Debugging Core Files Using HP WDB (5900-1573; WDB 6.2; January 2011)

If you can reproduce the problem when running the program under WDB, it is easier to

use a live debugging session in WDB to debug the program, instead of debugging the

core file. However, the same debug information in the program can be used for core

file debugging.

Support for Invoking GDB Before a Program Aborts

WDB also provides the -crashdebug option to monitor the program execution and

invoke the debugger when the program execution is about to abort. This option provides

support for debugging a live process before the program aborts, instead of debugging

the core file after the program aborts.

Once the debugger is invoked, you can debug the application by using the common

debugger commands. You can examine the state of the process, make changes to the

state, and continue program execution, force a core dump, or terminate execution.

It also enables you to control program execution under the debugger if the program is

about to abort. You can load a new process or attach to a running process for monitoring.

To monitor a new process, enter the following command at the HP-UX prompt:

$ gdb -crashdebug [command][options]

To monitor and attach to a running process, enter the following command at the HP-UX

prompt:

$ gdb -crashdebug -pid [pid]

System Requirements for Core File Debugging

Table 1 lists the system requirements for debugging core files using WDB.

Table 1 System Requirements for Core File Debugging

DescriptionRequirement

HP–UX 11i v1, HP-UX 11i v2, or HP-UX 11i v3 on

HP 9000 systems

HP-UX 11i v2 or HP-UX 11i v3 on Integrity systems

Operating System

Commands For Core File Debugging

This section discusses the commands for debugging core files.

Invoking WDB to Debug Core Files

To invoke the debugger on the core file, enter one of the following commands:

• At the HP-UX prompt:

$ gdb a.out core