (or one of its subdirectories).
The `Makefile' generated by `configure' for each source directory
The `Makefile' that `configure' generates in each source directory
also runs recursively. If you type `make' in a source directory such
as `gdb-4.7' (or in a separate configured directory configured with
`--srcdir=PATH/gdb-4.7'), you will build all the required libraries,
then build GDB.
as `gdb-4.9' (or in a separate configured directory configured with
`--srcdir=PATH/gdb-4.9'), you will build all the required libraries,
and then build GDB.
When you have multiple hosts or targets configured in separate
directories, you can run `make' on them in parallel (for example, if
@ -257,8 +264,8 @@ they are NFS-mounted on each of the hosts); they will not interfere
with each other.
Specifying Names for Hosts and Targets
=======================================
Specifying names for hosts and targets
======================================
The specifications used for hosts and targets in the `configure'
script are based on a three-part naming scheme, but some short
@ -268,7 +275,7 @@ three pieces of information in the following pattern:
ARCHITECTURE-VENDOR-OS
For example, you can use the alias `sun4' as a HOST argument or in a
`--target=TARGET' option, but the equivalent full name is
`--target=TARGET' option. The equivalent full name is
`sparc-sun-sunos4'.
The `configure' script accompanying GDB does not provide any query
@ -291,11 +298,11 @@ you can use it to test your guesses on abbreviations--for example:
Invalid configuration `i786v': machine `i786v' not recognized
`config.sub' is also distributed in the GDB source directory
(`gdb-4.7', for version 4.7).
(`gdb-4.9', for version 4.9).
`configure' Options
====================
`configure' options
===================
Here is a summary of the `configure' options and arguments that are
most often useful for building GDB. `configure' also has several other
@ -320,7 +327,7 @@ prefer; but you may abbreviate option names if you use `--'.
`--srcdir=PATH'
*Warning: using this option requires GNU `make', or another `make'
that implements the `VPATH' feature.*
that compatibly implements the `VPATH' feature.*
Use this option to make configurations in directories separate
from the GDB source directories. Among other things, you can use
this to build (or maintain) several configurations simultaneously,
@ -356,17 +363,15 @@ other GNU tools recursively; but these are the only options that affect
GDB or its supporting libraries.
Languages other than C
=======================
GDB provides some support for debugging C++ progams. Partial Modula-2
support is now in GDB. GDB should work with FORTRAN programs. (If you
have problems, please send a bug report; you may have to refer to some
FORTRAN variables with a trailing underscore). I am not aware of
anyone who is working on getting gdb to use the syntax of any other
language. Pascal programs which use sets, subranges, file variables,
or nested functions will not currently work.
and Chill support is now in GDB. GDB should work with FORTRAN programs.
(If you have problems, please send a bug report; you may have to refer to
some FORTRAN variables with a trailing underscore). Pascal programs which
use sets, subranges, file variables, or nested functions will not
currently work.
Kernel debugging
@ -383,7 +388,7 @@ Remote debugging
The files m68k-stub.c, i386-stub.c, and sparc-stub.c are examples of
remote stubs to be used with remote.c. They are designed to run
standalone on a 68k, 386, or SPARC cpu and communicate properly with
standalone on an m68k, i386, or SPARC cpu and communicate properly with
the remote.c stub over a serial line.
The file rem-multi.shar contains a general stub that can probably
@ -392,32 +397,65 @@ serial line from one machine to another.
Some working remote interfaces for talking to existing ROM monitors
are:
remote-eb.c AMD 29000 "EBMON"
remote-hms.c Hitachi Micro Systems H8/300 monitor
remote-nindy.c Intel 960 "Nindy"
remote-adapt.c AMD 29000 "Adapt"
remote-eb.c AMD 29000 "EBMON"
remote-es1800.c Ericsson 1800 monitor
remote-hms.c Hitachi Micro Systems H8/300 monitor
remote-mips.c MIPS remote debugging protocol
remote-mm.c AMD 29000 "minimon"
remote-nindy.c Intel 960 "Nindy"
remote-sim.c Generalized simulator protocol
remote-st2000.c Tandem ST-2000 monitor
remote-udi.c AMD 29000 using the AMD "Universal Debug Interface"
remote-vx.c VxWorks realtime kernel
remote-z8k.c Zilog Z8000 simulator
Remote-vx.c and the vx-share subdirectory contain a remote interface for the
VxWorks realtime kernel, which communicates over TCP using the Sun
RPC library. This would be a useful starting point for other remote-
via-ethernet back ends.
Remote-udi.c and the 29k-share subdirectory contain a remote interface
for AMD 29000 programs, which uses the AMD "Universal Debug Interface".
This allows GDB to talk to software simulators, emulators, and/or bare
hardware boards, via network or serial interfaces. Note that GDB only
provides an interface that speaks UDI, not a complete solution. You
will need something on the other end that also speaks UDI.
