Debugging with GDB Manual (5900-1473; WDB 6.2; January 2011)

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Table Of Contents

Debugging with GDB Manual
Contents
Summary of GDB
- Free Software
- Contributors to GDB
1 A Sample GDB Session
- 1.1 Loading the Executable
- 1.2 Setting Display width
- 1.3 Setting Breakpoints
- 1.4 Running the executable under GDB
- 1.5 Stepping to the next line in the source program
- 1.6 Stepping into a subroutine
- 1.7 Examining the Stack
- 1.8 Printing Variable Values
- 1.9 Listing Source Code
- 1.10 Setting Variable Values During a Session
2 Getting In and Out of GDB
- 2.1 Invoking GDB
- 2.2 Quitting GDB
- 2.3 Shell commands
3 GDB Commands
- 3.1 Command syntax
- 3.2 Command completion
- 3.3 Getting help
4 Running Programs Under GDB
- 4.1 Compiling for debugging
- 4.2 Starting your program
- 4.3 Arguments To Your Program
- 4.4 Program Environment
- 4.5 Working directory
- 4.6 Program Input and Output
- 4.7 Debugging a Running Process
- 4.8 Killing the child process
- 4.9 Debugging programs with multiple threads
- 4.10 Debugging programs with multiple processes
5 Stopping and Continuing
- 5.1 Breakpoints
- 5.2 Continuing and stepping
- 5.3 Signals
- 5.4 Stopping and starting multi-thread programs
6 Examining the Stack
- 6.1 Stack frames
- 6.2 Stacks Without frames
- 6.3 Commands for Examining the Stack
- 6.4 Backtraces
- 6.5 Selecting a frame
- 6.6 Information about a frame
7 Examining Source Files
- 7.1 Printing source lines
- 7.2 Searching source files
- 7.3 Specifying source directories
- 7.4 Source and machine code
8 Examining Data
- 8.1 Expressions
- 8.2 Program variables
- 8.3 Artificial arrays
- 8.4 Output formats
- 8.5 Examining memory
- 8.6 Automatic display
- 8.7 Print settings
- 8.8 Value history
- 8.9 Convenience variables
- 8.10 Registers
- 8.11 Printing Floating Point Values
- 8.12 Floating point hardware
- 8.13 Functions
9 Using GDB with Different Languages
- 9.1 Switching between source languages
- 9.2 Displaying the language
- 9.3 Type and range checking
  - 9.3.1 An overview of type checking
  - 9.3.2 An overview of range checking
- 9.4 Supported languages
  - 9.4.1 C and C++
  - 9.4.2 Fortran
10 Examining the Symbol Table
11 Altering Execution
- 11.1 Assignment to variables
- 11.2 Continuing at a different address
- 11.3 Giving your program a signal
- 11.4 Returning from a function
- 11.5 Calling program functions
- 11.6 Patching programs
12 GDB Files
- 12.1 Commands to specify files
- 12.2 Specifying shared library locations
- 12.3 Errors reading symbol files
13 Specifying a Debugging Target
- 13.1 Active targets
- 13.2 Commands for managing targets
- 13.3 Choosing target byte order
14 HP-UX Configuration-Specific Information
- 14.1 Summary of HP Enhancements to GDB
- 14.2 HP-UX dependencies
  - 14.2.1 Linker Dependencies
  - 14.2.2 Dependent Standard Library Routines for Run Time Checking
- 14.3 Supported Platforms and Modes
- 14.4 HP-UX targets
- 14.5 Support for Alternate root
- 14.6 Specifying object file directories
- 14.7 Fix and continue debugging
  - 14.7.1 Fix and Continue compiler dependencies
  - 14.7.2 Fix and Continue restrictions
  - 14.7.3 Using Fix and Continue
  - 14.7.4 Example Fix and Continue session
- 14.8 Inline Support
  - 14.8.1 Inline Debugging in HP 9000 Systems
  - 14.8.2 Inline Debugging in Integrity Systems
    - 14.8.2.1 Debugging Inline Functions in Integrity Systems
- 14.9 Debugging Macros
  - 14.9.1 Viewing and Evaluating Macro Definitions
    - 14.9.1.1 Compiler Options to Enable Macro Debugging
  - 14.9.2 Examples for Macro Debugging
- 14.10 Debugging Memory Problems
  - 14.10.1 When to suspect a memory leak
  - 14.10.2 Memory debugging restrictions
  - 14.10.3 Memory Debugging Methodologies
  - 14.10.4 Debugging Memory in Interactive Mode
    - 14.10.4.1 Commands for interactive memory debugging
    - 14.10.4.2 Example for interactive debugging session
  - 14.10.5 Debugging Memory in Batch Mode
  - 14.10.6 Debugging Memory Interactively After Attaching to a Running Process
  - 14.10.7 Open-files reporting
  - 14.10.8 Configuring memory debugging settings
  - 14.10.9 Scenarios in memory debugging
