2    Kernel Debugging Utilities

The Tru64 UNIX system provides several tools you can use to debug the kernel and kernel programs. The Ladebug debugger (available as an option) is also capable of debugging the kernel.

This chapter describes three debuggers and a utility for analyzing crash dumps:

The sections that follow describe how to use these tools to debug the kernel and kernel programs.

Note

Starting with Tru64 UNIX Version 5.0, all the previously mentioned tools can be used with compressed (vmzcore.n) and uncompressed (vmcore.n) crash dump files. Older versions of these tools can read only vmcore.n files. If you are using an older version of a tool, use the expand_dump utility to produce a vmcore.n file from a vmzcore.n file. For more information about compressed and uncompressed crash dump files, see expand_dump(8) and the System Administration manual.

2.1    The dbx Debugger

The dbx debugger is a symbolic debugger that allows you to examine, modify, and display the variables and data structures found in stripped or nonstripped kernel images.

The following sections describe how to invoke the dbx debugger for kernel debugging (Section 2.1.1) and how to use its commands to perform tasks such as the following:

For more information on dbx, see the Programmer's Guide.

2.1.1    Invoking the dbx Debugger for Kernel Debugging

To debug kernel code with the dbx debugger, you use the -k flag. This flag causes dbx to map memory addresses. When you use the dbx -k command, the debugger operates on two separate files that reflect the current state of the kernel that you want to examine. These files are as follows:

These files may be files from a running system, such as /vmunix and /dev/mem, or dump files, such as vmunix.n and vmzcore.n (compressed) or vmcore.n (uncompressed). By default, crash dump files are created in the /var/adm/crash directory (see the System Administration manual).

Note

You might need to be the superuser (root login) to examine the running system or crash dump files produced by savecore. Whether you need to be the superuser depends on the directory and file protections for the files you attempt to examine with the dbx debugger.

Use the following dbx command to examine the running system: 

# dbx -k /vmunix /dev/mem

Use a dbx command similar to the following to examine a compressed or uncompressed crash dump file, respectively: 

# dbx -k vmunix.1 vmzcore.1
# dbx -k vmunix.1 vmcore.1

The version number (.1, in this example) is determined by the value contained in the bounds file, which is located in the same directory as the dump files.

2.1.2    Debugging Stripped Images

By default, the kernel is compiled with a debugging flag that does not strip all of the symbol table information from the executable kernel image. The kernel is also partially optimized during the compilation process by default. If the kernel or any other file is fully optimized and stripped of all symbol table information during compilation, your ability to debug the file is greatly reduced. However, the dbx debugger provides commands to aid you in debugging stripped images.

When you attempt to display the contents of a symbol during a debugging session, you might encounter messages such as the following: 


No local symbols.
Undefined symbol.
Inactive symbol.

These messages might indicate that you are debugging a stripped image.

To see the contents of all symbols during a debugging session, you can leave the debugging session, rebuild all stripped modules (but do not strip them), and reenter the debugging session. However, on certain occasions, you might want to add a symbol table to your current debugging session rather than end the session and start a new one. To add a symbol table to your current debugging session, follow these steps:

  1. Go to a window other than the one in which the debugger is running, or put the debugger in the background, and rebuild the modules for which you need a symbol table.

  2. Once the modules build correctly, use the ostrip command to strip a symbol table out of the resulting executable file. For example, if your executable file is named kernel_program, issue a command such as the following one: 

    
% /usr/ucb/ostrip -t kernel_program

    The -t flag causes the ostrip command to produce two files. One, named kernel_program, is the stripped executable image. The other, named kernel_program.stb, contains the symbol table information for the kernel_program module. (For more information about the ostrip command, see ostrip(1).)

  3. Return to the debugging session and add the symbol table file by issuing the dbx command stbadd as follows: 

    dbx> stbadd kernel_program.stb

    You can specify an absolute or relative pathname on the stbadd command line.

    Once you issue this command, you can display the contents of symbols included in the symbol table just as if you had built the module you are debugging without stripping.

You can also delete symbol tables from a debugging session using the dbx command stbdel. For more information about this command, see dbx(1).

2.1.3    Specifying the Location of Loadable Modules for Crash Dumps

When a crash dump occurs, the location of any loadable modules used by the kernel is recorded in the crash dump file, enabling dbx to find the modules. If the version of a loadable module that was running when the crash occurred is moved to a different location, dbx will not find it. You can specify the directory path where dbx should look for loadable modules by using any one of the following methods (see dbx(1) for complete details):

To verify that modules are being loaded from the correct location, turn on verbose module-loading using any one of the following methods:

2.1.4    Examining Memory Contents

To examine memory contents with dbx, use the following syntax: 


address/count[mode]

The count argument specifies the number of items that the debugger displays at the specified address, and the mode argument determines how dbx displays memory. If you omit the mode argument, the debugger uses the previous mode. The initial default mode is X (hexadecimal). Table 2-1 lists the dbx address modes.

Table 2-1:  The dbx Address Modes

Mode Description
b Displays a byte in octal.
c Displays a byte as a character.
d Displays a short word in decimal.
D Displays a long word in decimal.
f Displays a single precision real number.
g Displays a double precision real number.
i Displays machine instructions.
n Displays data in typed format.
o Displays a short word in octal.
O Displays a long word in octal.
s Displays a string of characters that ends in a null.
x Displays a short word in hexadecimal.
X Displays a long word in hexadecimal.

The following examples show how to use dbx to examine kernel images: 

(dbx) _realstart/X
fffffc00002a4008:  c020000243c4153e
(dbx) _realstart/i
[_realstart:153, 0xfffffc00002a4008]  subq    sp, 0x20, sp
(dbx) _realstart/10i
  [_realstart:153, 0xfffffc00002a4008]  subq    sp, 0x20, sp
  [_realstart:154, 0xfffffc00002a400c]  br      r1, 0xfffffc00002a4018
  [_realstart:156, 0xfffffc00002a4010]  call_pal        0x4994e0
  [_realstart:157, 0xfffffc00002a4014]  bgt     r31, 0xfffffc00002a3018
  [_realstart:171, 0xfffffc00002a4018]  ldq     gp, 0(r1)
  [_realstart:172, 0xfffffc00002a401c]  stq     r31, 24(sp)
  [_realstart:177, 0xfffffc00002a4020]  bis     r16, r31, r9
  [_realstart:178, 0xfffffc00002a4024]  bis     r17, r31, r10
  [_realstart:179, 0xfffffc00002a4028]  bis     r18, r31, r11
  [_realstart:181, 0xfffffc00002a402c]  bis     r19, r31, r12

2.1.5    Printing the Values of Variables and Data Structures

You can use the print command to examine values of variables and data structures. The print command has the following syntax:

print expression

p expression

For example: 

(dbx) print utsname
struct {
    sysname = "OSF1"
    nodename = "system.dec.com"
    release = "V5.0"
    version = "688.2"
    machine = "alpha"
}

Note that dbx has a default alias of p for print: 


(dbx) p utsname

2.1.6    Displaying a Data Structure Format

You can use the whatis command to display the format for many of the kernel data structures. The whatis command has the following syntax:

whatis typename

The following example displays the itimerval data structure: 

(dbx) whatis struct itimerval
struct itimerval {
    struct timeval {
        int tv_sec;
        int tv_usec;
    } it_interval;
    struct timeval {
        int tv_sec;
        int tv_usec;
    } it_value;
};

2.1.7    Debugging Multiple Threads

You can use the dbx debugger to examine the state of the kernel's threads with the querying and scoping commands described in this section. You use these commands to show process and thread lists and to change the debugger's context (by setting its current process and thread variables) so that a stack trace for a particular thread can be displayed. Use these commands to examine the state of the kernel's threads:

print $tid

Display the thread ID of the current thread

print $pid

Display the process ID of the current process

where

Display a stack trace for the current thread

tlist

Display a list of kernel threads for the current process

kps

Display a list of processes (not available when used with kdebug)

set $pid=process_id

Change the context to another process (a process ID of 0 changes context to the kernel)

tset thread_id

Change the context to another thread

tstack

Displays the stack trace for all threads.

2.1.8    Examining the Exception Frame

When you work with a crash dump file to debug your code, you can use dbx to examine the exception frame. The exception frame is a stack frame created during an exception. It contains the registers that define the state of the routine that was running at the time of the exception. Refer to the /usr/include/machine/reg.h header file to determine where registers are stored in the exception frame.

The savedefp variable contains the location of the exception frame. (Note that no exception frames are created when you force a system to dump, as described in the System Administration manual.) The following example shows an example exception frame: 


(dbx) print savedefp/33X
ffffffff9618d940:  0000000000000000 fffffc000046f888
ffffffff9618d950:  ffffffff86329ed0 0000000079cd612f
ffffffff9618d960:  000000000000007d 0000000000000001
ffffffff9618d970:  0000000000000000 fffffc000046f4e0
ffffffff9618d980:  0000000000000000 ffffffff9618a2f8
ffffffff9618d990:  0000000140012b20 0000000000000000
ffffffff9618d9a0:  000000014002ee10 0000000000000000
ffffffff9618d9b0:  00000001400075e8 0000000140026240
ffffffff9618d9c0:  ffffffff9618daf0 ffffffff8635af20
ffffffff9618d9d0:  ffffffff9618dac0 00000000000001b0
ffffffff9618d9e0:  fffffc00004941b8 0000000000000000
ffffffff9618d9f0:  0000000000000001 fffffc000028951c
ffffffff9618da00:  0000000000000000 0000000000000fff
ffffffff9618da10:  0000000140026240 0000000000000000
ffffffff9618da20:  0000000000000000 fffffc000047acd0
ffffffff9618da30:  0000000000901402 0000000000001001
ffffffff9618da40:  0000000000002000

2.1.9    Examining the User Program Stack

When debugging a crash dump with dbx, you can examine the call stack of the user program whose execution precipitated the kernel crash. To examine a crash dump and also view the user program stack, you must invoke dbx using the following command syntax: 


dbx -k vmunix.n vm[z]core.n path/user-program

The version number (n) is determined by the value contained in the bounds file, which is located in the same directory as the dump files. The user-program parameter specifies the user program executable.