Reporting Bugs
===============
The correct address for reporting bugs found in gdb is
"bug-gdb@prep.ai.mit.edu". Please email all bugs to that address.
Please include the GDB version number (e.g. gdb-4.7), and how
you configured it (e.g. "sun4" or "mach386 host, i586-intel-synopsys
target").
"bug-gdb@prep.ai.mit.edu". Please email all bugs, and all requests for
help with GDB, to that address. Please include the GDB version number
(e.g. gdb-4.9), and how you configured it (e.g. "sun4" or "mach386
host, i586-intel-synopsys target"). If you include the banner that GDB
prints when it starts up, that will give us enough information.
A known bug:
For more information on how/whether to report bugs, see the GDB Bugs
section of the GDB manual (gdb/doc/gdb.texinfo).
* If you run with a watchpoint enabled, breakpoints will become
erratic and might not stop the program. Disabling or deleting the
watchpoint will fix the problem.
Known bugs:
* Under Ultrix 4.2 (DECstation-3100), we have seen problems with backtraces
after interrupting the inferior out of a read(). The problem is caused by
ptrace() returning an incorrect value for register 30. As far as we can
tell, this is a kernel problem. Any help with this would be greatly
appreciated.
* On the SPARC GDB reports incorrect values of struct arguments to
functions, for the seventh and subsequent arguments. We have been looking
at this but no fix is available yet.
* On DECstations there are warnings about shift counts out of range in
various BFD modules. None of them is a cause for alarm, they are actually
a result of bugs in the DECstation compiler.
* On Solaris using the "run" command when the program is already running
restarts the program, but may leave a core dump from the previous
execution in the current directory. Other SVR4 based systems don't seem
to have this problem, using the same gdb source code.
GDB can produce warnings about symbols that it does not understand. By
default, these warnings are disabled. You can enable them by executing
@ -429,24 +467,14 @@ between the object file and GDB's symbol reading code. In many cases,
it's a mismatch between the specs for the object file format, and what
the compiler actually outputs or the debugger actually understands.
If you port gdb to a new machine, please send the required changes to
bug-gdb@prep.ai.mit.edu. There's lots of information about doing your
own port in the file gdb-4.7/gdb/doc/gdbint.texinfo, which you can
print out, or read with `info' (see the Makefile.in there). If your
changes are more than a few lines, obtain and send in a copyright
assignment from gnu@prep.ai.mit.edu, as described in the section
`Writing Code for GDB' below.
X Windows versus GDB
=====================
xgdb is obsolete. We are not doing any development or support of it.
There is an "xxgdb", which seems to work for simple operations,
which was posted to comp.sources.x.
There is an "xxgdb", which shows more promise, which was posted to
comp.sources.x.
For those intersted in auto display of source and the availability of
For those interested in auto display of source and the availability of
an editor while debugging I suggest trying gdb-mode in gnu-emacs
(Try typing M-x gdb RETURN). Comments on this mode are welcome.
@ -454,110 +482,56 @@ an editor while debugging I suggest trying gdb-mode in gnu-emacs
Writing Code for GDB
=====================
Documentation about GDB's internals is in the subdirectory doc, as
`gdbint.texinfo'. In particular, there is a `cookbook' there on how
to port GDB to a new machine. You can read it by hand, print it
by using TeX and texinfo, or process it into an `info' file for use
with Emacs' info mode or the standalone `info' program.
There is a lot of information about writing code for GDB in the
internals manual, distributed with GDB in gdb/doc/gdbint.texinfo. You
can read it by hand, print it by using TeX and texinfo, or process it
into an `info' file for use with Emacs' info mode or the standalone
`info' program. In particular, see the nodes Getting Started,
Debugging GDB, New Architectures, Coding Style, Clean Design, and
Submitting Patches.
We appreciate having users contribute code that is of general use, but
for it to be included in future GDB releases it must be cleanly
written. We do not want to include changes that will needlessly make
future maintainance difficult. It is not much harder to do things
right, and in the long term it is worth it to the GNU project, and
probably to you individually as well.
If you make substantial changes, you'll have to file a copyright
assignment with the Free Software Foundation before we can produce a
release that includes your changes. Send mail requesting the copyright
assignment to gnu@prep.ai.mit.edu. Do this early, like before the
changes actually work, or even before you start them, because a manager
or lawyer on your end will probably make this a slow process.
Please code according to the GNU coding standards. If you do not have
a copy, you can request one by sending mail to gnu@prep.ai.mit.edu.