  - 14.10.10 Comparison of Memory Debugging Commands in Interactive Mode and Batch Mode
  - 14.10.11 Heap Profiling
  - 14.10.12 Memory Checking Analysis for User Defined Memory Management Routines
  - 14.10.13 Commands to track the change in data segment value
  - 14.10.14 Support for Memory Debugging Feature on Applications Using libmallocng Library for Heap Allocation Management
- 14.11 Thread Debugging Support
  - 14.11.1 Support for Enabling and Disabling Specific Threads
  - 14.11.2 Backtrace Support for Thread Debugging
  - 14.11.3 Advanced Thread Debugging Support
  - 14.11.4 Debugging Threads Interactively After Attaching to a Process
  - 14.11.5 Thread Debugging in Batch Mode
    - 14.11.5.1 Pre-requisites for Batch mode of Thread Debugging
    - 14.11.5.2 Limitations in Batch mode of thread debugging
  - 14.11.6 Thread Debugging in +check Mode
  - 14.11.7 Known issues with Thread Debugging for Interactive and Batch mode
- 14.12 Debugging MPI Programs
- 14.13 Debugging multiple processes (programs with fork and vfork calls)
  - 14.13.1 Ask mode for set follow-fork-mode
  - 14.13.2 Serial mode for set follow-fork-mode
  - 14.13.3 Support for showing unwind info
- 14.14 Command to Search for a Pattern in the Memory Address Space
- 14.15 Debugging Core Files
  - 14.15.1 Generating core files with packcore /unpackcore/getcore
  - 14.15.2 Support for the info target Command
  - 14.15.3 Support for the dumpcore command
    - 14.15.3.1 Enhancements to the dumpcore command
  - 14.15.4 Support for display of run time type information
  - 14.15.5 Support for Core File Debugging of MITR Applications
  - 14.15.6 Support for mmapfile command
- 14.16 Debugging with debug information available in the side debug file
- 14.17 Printing the Execution Path Entries for the Current Frame or Thread
  - 14.17.1 Compiler Dependencies for Printing the Execution Path Entries
  - 14.17.2 Example Illustrating Execution Path Recovery
- 14.18 Command to Unwind Beyond 10000 Frames
- 14.19 Invoking GDB Before a Program Aborts
- 14.20 Aborting a Command Line Call
- 14.21 Instruction Level Stepping
- 14.22 Enhanced support for watchpoints and breakpoints
  - 14.22.1 Deferred watchpoints
  - 14.22.2 Hardware watchpoints
  - 14.22.3 Hardware breakpoints
    - 14.22.3.1 Setting breakpoints in unstripped shared library
  - 14.22.4 Support for procedural breakpoints
  - 14.22.5 Support for template breakpoints
- 14.23 Debugging support for shared libraries
  - 14.23.1 Using shared library as main program
  - 14.23.2 Setting Deferred Breakpoints in Shared Library
  - 14.23.3 Using catch load
  - 14.23.4 Privately mapping shared libraries
  - 14.23.5 Selectively Mapping Shared Libraries As Private
  - 14.23.6 Setting breakpoints in shared library
  - 14.23.7 Enhancement to the info shared Command
- 14.24 Debugging support for Decimal Floating Point data type
  - 14.24.1 Printing Decimal Floating point data types
    - 14.24.1.1 Printing Decimal floating point constant
    - 14.24.1.2 Printing Decimal floating point variable
  - 14.24.2 Handling Decimal Floating Point Data types
  - 14.24.3 Evaluating Decimal Floating Point data types
    - 14.24.3.1 Printing type of Decimal Floating Point variable
- 14.25 Additional Support for binary floating point data type
  - 14.25.1 Support for Binary Floating Point constants f, l
  - 14.25.2 Support Binary Floating Point variables with format specifier
- 14.26 Language support
  - 14.26.1 Enhanced Java Debugging Support
  - 14.26.2 Enhanced support for C++ templates
  - 14.26.3 Support for _ _fpreg data type on IPF
  - 14.26.4 Support for _Complex variables in HP C
  - 14.26.5 Support for debugging namespaces
  - 14.26.6 Command for evaluating the address of an expression
- 14.27 Viewing Wide Character Strings
- 14.28 Support for output logging
  - 14.28.1 Support for dumping array in an ASCII file
  - 14.28.2 Support for Fortran array slices
  - 14.28.3 Displaying enumerators
  - 14.28.4 Support for debugging typedefs
  - 14.28.5 Support for steplast command for C and C++
- 14.29 Getting information from a non-debug executable
- 14.30 Debugging optimized code
  - 14.30.1 Debugging Optimized Code at Various Optimization Levels
