HP-UX 11i Version 1.6 Release Notes

Other Functionality
Aries Binary Translator
Chapter 8
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Aries Binary Translator
Aries is the HP-UX PA-RISC to HP-UX IPF binary emulator. Aries transparently
emulates both 32-bit and 64-bit HP-UX PA-RISC applications on HP-UX IPF.
The Aries distribution on HP-UX IPF system consists of four shared libraries:
/usr/lib/hpux32/aries32.so
/usr/lib/hpux32/pa_boot32.so
/usr/lib/hpux64/aries64.so
/usr/lib/hpux64/pa_boot64.so
The HP-UX IPF kernel invokes pa_boot[32/64].so when a 32/64-bit PA-RISC binary is
launched. Similarly, pa_boot[32/64].so invokes aries[32/64].so.
Summary of Change
Aries is enhanced to allow the user to debug PA-RISC/HP-UX applications running
under compatibility mode under Aries on IPF/HP-UX using PA-RISC/HP-UX gdb.
Support for the generation of PA-RISC Core file on IPF is also provided.
Details of Change
Aries emulates the ttrace system call in order to enable pa-gdb to run under Aries on
IPF. Both 32 and 64-bit Aries incorporate this support. In addition, Aries (both 32 and
64-bit) also generates PA-RISC core dump when an emulated PA-RISC application fails
on IPF. Aries follows the exact semantics of PA-RISC HP-UX kernel while creating the
core file. Such a core file can be either analyzed on an IPF system using emulated
PA-RISC gdb or can be transferred to a PA-RISC machine and analyzed using the native
PA-RISC gdb.
This new Aries feature allows the user to transparently debug PA-RISC/HP-UX
applications running in compatibility mode under Aries on IPF/HP-UX, using
PA-RISC/HP-UX gdb. In this case, the PA-RISC/HP-UX gdb also runs on IPF/HP-UX
platform in compatibility mode under Aries.
Until now, Aries did not support emulation of debugger programs like gdb belonging to
the PA-RISC/HP-UX platform on IPF/HP-UX platform. Any ttrace/ptracecall made by a
program would fall under Aries Limitation and fail. This feature helps the user to triage
failures of a PA-RISC/HP-UX application running under Aries on IPF/HP-UX and find
out the possible reasons of failure of the application.
Impact
In HP-UX 11i v1.6 for IPF, the PA-RISC/HP-UX gdb is packaged under /usr/ccs/bin.
Users are advised to add /usr/ccs/bin to the
PATH environment variable. Also, in this
release Native gdb is enhanced to detect PA-RISC/HP-UX executables and launch them
under the packaged PA-RISC/HP-UX gdb.
Compatibility
No compatibility issues.