Windows Integrity Kernel Debug Guide

Table 1-1 Kernel debugging setup options (continued)
Works with the following HP Integrity
server models:
• rx5670
• rx7620
• rx8620
• Superdome/sx1000
CAT-5 cable (RJ45)
+
RJ45-to-DB9F converter
Laptop or workstation
+
Microsoft Debugging Tools for
Windows
Works with the following HP Integrity
server models:
• rx7640
• rx8640
• Superdome/sx2000
No cable required.
(These servers are debugged
remotely, over a LAN, as described
in the next chapter.)
Laptop or workstation
+
Microsoft Debugging Tools for
Windows
The following sections provide instructions for setting up the host, building a cable converter if
necessary, setting up the target, and connecting the components with the cable. Setting up the
host involves installing the debugging tools. Setting up the target can involve locating and
enabling the kernel debug port and adding a boot configuration option to the operating system.
IMPORTANT: Using the Microsoft Debugging Tools for Windows software to debug kernel
problems is beyond the scope of this document. Debugging the kernel requires deep knowledge
of operating system internals and familiarity with the architecture of the HP Integrity servers.
This is best done by someone with expertise in both areas.
Setting up the host machine
The host is a machine that runs the debugging session. In a typical environment, the host is the
computer that is connected to the target (the machine being debugged) and that runs the debug
tools.
Microsoft provides the Debugging Tools for Windows software, which is a package of extensible
tools for debugging user-mode and kernel-model programs on the Windows family of operating
systems. The Debugging Tools for Windows package contains four debuggers: CDB, NTSD, KD,
and WinDbg.
• Console Debugger (CDB) and NT Symbolic Debugger (NTSD) are console applications
that can debug user-mode programs. These two debuggers are nearly identical except in
the manner in which they are launched.
• Kernel Debugger (KD) is a character-based console application that enables in-depth analysis
of kernel-mode activity on all operating systems based on Windows. You can use KD
(kd.exe) to debug kernel-mode programs and drivers or to monitor the behavior of the
operating system itself. KD also supports multiprocessor debugging. Typically, the KD tool
runs on the host but not on the computer being debugged.
• Windows Debugger (WinDbg) is a powerful debugging tool capable of both user-mode
and kernel-mode debugging. WinDbg (windbg.exe) provides full source-level debugging
for the Windows kernel, kernel-mode drivers, system services, and for user-mode applications
and drivers. WinDbg can view source code, variables, stack traces, and memory. It can also
set breakpoints.
Debugging Tools for Windows includes an online help file with detailed documentation about
each tool. See this help file for more information.
Install Debugging Tools for Windows
Versions of the Debugging Tools for Windows package are available for 32-bit x86, native Intel
Itanium, and native x64 platforms. Choose the package version based on the processor of the
host computer. Typically, you would select the Debugging Tools for Windows (x86) 32-bit
package.
10 Debugging the kernel locally