    - 14.30.1.1 +O0 and +O1
    - 14.30.1.2 +O2/+O3/+O4/-ipo
- 14.31 Debugging with ARIES
  - 14.31.1 Debugging the application using GDB under ARIES
    - 14.31.1.1 Limitations of GDB Support under ARIES
  - 14.31.2 Attaching GDB to an already running emulated process
  - 14.31.3 Detecting memory leaks using GDB under ARIES
- 14.32 Visual Interface for HP WDB
  - 14.32.1 Starting and stopping Visual Interface for HP WDB
  - 14.32.2 Navigating the Visual Interface for HP WDB display
  - 14.32.3 Specifying foreground and background colors
  - 14.32.4 Using the X-window graphical interface
  - 14.32.5 Using the TUI mode
  - 14.32.6 Changing the size of the source or debugger pane
  - 14.32.7 Using commands to browse through source files
  - 14.32.8 Loading source files
  - 14.32.9 Editing source files
  - 14.32.10 Editing the command line and command-line history
  - 14.32.11 Saving the contents of a debugging session to a file
- 14.33 Support for ddd
- 14.34 Support for XDB commands
  - 14.34.1 stop in/at dbx commands
- 14.35 GDB Logging Commands
- 14.36 Support for command line calls in a stripped executable
  - 14.36.1 Support for command line calls in a stripped executable on PA-RISC systems
  - 14.36.2 Additional support for command line calls in a stripped executable
    - 14.36.2.1 For 32-bit applications:
    - 14.36.2.2 For 64-bit applications
  - 14.36.3 Support for debugging stripped binaries
- 14.37 Displaying the current block scope information
- 14.38 Linux support
- 14.39 Source level debugging
- 14.40 Support for using old DW-VIRTUALITY values
- 14.41 Additional support for examining registers
  - 14.41.1 Printing or changing the values of CFM and PFS registers
  - 14.41.2 Printing and setting NaT registers
15 The HP-UX Terminal User Interface
- 15.1 Starting the TUI
- 15.2 Automatically running a program at startup
- 15.3 Screen Layouts
- 15.4 Cycling through the panes
- 15.5 Changing pane focus
- 15.6 Scrolling panes
- 15.7 Changing the register display
- 15.8 Changing the pane size
- 15.9 Refreshing and updating the window
16 XDB to HP WDB Transition Guide
- 16.1 By-function lists of XDB commands and HP WDB equivalents
- 16.2 Overall breakpoint commands
- 16.3 XDB data formats and HP WDB equivalents
- 16.4 XDB location syntax and HP WDB equivalents
- 16.5 XDB special language operators and HP WDB equivalents
- 16.6 XDB special variables and HP WDB equivalents
- 16.7 XDB variable identifiers and HP WDB equivalents
- 16.8 Alphabetical lists of XDB commands and HP WDB equivalents
17 Controlling GDB
- 17.1 Setting the GDB Prompt
- 17.2 Setting Command Editing Options in GDB
- 17.3 Setting Command History Feature in GDB
- 17.4 Setting the GDB Screen Size
- 17.5 Supported Number Formats
- 17.6 Optional warnings and messages
- 17.7 Optional messages about internal happenings
- 17.8 Configuring the Current Application Binary Interface (ABI)
18 Canned Sequences of Commands
- 18.1 User-defined commands
- 18.2 User-defined command hooks
- 18.3 Command files
- 18.4 Commands for controlled output
19 Using GDB under gnu Emacs
20 GDB Annotations
- 20.1 What is an annotation?
- 20.2 The server prefix
- 20.3 Values
- 20.4 Frames
- 20.5 Displays
- 20.6 Annotation for GDB input
- 20.7 Errors
- 20.8 Information on breakpoints
- 20.9 Invalidation notices
- 20.10 Running the program
- 20.11 Displaying source
- 20.12 Annotations We Might Want in the Future
21 The GDB/MI Interface
- 21.1 GDB/MI Command Syntax
- 21.2 GDB/MI compatibility with CLI
- 21.3 GDB/MI output records
- 21.4 GDB/MI command description format
- 21.5 GDB/MI breakpoint table commands
- 21.6 GDB/MI Data manipulation
- 21.7 GDB/MI program control
- 21.8 Miscellaneous GDB commands in GDB/MI
- 21.9 GDB/MI Stack Manipulation Commands
- 21.10 GDB/MI Symbol query commands
- 21.11 GDB/MI Target Manipulation Commands
- 21.12 GDB/MI thread commands
- 21.13 GDB/MI tracepoint commands
- 21.14 GDB/MI variable objects
22 Reporting Bugs in GDB
- 22.1 Have you found a bug?
- 22.2 How to report bugs
A Installing GDB
- A.1 Compiling GDB in another directory
- A.2 Specifying names for hosts and targets
- A.3 configure options

