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

The executable and the core file inherently carry information about the list of shared

libraries that were loaded at the instant of core dump. However, this list of shared libraries

is referenced by pathnames (the invoked path of the shared libraries on the system where

the core dump occurred).

If the shared libraries are located at a path that is different from the invoked path, you

must provide WDB with the path for the shared libraries.

To associate the appropriate versions of the shared libraries with the core file, set the

environment variable, GDB_SHLIB_PATH, as follows:

$ export GDB_SHLIB_PATH<path>

NOTE: You can use packcore, and unpackcore to pack, or unpack the core file

along with the relevant executable and libraries in a single tar file, and debug the core

file on a different system from the one on which the core file was invoked.

For more information on debugging a core file from a different system than the one on

which the core file was created, see “Debugging Core Files From a Different System”

(page 25)

Common Commands for Core File Debugging

Table 2 lists the common commands for core file debugging.

Table 2 Commonly Used Commands for Core File Debugging

DescriptionCommand

Debugging

Feature

Invokes the core file debugging feature in WDB.

If the executable path is not provided, the debugger

selects the invocation path of the process that generated

the core file. The invocation path information is stored in

the core file. If the invocation path is a relative path, you

must enter the executable while debugging the core file.

At the HP-UX prompt:

$ gdb a.out core

$ gdb a.out -c core

$ gdb -c core

Invoking the

core file

Displays the backtrace information about the process that

encountered the un-handled signal and the call chain

(including inlined functions). The backtrace is displayed

for the thread where the un-handled signal occurred.

All the stack frames are displayed if no arguments are

specified. If <COUNT> is specified, it display the innermost

COUNT frames. If a negative argument, <-COUNT>, is

specified, it displays the outermost COUNT frames.

backtrace [<-><count>]

where [<-><count>]

Viewing

backtrace

information