The crash dump file must contain a full crash dump. For information on setting system defaults for full or partial crash dumps, see the System Administration manual. You can use the assign command in dbx, as shown in the following example, to temporarily specify a full crash dump. This setting stays in effect until the system is rebooted. 

# dbx -k vmunix.3
dbx version 5.0
    .
    .
    .
(dbx) assign partial_dump=0

To specify a full crash dump permanently so that this setting remains in effect after a reboot, use the patch command in dbx, as shown in the following example: 

(dbx) patch partial_dump=0

With either command, a partial_dump value of 1 specifies a partial dump.

The following example shows how to examine the state of a user program named test1 that purposely precipitated a kernel crash with a syscall after several recursive calls: 

# dbx -k vmunix.1 vmzcore.1 /usr/proj7/test1
dbx version 5.0
Type 'help' for help.
 
stopped at  [boot:1890 ,0xfffffc000041ebe8]      Source not available
 
warning: Files compiled -g3: parameter values probably wrong
(dbx) where   [1]
>  0 boot() ["../../../../src/kernel/arch/alpha/machdep.c":1890,
0xfffffc000041ebe8]
   1 panic(0xfffffc000051e1e0, 0x8, 0x0, 0x0, 0xffffffff888c3a38)
["../../../../src/kernel/bsd/subr_prf.c":824, 0xfffffc0000281974]
   2 syscall(0x2d, 0x1, 0xffffffff888c3ce0, 0x9aa1e00000000, 0x0)
["../../../../src/kernel/arch/alpha/syscall_trap.c":593, 0xfffffc0000423be4]
   3 _Xsyscall(0x8, 0x3ff8010f9f8, 0x140008130, 0xaa, 0x3ffc0097b70)
["../../../../src/kernel/arch/alpha/locore.s":1409, 0xfffffc000041b0f4]
   4 __syscall(0x0, 0x0, 0x0, 0x0, 0x0) [0x3ff8010f9f4]
   5 justtryme(scall = 170, cpu = 0, levels = 25) ["test1.c":14,
0x120001310]
   6 recurse(inbox = (...)) ["test1.c":28, 0x1200013c4]
   7 recurse(inbox = (...)) ["test1.c":30, 0x120001400]
   8 recurse(inbox = (...)) ["test1.c":30, 0x120001400]
   9 recurse(inbox = (...)) ["test1.c":30, 0x120001400]
   .
   .
   .
  30 recurse(inbox = (...)) ["test1.c":30, 0x120001400]
  31 main(argc = 3, argv = 0x11ffffd08) ["test1.c":52, 0x120001518]
(dbx) up 8   [2]
recurse:  30    if (r.a[2] > 0) recurse(r);
(dbx) print r   [3]
struct {
    a = {
        [0] 170
        [1] 0
        [2] 2
        [3] 0
        .
        .
        .
(dbx) print r.a[511]   [4]
25
(dbx)

  1. The where command displays the kernel stack followed by the user program stack at the time of the crash. In this case, the kernel stack has 4 activation levels; the user program stack starts with the fifth level and includes several recursive calls. [Return to example]

  2. The up 8 command moves the debugging context 8 activation levels up the stack to one of the recursive calls within the user program code. [Return to example]

  3. The print r command displays the current value of the variable r, which is a structure of array elements. Full symbolization is available for the user program, assuming it was compiled with the -g option. [Return to example]

  4. The print r.a[511] command displays the current value of array element 511 of structure r. [Return to example]

2.1.10    Extracting the Preserved Message Buffer

The preserved message buffer (pmsgbuf) contains information such as the firmware version, operating system version, pc value, and device configuration. You can use dbx to extract the preserved message buffer from a running system or dump files. For example: 

(dbx) print *pmsgbuf
struct {
    msg_magic = 405601
    msg_bufx = 1537
    msg_bufr = 1537
    msg_bufc = "Alpha boot: available memory from 0x7c6000 to 0x6000000
Tru64 UNIX V5.0; Sun Jan 03 11:20:36 EST 1999
physical memory = 96.00 megabytes.
available memory = 84.57 megabytes.
using 360 buffers containing 2.81 megabytes of memory
tc0 at nexus
scc0 at tc0 slot 7
asc0 at tc0 slot 6
rz1 at scsi0 target 1 lun 0 (LID=0) (DEC     RZ25     (C) DEC 0700)
rz2 at scsi0 target 2 lun 0 (LID=1) (DEC     RZ25     (C) DEC 0700)
rz3 at scsi0 target 3 lun 0 (LID=2) (DEC     RZ26     (C) DEC T384)
rz4 at scsi0 target 4 lun 0 (LID=3) (DEC     RRD42   (C) DEC  4.5d)
tz5 at scsi0 target 5 lun 0 (DEC     TLZ06     (C)DEC 0374)
scsi1 at tc0 slot 7
fb0 at tc0 slot 8
 1280X1024
ln0: DEC LANCE Module Name: PMAD-BA
ln0 at tc0 slot 7

.
.
.

2.1.11    Debugging on SMP Systems

Debugging in an SMP environment can be difficult because an SMP system optimized for performance keeps the minimum of lock debug information.

The Tru64 UNIX system supports a lock mode to facilitate debugging SMP locking problems. The lock mode is implemented in the lockmode boot time system attribute. By default, the lockmode attribute is set to a value between 0 and 3, depending upon whether the system is an SMP system and whether the RT_PREEMPTION_OPT attribute is set. (This attribute optimizes system performance.)

For debugging purposes, set the lockmode attribute to 4. Follow these steps to set the lockmode attribute to 4:

  1. Create a stanza-formatted file named, for example, generic.stanza that appears as follows: 

    generic:
    lockmode=4

    The contents of this file indicate that you are modifying the lockmode attribute of the generic subsystem.

  2. Add the new definition of lockmode to the /etc/sysconfigtab database: 

    # sysconfigdb -a -f generic.stanza generic

  3. Reboot your system.

Some of the debugging features provided with lockmode set to 4 are as follows:

2.2    The kdbx Debugger

The kdbx debugger is a crash analysis and kernel debugging tool; it serves as a front end to the dbx debugger. The kdbx debugger is extensible, customizable, and insensitive to changes to offsets and field sizes in structures. The only dependencies on kernel header files are for bit definitions in flag fields.

The kdbx debugger has facilities for interpreting various symbols and kernel data structures. It can format and display these symbols and data structures in the following ways:

All dbx commands (except signals such as Ctrl/P) are available when you use the kdbx debugger. In general, kdbx assumes hexadecimal addresses for commands that perform input and output.

As with dbx, you can use kdbx to examine the call stack of the user program whose execution precipitated a kernel crash (see Section 2.1.9).

The sections that follow explain using kdbx to debug kernel programs.

2.2.1    Beginning a kdbx Session

Using the kdbx debugger, you can examine the running kernel or dump files created by the savecore utility. In either case, you examine an object file and a core file. For running systems, these files are usually /vmunix and /dev/mem, respectively. By default, crash dump files are created in the /var/adm/crash directory (see the System Administration manual).

Use the following kdbx command to examine a running system: 

# kdbx -k /vmunix /dev/mem

Use a kdbx command similar to the following to examine a compressed or uncompressed crash dump file, respectively: 


# kdbx -k vmunix.1 vmzcore.1
# kdbx -k vmunix.1 vmcore.1

The version number (.1 in this example) is determined by the value contained in the bounds file, which is located in the same directory as the dump files.

To examine a crash dump file and also view the call stack of the user program whose execution precipitated the kernel crash, you must invoke kdbx using the following command syntax: 


kdbx -k vmunix.n vm[z]core.n path/user-program

For more information, see Section 2.1.9.

When you begin a debugging session, kdbx reads and executes the commands in the system initialization file /var/kdbx/system.kdbxrc. The initialization file contains setup commands and alias definitions. (For a list of kdbx aliases, see the kdbx(1) reference page.) You can further customize the kdbx environment by adding commands and aliases to:

2.2.2    The kdbx Debugger Commands

The kdbx debugger provides the following commands:

alias [name] [command-string]

Sets or displays aliases. If you omit all arguments, alias displays all aliases. If you specify the variable name, alias displays the alias for name, if one exists. If you specify name and command-string, alias establishes name as an alias for command-string.

context proc | user

Sets context to the user's aliases or the extension's aliases. This command is used only by the extensions.

coredata start_address end_address

Dumps, in hexadecimal, the contents of the core file starting at start_address and ending before end_address.

dbx command-string

Passes the command-string to dbx. Specifying dbx is optional; if kdbx does not recognize a command, it automatically passes that command to dbx. See the dbx(1) reference page for a complete description of dbx commands.

help [-long] [args]

Prints help text.

pr [flags] [extensions] [arguments]

Executes an extension and gives it control of the kdbx session until it quits. You specify the name of the extension in extension and pass arguments to it in arguments.

-debug

Causes kdbx to display input to and output from the extension on the screen.

-pipe in_pipe out_pipe

Used in conjunction with the dbx debugger for debugging extensions. See Chapter 3 for information on using the -pipe flag.

-print_output

Causes the output of the extension to be sent to the invoker of the extension without interpretation as kdbx commands.

-redirect_output

Used by extensions that execute other extensions to redirect the output from the called extensions; otherwise, the user receives the output.

-tty

Causes kdbx to communicate with the subprocess through a terminal line instead of pipes. If you specify the -pipe flag, proc ignores it.

print string

Displays string on the terminal. If this command is used by an extension, the terminal receives no output.

quit

Exits the kdbx debugger.

source [-x] [file(s)]

Reads and interprets files as kdbx commands in the context of the current aliases. If the you specify the -x flag, the debugger displays commands as they are executed.

unalias name

Removes the alias, if any, from name.

The kdbx debugger contains many predefined aliases, which are defined in the kdbx startup file /var/kdbx/system.kdbxrc.

2.2.3    Using kdbx Debugger Extensions

In addition to its commands, the kdbx debugger provides extensions. You execute extensions using the kdbx command pr. For example, to execute the arp extension, you enter this command: 


kdbx> pr arp

Some extensions are provided with your Tru64 UNIX system and reside in the /var/kdbx directory. Aliases for each of these extensions are also provided that let you omit the pr command from an extension command line. Thus, another way to execute the arp extension is to enter the following command: 

kdbx> arp

This command has the same effect as the pr arp command.

You can create your own kdbx extensions as described in Chapter 3.

For extensions that display addresses as part of their output, some use a shorthand notation for the upper 32-bits of an address to keep the output readable. The following table lists the notation for each address type.

Notation Address Type Replaces Example
v virtual ffffffff v0x902416f0
e virtual fffffffe e0x12340000
k kseg fffffc00 k0x00487c48
u user space 00000000 u0x86406200
? Unrecognized or random type   ?0x3782cc33

The sections that follow describe the kdbx extensions that are supplied with your system.

2.2.3.1    Displaying the Address Resolution Protocol Table

The arp extension displays the contents of the address resolution protocol (arp) table. The arp extension has the following form:

arp [-]

If you specify the optional hyphen (-), arp displays the entire arp table; otherwise, it displays those entries that have nonzero values in the iaddr.s_addr and at_flags fields.

For example: 

(kdbx) arp
        NAME        BUCK SLOT        IPADDR        ETHERADDR MHOLD TIMER FLAGS
=================== ==== ====  ============  =============== ===== ===== =====
sys1.zk3.dec.com     11    0  16.140.128.4   170.0.4.0.91.8     0   450     3
sys2.zk3.dec.com     18    0  16.140.128.1     0.0.c.1.8.e8     0   194     3
sys3.zk3.dec.com     31    0  16.140.128.6  8.0.2b.24.23.64     0   539   103
 

2.2.3.2    Performing Commands on Array Elements

The array_action extension performs a command action on each element of an array. This extension allows you to step through any array in the operating system kernel and display specific components or values as described in the list of command flags.

This extension has the following format:

array_action "type" length start_address [ flags ] command

The arguments to the array_action extension are as follows:

"type "

The type of address of an element in the specified array.

length

The number of elements in the specified array.

start_address

The address of an array. The address can be specified as a variable name or a number. The more common syntax or notation used to refer to the start_address is usually of the form &arrayname[0].

flags

If the you specify the -head flag, the next argument appears as the table header.

If the you specify the -size flag, the next argument is used as the array element size; otherwise, the size is calculated from the element type.

If the you specify the -cond flag, the next argument is used as a filter. It is evaluated by dbx for each array element, and if it evaluates to TRUE, the action is taken on the element. The same substitutions that are applied to the command are applied to the condition.

command

The kdbx or dbx command to perform on each element of the specified array.

Note

The kdbx debugger includes several aliases, such as file_action, that may be easier to use than using the array_action extension directly.

Substitutions similar to printf can be performed on the command for each array element. The possible substitutions are as follows:

Conversion Character Description
%a Address of element
%c Cast of address to pointer to array element
%i Index of element within the array
%s Size of element
%t Type of pointer to element

For example: 

(kdbx) array_action "struct kernargs *" 11 &kernargs[0] p %c.name
0xfffffc00004737f8 = "askme"
0xfffffc0000473800 = "bufpages"
0xfffffc0000473810 = "nbuf"
0xfffffc0000473818 = "memlimit"
0xfffffc0000473828 = "pmap_debug"
0xfffffc0000473838 = "syscalltrace"
0xfffffc0000473848 = "boothowto"
0xfffffc0000473858 = "do_virtual_tables"
0xfffffc0000473870 = "netblk"
0xfffffc0000473878 = "zalloc_physical"
0xfffffc0000473888 = "trap_debug"
(kdbx)

2.2.3.3    Displaying the Buffer Table

The buf extension displays the buffer table. This extension has the following format:

buf [ addresses -free | -all ]

If you omit arguments, the debugger displays the buffers on the hash list.

If you specify addresses, the debugger displays the buffers at those addresses. Use the -free flag to display buffers on the free list. Use the -all flag to display first buffers on the hash list, followed by buffers on the free list.

For example: 

(kdbx) buf
BUF         MAJ   MIN   BLOCK COUNT  SIZE RESID VNO         FWD         BACK        FLAGS
=========== === =====  ====== ===== ===== ===== =========== =========== =========== ===========
Bufs on hash lists:
v0x904e1b30   8     2   54016  8192  8192     0 v0x902220d0 v0x904f23a8 v0x904e1d20 write cache
v0x904e21f8   8  1025  131722  1024  8192     0 v0x90279800 v0x904e3748 v0x904e22f0 write cache
v0x904e46c8   8  1025  107952  2048  8192     0 v0x90220fa8 v0x904e22f0 v0x904e23e8 read cache
v0x904e9ef0   8  2050  199216  8192  8192     0 v0x90221560 v0x904f2b68 v0x904e66c0 read cache
v0x904df758   8  1025  107968  8192  8192     0 v0x90220fa8 v0x904eac80 v0x904df378 write cache
v0x904eb538   8  2050  223840  8192  8192     0 v0x90221560 v0x904ec990 v0x904eb440 read
v0x904e5930   8  2050  379600  8192  8192     0 v0x90221560 v0x904f3fc0 v0x904ec5b0 read cache
v0x904eae70   8  2050  625392  2048  8192     0 v0x90221560 v0x904df378 v0x904e08c8 write cache
v0x904f3ec8   8  1025   18048  8192  8192     0 v0x90220fa8 v0x904dff18 v0x904e1560 write cache

.
.
.
(kdbx)

2.2.3.4    Displaying the Callout Table and Absolute Callout Table

The callout extension displays the callout table. This extension has the following format:

callout

For example: 

(kdbx) callout
Processor:                                  0
Current time (in ticks):            615421360
 
        FUNCTION                   ARGUMENT    TICKS(delta)
=============================    ============  ============
realitexpire                      k0x008ab220        30772
wakeup                            k0x005d98e0        36541
wakeup                            k0x0187a220       374923
thread_timeout                    k0x010ee950       376286
thread_timeout                    k0x0132f220     40724481
realitexpire                      k0x01069950     80436086
thread_timeout                    k0x01bba950     82582849
 
 

The abscallout extension displays the absolute callout table. This table contains callout entries with the absolute time in fractions of seconds. This extension has the following format:

abscallout

For example: 

(kdbx)abscallout
Processor:                            0
 
        FUNCTION                   ARGUMENT      SECONDS 
=============================    ===========  =============
psx4_tod_expire                  k0x01580808  86386.734375
psx4_tod_expire                  k0x01580840  172786.734375
psx4_tod_expire                  k0x01580878  259186.734375
psx4_tod_expire                  k0x015808b0  345586.718750
psx4_tod_expire                  k0x015808e8  431986.718750
psx4_tod_expire                  k0x01580920  518386.718750
psx4_tod_expire                  k0x01580958  604786.750000
psx4_tod_expire                  k0x01580990  691186.750000
psx4_tod_expire                  k0x015809c8  777586.750000
psx4_tod_expire                  k0x01580a00  863986.750000
 
 

2.2.3.5    Casting Information Stored in a Specific Address

The cast extension forces dbx to display part of memory as the specified type and is equivalent to the following command:

dbx print *((type ) address )

The cast extension has the following format:

cast address type

For example: 

(kdbx) cast 0xffffffff903e3828 char
'^@'

2.2.3.6    Displaying Machine Configuration

The config extension displays the configuration of the machine. This extension has the following format:

config

For example: 

(kdbx) config
Bus #0 (0xfffffc000048c6a0): Name - "tc"  Connected to - "nexus"
        Config 1 - tcconfl1     Config 2 - tcconfl2
        Controller "scc" (0xfffffc000048c970)
(kdbx)

2.2.3.7    Converting the Base of Numbers

The convert extension converts numbers from one base to another. This extension has the following format:

convert [-in [ 8 | 10 | 16 ] ] [-out [ 2 | 8 | 10 | 16 ] ] [args]

The -in and -out flags specify the input and output bases, respectively. If you omit -in, the input base is inferred from the arguments. The arguments can be numbers or variables.

For example: 

(kdbx) convert -in 16 -out 10 864c2a14
2253138452
(kdbx)

2.2.3.8    Displaying CPU Use Statistics

The cpustat extension displays statistics about CPU use. Statistics displayed include percentages of time the CPU spends in the following states:

This extension has the following format:

cpustat [ -update n ] [ -cpu n ]

The -update flag specifies that kdbx update the output every n seconds.

The -cpu flag controls the CPU for which kdbx displays statistics. By default, kdbx displays statistics for all CPUs in the system.

For example: 

(kdbx) cpustat
 Cpu   User (%)    Nice (%) System (%)  Idle (%)   Wait (%)
===== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
    0       0.23       0.00       0.08      99.64       0.05
    1       0.21       0.00       0.06      99.68       0.05

2.2.3.9    Disassembling Instructions

The dis extension disassembles some number of instructions. This extension has the following format:

dis start-address [num-instructions]

The num-instructions, argument specifies the number of instructions to be disassembled. The start-address argument specifies the starting address of the instructions. If you omit the num-instructions argument, 1 is assumed.