A breakpoint, watchpoint, or catchpoint can have any of four different states of

enablement:

• Enabled. The breakpoint stops your program. A breakpoint set with the break

command starts out in this state.

• Disabled. The breakpoint has no effect on your program.

• Enabled once. The breakpoint stops your program, but then becomes disabled.

• Enabled for deletion. The breakpoint stops your program, but immediately after it

does so it is deleted permanently. A breakpoint set with the tbreak command starts

out in this state.

You can use the following commands to enable or disable breakpoints, watchpoints,

and catchpoints:

disable [breakpoints]

[range...]

Disable the specified breakpoints―or all

breakpoints, if none are listed. A disabled

breakpoint has no effect but is not forgotten. All

options such as ignore-counts, conditions, and

commands are remembered in case the breakpoint

is enabled again later. You may abbreviate

disable as dis.

enable [breakpoints]

[range...]

Enable the specified breakpoints (or all defined

breakpoints). They become effective once again

in stopping your program.

enable [breakpoints] once

range...

Enable the specified breakpoints temporarily. GDB

disables any of these breakpoints immediately

after stopping your program.

enable [breakpoints] delete

range...

Enable the specified breakpoints to work once,

then die. GDB deletes any of these breakpoints

as soon as your program stops there.

Except for a breakpoint set with tbreak (see “Setting breakpoints” (page 47)),

breakpoints that you set are initially enabled; subsequently, they become disabled or

enabled only when you use one of the commands above. (The command until can set

and delete a breakpoint of its own, but it does not change the state of your other

breakpoints; see “Continuing and stepping” (page 59).)

5.1.5 Break conditions

The simplest sort of breakpoint breaks every time your program reaches a specified

place. You can also specify a condition for a breakpoint. A condition is just a Boolean

expression in your programming language (see “Expressions” (page 76)). A breakpoint

with a condition evaluates the expression each time your program reaches it, and your

program stops only if the condition is true.

54 Stopping and Continuing