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

Contents
About This Document................................................................................................5
Intended Audience...................................................................................................5
Typographic Conventions...........................................................................................5
Related Information...................................................................................................6
Introduction.............................................................................................................6
What Is a Core File?.................................................................................................6
Causes for a Core Dump...........................................................................................6
Common Signals That Cause Core Dumps...................................................................7
Using WDB to Debug Core Files................................................................................9
Support for Invoking GDB Before a Program Aborts...............................................10
System Requirements for Core File Debugging.......................................................10
Commands For Core File Debugging........................................................................10
Invoking WDB to Debug Core Files......................................................................10
Setting the Path for the Relevant Shared Libraries....................................................11
Common Commands for Core File Debugging.......................................................12
What is a Symbol Table?........................................................................................16
What is a Stripped Binary?.....................................................................................17
Debugging Core Files Created by Stripped Binaries (When the Symbol Table is
Available).........................................................................................................18
Debugging Core Files Created by Optimized or Stripped Binaries................................18
Limitations for Debugging Core Files Created by Optimized Binaries........................18
Limitations for Debugging Core Files Created by Binaries Compiled Without the -g
Option.............................................................................................................19
Limitations for Debugging Core Files Created by Stripped Binaries...........................19
Forcing a Core Dump..............................................................................................24
Saving the Core File to a Specific File Name.........................................................24
Debugging a Core File Created by a Forced Core Dump........................................25
Debugging Core Files From a Different System............................................................25
Support for Core File Debugging of MITR Applications ...............................................27
Configuring WDB for Mixed Mode Debugging.....................................................27
Command to Support Core File Debugging in Mixed More Applications...................27
Change in the Behavior of Existing Commands......................................................28
Command and Features Applicable to PA-RISC Libraries.........................................28
Known Issues and Unsupported Features in Mixed Mode Debugging........................29
Command to Search for a Pattern in the Memory Address Space..................................30
Displaying run time type information.........................................................................33
Debugging PA-RISC Core Files on Integrity Systems.....................................................33
Avoiding Core File Corruption..................................................................................33
Avoiding Core File Corruption for Applications Running HP-UX 11i v1 and HP-UX 11i
v2...................................................................................................................34
Avoiding Core File Corruption for Applications Running HP-UX 11i v3.......................35
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