For example: 

(kdbx) dis 0xffffffff864c2a08 5
  [., 0xffffffff864c2a08]       call_pal        0x20001
  [., 0xffffffff864c2a0c]       call_pal        0x800000
  [., 0xffffffff864c2a10]       ldg     $f18, -13304(r3)
  [., 0xffffffff864c2a14]       bgt     r31, 0xffffffff864c2a14
  [., 0xffffffff864c2a18]       call_pal        0x4573d0
(kdbx)

2.2.3.10    Displaying Remote Exported Entries

The export extension displays the exported entries that are mounted remotely. This extension has the following format:

export

For example: 

(kdbx) export
ADDR EXPORT        MAJ  MIN   INUM         GEN  MAP FLAGS PATH
================== === ===== =====  ========== ==== ===== =================
0xffffffff863bfe40  8  4098      2  1308854383   -2     0 /cdrom
0xffffffff863bfdc0  8  2050  67619   736519799   -2     0 /usr/users/user2
0xffffffff863bfe00  8  2050  15263   731712009   -2     0 /usr/staff/user
0xffffffff863bfe80  8  1024   6528   731270099   -2     0 /mnt

2.2.3.11    Displaying the File Table

The file extension displays the file table. This extension has the following format:

file [addresses]

If you omit the arguments, the extension displays file entries with nonzero reference counts; otherwise, it displays the file entries located at the specified addresses.

For example: 

(kdbx) file
Addr        Type  Ref  Msg Fileops      f_data        Cred Offset Flags
=========== ====  ===  === ======= =========== =========== ====== =====
v0x90406000 file    4    0   vnops v0x90259550 v0x863d5540     68 r w
v0x90406058 file    1    0   vnops v0x9025b5b8 v0x863d5e00   4096 r
v0x904060b0 file    1    0   vnops v0x90233908 v0x863d5d60      0 r
v0x90406108 file    2    0   vnops v0x90233908 v0x863d5d60    602 w
v0x90406160 file    2    0   vnops v0x90228d78 v0x863d5b80    904 r
v0x904061b8 sock    2    0 sockops v0x863b5c08 v0x863d5c20      0 r w
v0x90406210 file    1    0   vnops v0x90239e10 v0x863d5c20   2038 r
v0x90406268 file    1    0   vnops v0x90245140 v0x863d5c20    301 w a
v0x904062c0 file    3    0   vnops v0x90227880 v0x863d5900     23 r w
v0x90406318 file    2    0   vnops v0x90228b90 v0x863d5c20    856 r
v0x90406370 sock    2    0 sockops v0x863b5a08 v0x863d5c20      0 r w

.
.
.

2.2.3.12    Displaying the udb and tcb Tables

The inpcb extension displays the udb and tcb tables. This extension has the following format:

inpcb [-udp] [-tcp] [addresses]

If you omit the arguments, kdbx displays both tables. If you specify the -udp flag or the -tcp flag, the debugger displays the corresponding table.

If you specify the address argument, the inpcb extension ignores the -udp and -tcp flags and displays entries located at the specified address.

For example: 

(kdbx) inpcb -tcp
TCP:
   Foreign Host   FPort      Local Host  LPort      Socket         PCB  Options
0.0.0.0               0 0.0.0.0          47621 u0x00000000 u0x00000000
system.dec.com     6000 comput.dec.com    1451 v0x8643f408 v0x863da408
system.dec.com      998 comput.dec.com    1020 v0x8643fc08 v0x863da208
system.dec.com      999 comput.dec.com     514 v0x8643ac08 v0x8643d008
system.dec.com     6000 comput.dec.com    1450 v0x863fba08 v0x863dad08
system.dec.com     1008 comput.dec.com    1021 v0x86431e08 v0x86414708
system.dec.com     1009 comput.dec.com     514 v0x86412808 v0x8643ce08
system.dec.com     6000 comput.dec.com    1449 v0x86436608 v0x86415e08
system.dec.com     6000 comput.dec.com    1448 v0x86431808 v0x863daa08

.
.
.
0.0.0.0               0 0.0.0.0            806 v0x863e3e08 v0x863dbe08
0.0.0.0               0 0.0.0.0            793 v0x863d1808 v0x8635a708
0.0.0.0               0 0.0.0.0              0 v0x86394408 v0x8635b008
0.0.0.0               0 0.0.0.0           1024 v0x86394208 v0x8635b108
0.0.0.0               0 0.0.0.0            111 v0x863d1e08 v0x8635b208

2.2.3.13    Performing Commands on Lists

The list_action extension performs some command on each element of a linked list. This extension provides the capability to step through any linked list in the operating system kernel and display particular components. This extension has the following format:

list_action "type" next-field end-addr start-addr [flags] command

The arguments to the list_action extension are as follows:

"type "

The type of an element in the specified list.

next-field

The name of the field that points to the next element.

end-addr

The value of the next field that terminates the list. If the list is NULL-terminated, the value of the end-addr argument is zero (0). If the list is circular, the value of the end-addr argument is equal to the start-addr argument.

start_addr

The address of the list. This argument can be a variable name or a number address.

flags

Use the -head header flag to display the header argument as the table header.

Use the -cond arg flag to filter input as specified by arg. The debugger evaluates the condition for each array element, and if it evaluates to true, the action is taken on the element. The same substitutions that are applied to the command are applied to the condition.

command

The debugger command to perform on each element of the list.

The kdbx debugger includes several aliases, such as procaddr, that might be easier than using the list_action extension directly.

The kdbx debugger applies substitutions in the same style as printf substitutions for each command element. The possible substitutions are as follows:

Conversion Character Description
%a Address of an element
%c Cast of an address to a pointer to a list element
%i Index of an element within the list
%n Name of the next field
%t Type of pointer to an element

For example: 

(kdbx) list_action "struct proc *" p_nxt 0 allproc p \ 
%c.task.u_address.uu_comm  %c.p_pid
"list_action" 1382
"dbx" 1380
"kdbx" 1379
"dbx" 1301
"kdbx" 1300
"sh" 1296
"ksh" 1294
"csh" 1288
"rlogind" 1287

.
.
.

2.2.3.14    Displaying the lockstats Structures

The lockstats extension displays the lock statistics contained in the lockstats structures. Statistics are kept for each lock class on each CPU in the system. These structures provide the following information:

The lock statistics recorded in the lockstats structures are dynamic.

This extension is available only when the lockmode system attribute is set to 4.

This extension has the following format:

lockstats -class name | -cpu number | -read | -sum | -total | -updaten

If you omit all flags, lockstats displays statistics for all lock classes on all CPUs. The following describes the flags you can use:

-class name

Displays the lockstats structures for the specified lock class. (Use the lockinfo command to display information about the names of lock classes.)

-cpu number

Displays the lockstats structures for the specified CPU.

-read

Displays the reads, sleeps attributes, and waitsums or misses.

-sum

Displays summary data for all CPUs and all lock types.

-total

Displays summary data for all CPUs.

-update n

Updates the display every n seconds.

For example: 

(kdbx) lockstats
 Lockstats     li_name           cpu count   tries     misses %misses  waitsum     waitmax waitmin  trmax
=========== ==================== === ====== ========== ======= ======= ============ ======= ======= ========
k0x00657d40      inode.i_io_lock   1   1784      74268    1936 2.61       110533     500       6       10
k0x00653400      nfs_daemon_lock   0      1          7       0 0.00            0       0       0        0
k0x00657d80      nfs_daemon_lock   1      1          0       0 0.00            0       0       0        0
k0x00653440               lk_lmf   0      1          0       0 0.00            0       0       0        0
k0x00657dc0               lk_lmf   1      1          2       0 0.00            0       0       0        0
k0x00653480   procfs_global_lock   0      1          3       0 0.00            0       0       0        0
k0x00657e00   procfs_global_lock   1      1          5       0 0.00            0       0       0        0
k0x006534c0 procfs.pr_trace_lock   0     40          0       0 0.00            0       0       0        0
k0x00657e40 procfs.pr_trace_lock   1     40          0       0 0.00            0       0       0        0

.
.
.

2.2.3.15    Displaying lockinfo Structures

The lockinfo extension displays static lock class information contained in the lockinfo structures. Each lock class is recorded in one lockinfo structure, which contains the following information:

This extension is available only when the lockmode system attribute is set to 4.

This extension has the following format:

lockinfo [-class name]

The -class flag allows you to display the lockinfo structure for a particular class of locks. If you omit the flag, lockinfo displays the lockinfo structures for all classes of locks.

For example: 

(kdbx) lockinfo
    Lockinfo        Index             li_name           li_count  li_flgspl
==================  =====  =========================== ========== =========
xfffffc0000652030      3              cfg_subsys_lock         21    0xd0
0xfffffc0000652040      4              subsys_tbl_lock          1   0xc0
0xfffffc0000652050      5              inode.i_io_lock       4348   0x90
0xfffffc0000652060      6              nfs_daemon_lock          1   0xc0
0xfffffc0000652070      7                       lk_lmf          1   0xc0
0xfffffc0000652080      8           procfs_global_lock          1   0xc0
0xfffffc0000652090      9         procfs.pr_trace_lock         40   0xc0
0xfffffc00006520a0     10      procnode.prc_ioctl_lock          0   0xc0
0xfffffc00006520b0     11                  semidq_lock          1   0xc0
0xfffffc00006520c0     12                   semid_lock         16   0xc0
0xfffffc00006520d0     13                    undo_lock          1   0xc0
0xfffffc00006520e0     14                  msgidq_lock          1   0xc0
0xfffffc00006520f0     15                   msgid_lock         64   0xc0
0xfffffc0000652100     16                pgrphash_lock          1   0xc0
0xfffffc0000652110     17           proc_relation_lock          1   0xc0
0xfffffc0000652120     18                 pgrp.pg_lock         20   0xd0

2.2.3.16    Displaying the Mount Table

The mount extension displays the mount table, and has the following format:

mount [-s] [address]

The -s flag displays a short form of the table. If you specify one or more addresses, kdbx displays the mount entries named by the addresses.

For example: 

(kdbx) mount 
 MOUNT        MAJ    MIN     VNODE        ROOTVP      TYPE         PATH                      FLAGS
===========  =====  =====  ============  ===========  ====   ========================        =====
v0x8196bb30    8        0          NULL  v0x8a75f600  ufs    /
loc
v0x8196a910                 v0x8a62de00  v0x8a684e00  nfs    /share/cia/build/alpha.dsk5      ro
v0x8196aae0                 v0x8a646800  v0x8a625400  nfs    /share/xor/build/agosminor.dsk1  ro
v0x8196acb0                 v0x8a684800  v0x8a649400  nfs    /share/buffer/build/submits.dsk2 ro
v0x8196ae80                 v0x8a67ea00  v0x8a774800  nfs    /share/cia/build/goldos.dsk6     ro
v0x8196b050                 v0x8a67c400  v0x8a767800  nfs    /usr/staff/alpha1/user
v0x8196b220                 v0x8a651800  v0x8a781000  nfs    /usr/sde
ro
v0x8196b3f0    8     2050   v0x8a61ca00  v0x8a77fe00  ufs    /usr3
loc
v0x8196b5c0    8        7   v0x8a61c000  v0x8a79c200  ufs    /usr2
loc
v0x8196b790    8        6   v0x8a5c4800  v0x8a760600  ufs    /usr
loc
v0x8196b960    0        0   v0x8a5c5000  NULL         procfs /proc

2.2.3.17    Displaying the Namecache Structures

The namecache extension displays the namecache structures on the system, and has the following format:

namecache

For example: 

(kdbx) namecache 
 namecache      nc_vp     nc_vpid  nc_nlen   nc_dvp          nc_name
 ===========  =========== =======  ======= ============ =============
 v0x9047b2c0  v0x9021f4f8     24       4   v0x9021e5b8  sbin
 v0x9047b310  v0x9021e988      0      11   v0x9021e7a0  swapdefault
 v0x9047b360  v0x9021e5b8      0       2   v0x9021e7a0  ..
 v0x9047b3b0  v0x9021e7a0    199       3   v0x9021e5b8  dev
 v0x9047b400  v0x9021ed58      0       4   v0x9021eb70  rz1g
 v0x9047b4a0  v0x9021f128      0       4   v0x9021e7a0  init
 v0x9047b4f0  v0x9021f310      0       7   v0x9021e5b8  upgrade
 v0x9047b540  v0x9021fab0     20       3   v0x9021e5b8  etc
 v0x9047b590  v0x9021f6e0      0       7   v0x9021f4f8  inittab
 v0x9047b5e0  v0x9021eb70     28       3   v0x9021e5b8  var
 v0x9047b630  v0x9021f310     34       3   v0x9021e5b8  usr
 v0x9047b6d0  v0x9021fc98      0       7   v0x9021eb70  console
 v0x9047b720  v0x9021fe80      0       2   v0x9021e7a0  sh
 v0x9047b770  v0x90220068      0       3   v0x9021f4f8  nls
 v0x9047b810  v0x90220250      0       8   v0x9021e7a0  bcheckrc
 v0x9047b8b0  v0x90220438      0       4   v0x9021e7a0  fsck
 v0x9047b900  v0x90220620      0       5   v0x9021f4f8  fstab
 v0x9047b950  v0x90220808      0       8   v0x9021e7a0  ufs_fsck
 v0x9047b9a0  v0x902209f0      0       4   v0x9021eb70  rz1a
 v0x9047b9f0  v0x90220bd8      0       5   v0x9021eb70  rrz1a

.
.
.

2.2.3.18    Displaying Processes' Open Files

The ofile extension displays the open files of processes and has the following format.

ofile [ -proc address | -pid pid | -v ]

If you omit arguments, ofile displays the files opened by each process. If you specify -proc address or -pid pid the extension displays the open files owned by the specified process. The -v flag displays more information about the open files.

For example: 

(kdbx) ofile -pid 1136 -v
Proc=0xffffffff9041e980   pid= 1136
 ADDR_FILE  f_cnt ADDR_VNODE  V_TYPE V_TAG  USECNT  V_MOUNT     INO#  QSIZE
=========== ===== =========== ====== ====== ====== =========== ====== =====
v0x90408520   27  v0x902c1390  VCHR  VT_UFS    3   v0x863abab8   1103     0
v0x90408520   27  v0x902c1390  VCHR  VT_UFS    3   v0x863abab8   1103     0
v0x90408520   27  v0x902c1390  VCHR  VT_UFS    3   v0x863abab8   1103     0
v0x90408368    1  v0x9026e6b8  VDIR  VT_UFS   18   v0x863ab728  64253   512
 

2.2.3.19    Converting the Contents of Memory to Symbols

The paddr extension converts a range of memory to symbolic references and has the following format:

paddr address number-of-longwords

The arguments to the paddr extension are as follows:

address

The starting address.

number-of-longwords

The number of longwords to display.

For example: 

(kdbx) paddr 0xffffffff90be36d8 20
[., 0xffffffff90be36d8]: [h_kmem_free_memory_:824, 0xfffffc000037f47c] 0x0000000000000000
[., 0xffffffff90be36e8]: [., 0xffffffff8b300d30] [hardclock:394, 0xfffffc00002a7d5c]
[., 0xffffffff90be36f8]: 0x0000000000000000 [., 0xffffffff863828a0]
[., 0xffffffff90be3708]: [setconf:133, 0xfffffc00004949b0] [., 0xffffffff90be39f4]
[., 0xffffffff90be3718]: 0x00000000000004e0 [thread_wakeup_prim:858, 0xfffffc0000328454]
[., 0xffffffff90be3728]: 0x0000000000000001 0xffffffff0000000c
[., 0xffffffff90be3738]: [., 0xffffffff9024e518] [hardclock:394, 0xfffffc00002a7d5c]
[., 0xffffffff90be3748]: 0x00000000004d5ff8 0xffffffffffffffd4
[., 0xffffffff90be3758]: 0x00000000000bc688 [setconf:133, 0xfffffc00004946f0]
[., 0xffffffff90be3768]: [thread_wakeup_prim:901, 0xfffffc00003284d0] 0x000003ff85ef4ca0
 

2.2.3.20    Displaying the Process Control Block for a Thread

The pcb extension displays the process control block for a given thread structure located at thread_address. The extension also displays the contents of integer and floating-point registers (if nonzero).

This extension has the following format:

pcb thread_address

For example: 

(kdbx) pcb 0xffffffff863a5bc0
Addr pcb      ksp            usp        pc                   ps
v0x90e8c000   v0x90e8fb88    0x0        0xfffffc00002dc110   0x5
sp                     ptbr       pcb_physaddr
0xffffffff90e8fb88     0x2ad4     0x55aa000
r9   0xffffffff863a5bc0
r10  0xffffffff863867a0
r11  0xffffffff86386790
r13  0x5

2.2.3.21    Formatting Command Arguments

The printf extension formats one argument at a time to work around the dbx debugger's command length limitation. It also supports the %s string substitution, which the dbx debugger's printf command does not. This extension has the following format:

printf format-string [args]

The arguments to the printf extension are as follows:

format-string

A character string combining literal characters with conversion specifications.

args

The arguments for which you want kdbx to display values.

For example: 

(kdbx) printf "allproc = 0x%lx" allproc
allproc = 0xffffffff902356b0

2.2.3.22    Displaying the Process Table

The proc extension displays the process table. This extension has the following format:

proc [address]

If you specify an address, the proc extension displays only the proc structures at that address; otherwise, the extension displays all proc structures.

For example: 

(kdbx) proc

.
.
.
Addr        PID   PPID  PGRP  UID   NICE SIGCATCH P_SIG    Event       Flags
=========== ===== ===== ===== ===== ==== ======== ======== =========== ============
v0x8191e210     0     0     0     0    0 00000000 00000000        NULL in sys
v0x8197cd80     1     0     1     0    0 207a7eff 00000000        NULL in pagv exec
v0x8198a210    13     1    13     0    0 00002000 00000000        NULL in pagv
v0x819a8d80   120     1   120     0    0 00086001 00000000        NULL in pagv
v0x819a8210   122     1   122     0    0 00004001 00000000        NULL in pagv
v0x81a14210  5249     1  5267  1138    0 00081000 00000000        NULL in pagv exec
v0x819b6210   131     1   131     0    0 20006003 00000000        NULL in pagv
v0x81a18d80  5266  5267  5267  1138    0 00080000 00000000        NULL in pagv exec
v0x81a2ed80  5267  4938  5267  1138    0 00007efb 00000000        NULL in pagv exec
v0x81a42d80  5268  5266  5267  1138    0 00004007 00000000        NULL in pagv exec
v0x81a18210  5270  5273  5267  1138    0 00000000 00000000        NULL in pagv exec
v0x8198ed80  5273  5266  5267  1138    0 00000000 00000000        NULL in pagv exec
v0x81a0ad80  5276  5279  5276  1138    0 01880003 00000000        NULL
in pagv ctty exec
v0x81a26d80  5278  5249  5278  1138    0 00080002 00000000        NULL
in pagv ctty exec
v0x819f2d80  5279     1  5267  1138    0 00081000 00000000        NULL in pagv exec
v0x81a14d80  5281     1  5267  1138    0 00081000 00000000        NULL in pagv exec
v0x81a3cd80  5287  5281  5287  1138    0 01880003 00000000        NULL
in pagv ctty exec
v0x81a28210  5301  5276  5301  1138    0 00080002 00000000        NULL
in pagv ctty exec
v0x819aad80   195     1   195     0    0 00080628 00000000        NULL in pagv
v0x8197c210  6346     1  6346     0    0 00004006 00000000        NULL in pagv exec
v0x819c4210   204     1     0     0    0 00086efe 00000000        NULL in pagv
:

2.2.3.23    Converting an Address to a Procedure name

The procaddr extension converts the specified address to a procedure name. This extension has the following format:

procaddr [address ]

For example: 

(kdbx) procaddr callout.c_func
xpt_pool_free

2.2.3.24    Displaying Sockets from the File Table

The socket extension displays those files from the file table that are sockets with nonzero reference counts. This extension has the following format:

socket

For example: 

(kdbx) socket
  Fileaddr   Sockaddr   Type       PCB    Qlen Qlim Scc  Rcc
=========== =========== ===== =========== ==== ==== ===  ====
v0x904061b8 v0x863b5c08 DGRAM v0x8632dc88   0    0   0   0
v0x90406370 v0x863b5a08 DGRAM v0x8632db08   0    0   0   0
v0x90406478 v0x863b5808 DGRAM v0x8632da88   0    0   0   0
v0x904064d0 v0x863b5608 DGRAM v0x8632d688   0    0   0   0
v0x904065d8 v0x863b5408 DGRAM v0x8632dc08   0    0   0   0
v0x90406630 v0x863b5208 DGRAM v0x8632d588   0    0   0   0
v0x904067e8 v0x863b4208 DGRAM v0x8632d608   0    0   0   0
v0x90406840 v0x863b4008 DGRAM v0x8632d788   0    0   0   0
v0x904069a0 v0x8641f008  STRM v0x8632c808   0    0   0   0
v0x90406aa8 v0x863b4c08  STRM v0x8632d508   0    2   0   0
v0x90406bb0 v0x863b4e08  STRM v0x8632da08   0    0   0   0

.
.
.

2.2.3.25    Displaying a Summary of the System Information

The sum extension displays a summary of system information and has the following format:

sum

For example: 

(kdbx) sum
Hostname : system.dec.com
cpu: DEC3000 - M500     avail: 1
Boot-time:      Tue Nov  3 15:01:37 1992
Time:   Fri Nov  6 09:59:00 1998
Kernel : OSF1 release 1.2 version 1.2 (alpha)
(kdbx)

2.2.3.26    Displaying a Summary of Swap Space

The swap extension displays a summary of swap space and has the following format:

swap

For example: 

(kdbx) swap
       Swap device name              Size       In Use       Free
--------------------------------  ----------  ----------  ----------
/dev/rz3b                            131072k      32424k      98648k  Dumpdev
                                      16384p       4053p      12331p
/dev/rz2b                            131072k          8k     131064k
                                      16384p          1p      16383p
--------------------------------  ----------  ----------  ----------
Total swap partitions:    2          262144k      32432k     229712k
                                      32768p       4054p      28714p
(kdbx)

2.2.3.27    Displaying the Task Table

The task extension displays the task table. This extension has the following format:

task [proc_address ]

If you specify addresses, the extension displays the task structures named by the argument addresses; otherwise, the debugger displays all tasks.

For example: 

(kdbx) task 

.
.
.
Task Addr   Ref Threads     Map     Swap_state  Utask Addr  Proc Addr   Pid
=========== === ======= =========== ========== =========== =========== ======
v0x8191e000  17      15 v0x808f7ef0  INSWAPPED v0x8191e3b0 v0x8191e210      0
v0x8197cb70   3       1 v0x808f7760  INSWAPPED v0x8197cf20 v0x8197cd80      1
v0x8198a000   3       1 v0x808f7550  INSWAPPED v0x8198a3b0 v0x8198a210     13
v0x819a8b70   3       1 v0x808f7340  INSWAPPED v0x819a8f20 v0x819a8d80    120
v0x819a8000   3       1 v0x808f7290  INSWAPPED v0x819a83b0 v0x819a8210    122
v0x81a14000   3       1 v0x819f1ad0  INSWAPPED v0x81a143b0 v0x81a14210   5249
v0x819b6000   3       1 v0x808f6fd0  INSWAPPED v0x819b63b0 v0x819b6210    131
v0x81a18b70   3       1 v0x819f1a20  INSWAPPED v0x81a18f20 v0x81a18d80   5266
v0x81a2eb70   3       1 v0x819f1340  INSWAPPED v0x81a2ef20 v0x81a2ed80   5267
v0x81a42b70   3       1 v0x819f1080  INSWAPPED v0x81a42f20 v0x81a42d80   5268
v0x81a18000   3       1 v0x819f1970  INSWAPPED v0x81a183b0 v0x81a18210   5270
v0x8198eb70   3       1 v0x808f74a0  INSWAPPED v0x8198ef20 v0x8198ed80   5273
v0x81a0ab70   3       1 v0x819f1ce0  INSWAPPED v0x81a0af20 v0x81a0ad80   5276
v0x81a26b70   3       1 v0x819f1760  INSWAPPED v0x81a26f20 v0x81a26d80   5278
v0x819f2b70   3       1 v0x819f1e40  INSWAPPED v0x819f2f20 v0x819f2d80   5279
v0x81a14b70   3       1 v0x819f1b80  INSWAPPED v0x81a14f20 v0x81a14d80   5281
v0x81a3cb70   3       1 v0x819f11e0  INSWAPPED v0x81a3cf20 v0x81a3cd80   5287
v0x81a28000   3       1 v0x819f1550  INSWAPPED v0x81a283b0 v0x81a28210   5301
v0x819aab70   3       1 v0x808f71e0  INSWAPPED v0x819aaf20 v0x819aad80    195
v0x8197c000   3       1 v0x808f76b0  INSWAPPED v0x8197c3b0 v0x8197c210   6346
v0x819c4000   3       1 v0x808f6e70  INSWAPPED v0x819c43b0 v0x819c4210    204

.
.
.

2.2.3.28    Displaying Information About Threads

The thread extension displays information about threads and has the following format:

thread [proc_address ]

If you specify addresses, the thread extensions displays thread structures named by the addresses; otherwise, information about all threads is displayed.

For example: 

(kdbx) thread 
Thread Addr  Task Addr    Proc Addr    Event        pcb          state
===========  ===========  ===========  ===========  ===========  =====
v0x8644d690  v0x8637e440  v0x9041e830  v0x86420668  v0x90f50000  wait
v0x8644d480  v0x8637e1a0  v0x9041eec0  v0x86421068  v0x90f48000  wait
v0x863a17b0  v0x86380ba0  v0x9041db10  v0x8640e468  v0x90f30000  wait
v0x863a19c0  v0x86380e40  v0x9041d9c0  v0x8641f268  v0x90f2c000  wait
v0x8644dcc0  v0x8637ec20  v0x9041e6e0  v0x8641fc00  v0x90f38000  wait
v0x863a0520  v0x8637f400  v0x9041ed70  v0x8640ea00  v0x90f3c000  wait
v0x863a0310  v0x8637f160  v0x9041e980  u0x00000000  v0x90f44000  run
v0x863a2410  v0x863818c0  v0x9041dc60  v0x8640f268  v0x90f18000  wait
v0x863a15a0  v0x86380900  v0x9041d480  v0x8641ec00  v0x90f24000  wait

.
.
.

2.2.3.29    Displaying a Stack Trace of Threads

The trace extension displays the stack of one or more threads. This extension has the following format:

trace [ thread_address... | -k | -u | -a ]

If you omit arguments, trace displays the stack trace of all threads. If you specify a list of thread addresses, the debugger displays the stack trace of the specified threads. The following table explains the trace flags:

-a

Displays the stack trace of the active thread on each CPU

-k

Displays the stack trace of all kernel threads

-u

Displays the stack trace of all user threads

For example: 

(kdbx) trace
*** stack trace of thread 0xffffffff819af590  pid=0 ***
>  0 thread_run(new_thread = 0xffffffff819af928)
["../../../../src/kernel/kern/sched_prim.c":1637, 0xfffffc00002f9368]
   1 idle_thread() ["../../../../src/kernel/kern/sched_prim.c":2717,
0xfffffc00002fa32c]
*** stack trace of thread 0xffffffff819af1f8  pid=0 ***
>  0 thread_block() ["../../../../src/kernel/kern/sched_prim.c":1455,
0xfffffc00002f9084]
   1 softclock_main() ["../../../../src/kernel/bsd/kern_clock.c":810,
0xfffffc000023a6d4]

.
.
.
*** stack trace of thread 0xffffffff819fc398  pid=0 ***
>  0 thread_block() ["../../../../src/kernel/kern/sched_prim.c":1471,
0xfffffc00002f9118]
   1 vm_pageout_loop() ["../../../../src/kernel/vm/vm_pagelru.c":375,
0xfffffc0000395664]
   2 vm_pageout() ["../../../../src/kernel/vm/vm_pagelru.c":834,
0xfffffc00003961e0]

.
.
.
*** stack trace of thread 0xffffffff819fce60  pid=2 ***
>  0 thread_block() ["../../../../src/kernel/kern/sched_prim.c":1471,
0xfffffc00002f9118]
   1 msg_dequeue(message_queue = 0xffffffff819a5970, max_size = 8192,
option = 0, tout = 0, kmsgptr = 0xffffffff916e3980)
["../../../../src/kernel/kern/ipc_basics.c":884, 0xfffffc00002e8b54]
   2 msg_receive_trap(header = 0xfffffc00005bc150, option = 0, size =
8192, name = 0, tout = 0)
["../../../../src/kernel/kern/ipc_basics.c":1245, 0xfffffc00002e92a4]
   3 msg_receive(header = 0xfffffc00005be150, option = 6186352, tout =
0) ["../../../../src/kernel/kern/ipc_basics.c":1107, 0xfffffc00002e904c]
   4 ux_handler() ["../../../../src/kernel/builtin/ux_exception.c":221,
0xfffffc000027269c]
*** stack trace of thread 0xffffffff81a10730  pid=13 ***
>  0 thread_block() ["../../../../src/kernel/kern/sched_prim.c":1471,
0xfffffc00002f9118]
   1 mpsleep(chan = 0xffffffff819f3270 =
 
"H4\237\201\377\377\377\377^X0\237\201\377\377\377\377^ ^YR", pri =
296, wmesg = 0xfffffc000042f5e0 =
 
"\200B\260\300B\244KA\340\3038F]\244\377, timo = 0,
lockp = (nil), flags = 0)
["../../../../src/kernel/bsd/kern_synch.c":341, 0xfffffc0000250250]
   2 sigsuspend(p = 0xffffffff81a04278, args = 0xffffffff9170b8a8,
retval = 0xffffffff9170b898)

.
.
.

2.2.3.30    Displaying a u Structure

The u extension displays a u structure. This extension has the following format:

u [proc-addr]

If you omit arguments, the extension displays the u structure of the currently running process.

For example: 

(kdbx) u ffffffff9027ff38
procp   0x9027ff38
ar0     0x90c85ef8
comm     cfgmgr
args      g    B*  ü  
u_ofile_of: 0x86344e30 u_pofile_of: 0x86345030
 0 0xffffffff902322d0
 1 0xffffffff90232278
 2 0xffffffff90232278
 3 0xffffffff90232328
 4 0xffffffff90232380  Auto-close
 5 0xffffffff902324e0
sizes   29 45 2 (clicks)
u_outime        0
sigs
           40    40    40    40    40    40    40    40
           40    40    40    40    40    40    40    40
           40    40    40    40    40    40    40    40
           40    40    40    40    40    40    40    40
sigmask
            0 fffefeff fffefeff fffefeff     0     0     0     0
            0     0     0     0     0 fffefeff     0 fffefeff
            0     0     0     0     0     0     0     0
            0     0     0     0     0     0     0     0
sigonstack              0
oldmask              2000
sigstack                0               0
cdir rdir        901885b8         0
timers
start                      0    723497702
acflag          193248
(kdbx)

2.2.3.31    Displaying References to the ucred Structure

The ucred extension displays all instances of references to ucred structures. This extension has the following format:

ucred [ -proc | -uthread | -file | -buf | -refaddr | -checkaddr | checkall ]

If you omit all flags, ucred displays all references to ucred structures. The following describes the flags you can specify:

-proc

Displays all ucreds referenced by the proc structures

-uthread

Displays all ucreds referenced by the uthread structures

-file

Displays all ucreds referenced by the file structures

-buf

Displays all ucreds referenced by the buf structures

-ref address

Displays all references to a given ucred

-check address

Checks the reference count of a particular ucred

-checkall

Checks the reference count of all ucreds, with mismatches marked by an asterisk ( * )

For example: 

(kdbx) ucred
    ADDR OF UCRED      ADDR OF Ref      Ref Type cr_ref cr_uid cr_gid cr_ruid
===================  ================== ======== ====== ====== ====== =======
0xffffffff863d4960   0xffffffff90420f90    proc      3       0      1      0
0xffffffff8651fb80   0xffffffff9041e050    proc     18       0      1      0
0xffffffff86525c20   0xffffffff90420270    proc      2       0      1      0
0xffffffff86457ea0   0xffffffff90421380    proc      4    1139     15   1139
0xffffffff86457ea0   0xffffffff9041f6a0    proc      4    1139     15   1139
0xffffffff8651b5e0   0xffffffff9041f010    proc      2       0      1      0
0xffffffff8651efa0   0xffffffff9041e1a0    proc      2    1138     10   1138

.
.
.
0xffffffff863d4960   0xffffffff90fb82e0  uthread     3       0      1      0
0xffffffff8651fb80   0xffffffff90fbc2e0  uthread    18       0      1      0
0xffffffff86525c20   0xffffffff90fb02e0  uthread     2       0      1      0
0xffffffff86457ea0   0xffffffff90f882e0  uthread     4    1139     15   1139
0xffffffff86457ea0   0xffffffff90f902e0  uthread     4    1139     15   1139
0xffffffff8651b5e0   0xffffffff90fc02e0  uthread     2       0      1      0
0xffffffff8651efa0   0xffffffff90fac2e0  uthread     2    1138     10   1138

.
.
.
0xffffffff863d5c20   0xffffffff90406790     file    16       0      0      0
0xffffffff863d5b80   0xffffffff904067e8     file     7       0      0      0
0xffffffff863d5c20   0xffffffff90406840     file    16       0      0      0
0xffffffff863d5b80   0xffffffff90406898     file     7       0      0      0
0xffffffff86456000   0xffffffff904068f0     file    15    1139     15   1139
0xffffffff863d5c20   0xffffffff90406948     file    16       0      0      0

.
.
.
(kdbx) ucred -ref 0xffffffff863d5a40
    ADDR OF UCRED      ADDR OF Ref      Ref Type cr_ref cr_uid cr_gid cr_ruid
===================  ================== ======== ====== ====== ====== =======
0xffffffff863d5a40   0xffffffff9041c0d0    proc      4       0      0      0
0xffffffff863d5a40   0xffffffff90ebc2e0  uthread     4       0      0      0
0xffffffff863d5a40   0xffffffff90406f78     file     4       0      0      0
0xffffffff863d5a40   0xffffffff90408730     file     4       0      0      0
(kdbx) ucred -check 0xffffffff863d5a40
   ADDR OF UCRED     cr_ref   Found
===================  ======  =======
0xffffffff863d5a40      4      4

2.2.3.32    Removing Aliases

The unaliasall extension removes all aliases, including the predefined aliases. This extension has the following format:

unaliasall

For example: 

(kdbx) unaliasall

2.2.3.33    Displaying the vnode Table

The vnode extension displays the vnode table and has the following format:

vnode [ -free | -all | -ufs | -nfs | -cdfs | -advfs | -fs address | -u uid | -g gid | -v ]

If you omit flags, vnode displays ACTIVE entries in the vnode table. (ACTIVE means that usecount is nonzero.) The following describes the flags you can specify:

-free

Displays INACTIVE entries in the vnode table

-all

Prints ALL (both ACTIVE and INACTIVE) entries in the vnode table

-ufs

Displays all UFS entries in the vnode table

-nfs

Displays all NFS entries in the vnode table

-cdfs

Displays all CDFS entries in the vnode table

-advfs

Displays all ADVFS entries in the vnode table

-fs address

Displays the vnode entries of a mounted file system

-u uid

Displays vnode entries of a particular user

-g gid

Displays vnode entries of a particular group

-v

Displays related inode, rnode, or cdnode information (used with -ufs, -nfs, or -cdfs only)

For example: 

(kdbx) vnode
ADDR_VNODE  V_TYPE  V_TAG USECNT V_MOUNT
=========== ====== ====== ====== ===========
v0x9021e000  VBLK  VT_NON     1  k0x00467ee8
v0x9021e1e8  VBLK  VT_NON    83  v0x863abab8
v0x9021e3d0  VBLK  VT_NON     1  k0x00467ee8
v0x9021e5b8  VDIR  VT_UFS    34  v0x863abab8
v0x9021e7a0  VDIR  VT_UFS     1  v0x863abab8
v0x9021ed58  VBLK  VT_UFS     1  v0x863abab8
v0x9021ef40  VBLK  VT_NON     1  k0x00467ee8
v0x9021f128  VREG  VT_UFS     3  v0x863abab8
v0x9021f310  VDIR  VT_UFS     1  v0x863abab8
v0x9021f8c8  VREG  VT_UFS     1  v0x863abab8
v0x9021fe80  VREG  VT_UFS     1  v0x863abab8
v0x902209f0  VDIR  VT_UFS     1  v0x863abab8
v0x90220fa8  VBLK  VT_UFS     9  v0x863abab8
v0x90221190  VBLK  VT_NON     1  k0x00467ee8
v0x90221560  VREG  VT_UFS     1  v0x863abab8
v0x90221748  VBLK  VT_UFS  3153  v0x863abab8

.
.
.
(kdbx) vnode -nfs -v
ADDR_VNODE  V_TYPE  V_TAG USECNT  V_MOUNT     FILEID  MODE  UID  GID  QSIZE
=========== ====== ====== ====== ===========  ====== ====== ==== ==== ======
v0x90246820  VDIR  VT_NFS     1  v0x863ab560 205732  40751  1138   23   2048
v0x902471a8  VDIR  VT_NFS     1  v0x863ab398 378880  40755  1138   10   5120
v0x90247578  VDIR  VT_NFS     1  v0x863ab1d0      2  40755     0    0   1024
v0x90247948  VDIR  VT_NFS     1  v0x863ab008 116736  40755  1114    0    512
v0x9026d1c0  VDIR  VT_NFS     1  v0x863ab1d0  14347  40755     0   10    512
v0x9026e8a0  VDIR  VT_NFS     1  v0x863aae40      2  40755     0   10    512
v0x9026ea88  VDIR  VT_NFS     1  v0x863ab1d0  36874  40755     0   10    512
v0x90272788  VDIR  VT_NFS     1  v0x863ab1d0  67594  40755     0   10    512
v0x902fd080  VREG  VT_NFS     1  v0x863ab1d0  49368 100755  8887  177 455168
v0x902ff888  VREG  VT_NFS     1  v0x863ab1d0  49289 100755  8887  177 538200
v0x90326410  VREG  VT_NFS     1  v0x863aae40 294959 100755     3    4 196608

.
.
.
(kdbx) vnode -ufs -v
ADDR_VNODE  V_TYPE  V_TAG USECNT  V_MOUNT     INODE#  MODE  UID  GID  QSIZE
=========== ====== ====== ====== ===========  ====== ====== ==== ==== ======
v0x9021e5b8  VDIR  VT_UFS    34  v0x863abab8      2  40755     0    0   1024
v0x9021e7a0  VDIR  VT_UFS     1  v0x863abab8   1088  40755     0    0   2560
v0x9021ed58  VBLK  VT_UFS     1  v0x863abab8   1175  60600     0    0      0
v0x9021f128  VREG  VT_UFS     3  v0x863abab8   7637 100755     3    4 147456
v0x9021f310  VDIR  VT_UFS     1  v0x863abab8   8704  40755     3    4    512
v0x9021f8c8  VREG  VT_UFS     1  v0x863abab8   7638 100755     3    4  90112
v0x9021fe80  VREG  VT_UFS     1  v0x863abab8   7617 100755     3    4 196608
v0x902209f0  VDIR  VT_UFS     1  v0x863abab8   9792  41777     0   10    512
v0x90220fa8  VBLK  VT_UFS     9  v0x863abab8   1165  60600     0    0      0
v0x90221560  VREG  VT_UFS     1  v0x863abab8   7635 100755     3    4 245760
v0x90221748  VBLK  VT_UFS  3151  v0x863abab8   1184  60600     0    0      0

.
.
.

2.3    The kdebug Debugger

The kdebug debugger allows you to debug running kernel programs. You can start and stop kernel execution, examine variable and register values, and perform other debugging tasks, just as you would when debugging user space programs.

The ability to debug a running kernel is provided through remote debugging. The kernel code you are debugging runs on a test system. The dbx debugger runs on a remote build system. The debugger communicates with the kernel code you are debugging over a serial communication line or through a gateway system. You use a gateway system when you cannot physically connect the test and build systems. Figure 2-1 shows the connections needed when you use a gateway system.

Figure 2-1:  Using a Gateway System During Remote Debugging

As shown in Figure 2-1, when you use a gateway system, the build system is connected to it using a network line. The gateway system is connected to the test system using a serial communication line.

Prior to running the kdebug debugger, the test, build, and gateway systems must meet the following requirements:

To use the kdebug debugger, you must set up your build, gateway, and test systems as described in Section 2.3.1. Once you complete the setup, you invoke dbx as described in Section 2.3.2 and enter commands as you normally would. Refer to Section 2.3.3 if you have problems with the setup of your remote kdebug debugging session.

2.3.1    Getting Ready to Use the kdebug Debugger

To use the kdebug debugger, you must do the following:

  1. Attach the test system and the build (or gateway) system.

    To attach the serial line between the test and build (or gateway) systems, locate the serial line used for kernel debugging. In general, the correct serial line is either /dev/tty00 or /dev/tty01. For example, if you have a DEC 3000 family workstation, kdebug debugger input and output is always to the RS232C port on the back of the system. By default, this port is identified as /dev/tty00 at installation time.

    If your system is an AlphaStation or AlphaServer system with an ace console serial interface, the system uses one of two serial ports for kdebug input and output. By default, these systems use the COMM1 serial port (identified as /dev/tty00) when operating as a build or gateway system. These systems use the COMM2 serial port (identified as /dev/tty01) when operating as the test system.

    To make it easier to connect the build or gateway system and the test system for kernel debugging, you can modify your system setup. You can change the system setup so that the COMM2 serial port is always used for kernel debugging whether the system is operating as a build system, a gateway system, or a test system.

    To make COMM2 the serial port used for kernel debugging on AlphaStations and AlphaServers, modify your /etc/remote file. On these systems, the default kdebug debugger definition in the /etc/remote file appears as follows: 

    kdebug:dv=/dev/tty00:br#9600:pa=none:
 

    Modify this definition so that the device is /dev/tty01 (COMM2), as follows: 

    kdebug:dv=/dev/tty01/br#9600:pa=none:
 

  2. On the build system, install the Product Authorization Key (PAK) for the Developer's kit (OSF-DEV), if it is not already installed. For the gateway and tests systems, the OSF-BASE license PAK is all that is needed. For information about installing PAKs, see the Software License Management guide.

  3. On the build system, modify the setting of the $kdebug_host, $kdebug_line, or $kdebug_dbgtty as needed.

    The $kdebug_host variable is the name of the gateway system. By default, $kdebug_host is set to localhost, assuming no gateway system is being used.

    The $kdebug_line variable selects the serial line definition to use in the /etc/remote file of the build system (or the gateway system, if one is being used). By default, $kdebug_line is set to kdebug.

    The $kdebug_dbgtty variable sets the terminal on the gateway system to display the communication between the build and test systems, which is useful in debugging your setup. To determine the terminal name to supply to the $kdebug_dbgtty variable, enter the tty command in the correct window on the gateway system. By default, $kdebug_dbgtty is null.

    For example, the following $HOME/.dbxinit file sets the $kdebug_host variable to a system named gatewy: 

    set $kdebug_host="gatewy"

  4. Recompile kernel files, if necessary.

    By default, the kernel is compiled with only partial debugging information. Occasionally, this partial information causes kdebug to display erroneous arguments or mismatched source lines. To correct this, recompile selected source files on the test system specifying the CDEBUGOPTS=-g argument.

  5. Make a backup copy of the kernel running on the test system so that you can restore that kernel after testing: 

    
# mv /vmunix /vmunix.save

  6. Copy the kernel to be tested to /vmunix on the test system and reboot the system: 

    # cp vmunix.test /vmunix
# shutdown -r now

  7. If you are debugging on an SMP system, set the lockmode system attribute to 4 on the test system, as follows:

    1. Create a stanza-formatted file named, for example generic.stanza, that appears as follows: 

      generic: 
      lockmode = 4

      This file indicates that you are modifying the lockmode attribute in the generic subsystem.

    2. Use the sysconfigdb command to add the contents of the file to the /etc/sysconfigtab database: 

      
# sysconfigdb -a -f generic.stanza generic

    3. Reboot your system.

    Setting this system attribute makes debugging on an SMP system easier. For information about the advantages provided see Section 2.1.11.

  8. Set the OPTIONS KDEBUG configuration file option in your test kernel. To set this option, run the doconfig command without flags, as shown: 

    # doconfig

    Choose KERNEL BREAKPOINT DEBUGGING from the kernel options menu when it is displayed by doconfig. Once doconfig finishes building a new kernel, copy that kernel to the /vmunix file and reboot your system. For more information about using the kernel options menu to modify the kernel, see the System Administration manual.

2.3.2    Invoking the kdebug Debugger

You invoke the kdebug debugger as follows:

  1. Invoke the dbx debugger on the build system, supplying the pathname of the test kernel. Set a breakpoint and start running dbx as follows: 

    # dbx -remote vmunix
dbx version 5.0
Type 'help' for help.
main: 602  p = &proc[0];
(dbx) stop in main
[2] stop in main
(dbx) run

    Note that you can set a breakpoint anytime after the execution of the kdebug_bootstrap() routine. Setting a breakpoint prior to the execution of this routine can result in unpredictable behavior.

    You can use all valid dbx flags with the -remote flag and define entries in your $HOME/.dbxinit file as usual. For example, suppose you start the dbx session in a directory other than the one that contains the source and object files used to build the vmunix kernel you are running on the test system. In this case, use the -I command flag or the use command in your $HOME/.dbxinit file to point dbx to the appropriate source and object files. For more information, see dbx(1) and the Programmer's Guide.

  2. Halt the test system and, at the console prompt (three right angle brackets), set the boot_osflags console variable to contain the k option, and then boot the system. For example: 

    >>> set boot_osflags "k"
>>> boot

    Once you boot the kernel, it begins executing. The dbx debugger will halt execution at the breakpoint you specified, and you can begin issuing dbx debugging commands. See Section 2.1, the dbx(1) reference page, or the Programmer's Guide for information on dbx debugging commands.

    If you are unable to bring your test kernel up to a fully operational mode, you can reboot the halted system running the generic kernel, as follows: 

    
>>> set boot_osflags "S" 
>>> set boot_file "/genvmunix"
>>> boot 
 
 

    Once the system is running, you can run the bcheckrc script manually to check and mount your local file systems. Then, copy the appropriate kernel to the root (/) directory.

    When you are ready to resume debugging, copy the test kernel to /vmunix and reset the console variables and boot the system, as follows: 

    >>> set boot_osflags "k"
>>> set boot_file "/vmunix"
>>> boot

When you have completed your debugging session, reset the console variables on the test system to their normal values, as follows: 


>>> set boot_osflags "A"
>>> set boot_file "/vmunix"
>>> set auto_action boot
 
 

You might also need to replace the test kernel with a more reliable kernel. For example, you should have saved a copy of the vmunix file that is normally used to run the test system. You can copy that file to /vmunix and shut down and reboot the system: 


# mv /vmunix.save /vmunix
# shutdown -r now

2.3.3    Diagnosing kdebug Setup Problems

If you have completed the kdebug setup as described in Section 2.3.2 and it fails to work, refer to the following list for help in diagnosing and fixing the setup problem:

2.3.4    Notes on Using the kdebug Debugger

The following list contains information that can help you use the kdebug debugger effectively:

2.4    The crashdc Utility

The crashdc utility collects critical data from operating system crash dump files (vmzcore.n or vmcore.n) or from a running kernel. You can use the data it collects to analyze the cause of a system crash. The crashdc utility uses existing system tools and utilities to extract information from crash dumps. The information garnered from crash dump files or from the running kernel includes the hardware and software configuration, current processes, the panic string (if any), and swap information.

The crashdc utility is invoked each time the system is booted. If it finds a current crash dump, crashdc creates a data collection file with the same numerical file name extension as the crash dump (see Section 2.1.1 for information about crash dump names).

You can also invoke crashdc manually. The syntax for compressed and uncompressed crash dump files, respectively, is as follows:

/bin/crashdc vmunix.n vmzcore.n

/bin/crashdc vmunix.n vmcore.n

See Appendix A for an example of the output from the crashdc command.