Please try to avoid making machine-specific changes to
machine-independent files. If this is unavoidable, put a hook in the
machine-independent file which calls a (possibly) machine-dependent
macro (for example, the IGNORE_SYMBOL macro can be used for any
symbols which need to be ignored on a specific machine. Calling
IGNORE_SYMBOL in dbxread.c is a lot cleaner than a maze of #if
defined's). The machine-independent code should do whatever "most"
machines want if the macro is not defined in param.h. Using #if
defined can sometimes be OK (e.g. SET_STACK_LIMIT_HUGE) but should be
conditionalized on a specific feature of an operating system (set in
tm.h or xm.h) rather than something like #if defined(vax) or #if
defined(SYSV). If you use an #ifdef on some symbol that is defined
in a header file (e.g. #ifdef TIOCSETP), *please* make sure that you
have #include'd the relevant header file in that module!
There is a list of all known `feature-test macros' in gdbint.texinfo.
Each such macro should be defined (or left undefined) in a host-dependent,
target-dependent, or native-dependent include file. Not all of the
macros are cleanly separated this way, yet. As you make changes, move
the code toward cleanliness.
It is better to replace entire routines which may be system-specific,
rather than put in a whole bunch of hooks which are probably not going
to be helpful for any purpose other than your changes. For example,
if you want to modify dbxread.c to deal with DBX debugging symbols
which are in COFF files rather than BSD a.out files, do something
along the lines of a macro GET_NEXT_SYMBOL, which could have
different definitions for COFF and a.out, rather than trying to put
the necessary changes throughout all the code in dbxread.c that
currently assumes BSD format.
When generalizing GDB along a particular interface, please use an
attribute-struct rather than inserting tests or switch statements
everywhere. For example, GDB has been generalized to handle multiple
kinds of remote interfaces -- not by #ifdef's everywhere, but by
defining the "target_ops" structure and having a current target (as
well as a stack of targets below it, for memory references). Whenever
something needs to be done that depends on which remote interface we
are using, a flag in the current target_ops structure is tested (e.g.
`target_has_stack'), or a function is called through a pointer in the
current target_ops structure. In this way, when a new remote interface
is added, only one module needs to be touched -- the one that actually
implements the new remote interface. Other examples of
attribute-structs are BFD access to multiple kinds of object file
formats, or GDB's access to multiple source languages.
Please avoid duplicating code. For example, in GDB 3.x all the stuff
in infptrace.c was duplicated in *-dep.c, and so changing something
was very painful. In GDB 4.x, these have all been consolidated
into infptrace.c. infptrace.c can deal with variations between
systems the same way any system-independent file would (hooks, #if
defined, etc.), and machines which are radically different don't need
to use infptrace.c at all. The same was true of core_file_command
and exec_file_command.
If you are pondering writing anything but a short patch, especially
take note of the information about copyrights in the node Submitting
Patches. It can take quite a while to get all the paperwork done, so
we encourage you to start that process as soon as you decide you are
planning to work on something, or at least well ahead of when you
think you will be ready to submit the patches.
Debugging gdb with itself
==========================
GDB Testsuite
=============
If gdb is limping on your machine, this is the preferred way to get it
fully functional. Be warned that in some ancient Unix systems, like
Ultrix 4.0, a program can't be running in one process while it is being
debugged in another. Rather than doing "./gdb ./gdb", which works on
Suns and such, you can copy gdb to gdb2 and then do "./gdb ./gdb2".
There is a dejagnu based testsuite available for testing your newly
built gdb, or for regression testing gdb's with local modifications.
The testsuite is distributed separately from the base gdb distribution
for the convenience of people that wish to get either gdb or the testsuite
separately.
When you run gdb in the gdb source directory, it will read a ".gdbinit"
file that sets up some simple things to make debugging gdb easier. The
"info" command, when executed without a subcommand in a gdb being
debugged by gdb, will pop you back up to the top level gdb. See
.gdbinit for details.
The name of the testsuite is gdb-4.9-testsuite.tar.z. You unpack it in the
same directory in which you unpacked the base gdb distribution, and it
will create and populate the directory gdb-4.9/gdb/testsuite.
I strongly recommend printing out the reference card and using it.
Send reference-card suggestions to bug-gdb@prep.ai.mit.edu, just like bugs.
Running the testsuite requires the prior installation of dejagnu, which
should be available via ftp. Once dejagnu is installed, you can run
the tests in one of two ways:
If you use emacs, you will probably want to do a "make TAGS" after you
configure your distribution; this will put the machine dependent
routines for your local machine where they will be accessed first by a
M-period.
(1) cd gdb-4.9/gdb (assuming you also unpacked gdb)
make check
or
(2) cd gdb-4.9/gdb/testsuite
make (builds the test executables)
make site.exp (builds the site specific file)
runtest -tool gdb GDB=../gdb (or GDB=<somepath> as appropriate)
The second method gives you slightly more control in case of problems with
building one or more test executables, in case you wish to remove some
test executables before running the tests, or if you are using the testsuite
'standalone', without it being part of the gdb source tree.
See the dejagnu documentation for further details.
Also, make sure that you've either compiled gdb with your local cc, or
have run `fixincludes' if you are compiling with gcc.
(this is for editing this file with GNU emacs)
Local Variables: