Location via proxy:   [ UP ]  
[Report a bug]   [Manage cookies]                
Scribd
Upload
196 views

Debugging Linux Systems Using GDB and Qemu: Khem Raj

This document discusses using QEMU and GDB to debug Linux kernels and userspace programs. It provides instructions for compiling kernels and programs with debugging enabled, launching QEMU with GDB stub support, and connecting GDB to debug remotely. Specific examples are given for debugging the kernel boot process, dynamic linkers, and U-Boot bootloader. Additional tips include useful breakpoints, generating filesystem images, and frontends that provide a graphical interface to GDB.

Uploaded by

Mehmet Demir
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
196 views

Debugging Linux Systems Using GDB and Qemu: Khem Raj

This document discusses using QEMU and GDB to debug Linux kernels and userspace programs. It provides instructions for compiling kernels and programs with debugging enabled, launching QEMU with GDB stub support, and connecting GDB to debug remotely. Specific examples are given for debugging the kernel boot process, dynamic linkers, and U-Boot bootloader. Additional tips include useful breakpoints, generating filesystem images, and frontends that provide a graphical interface to GDB.

Uploaded by

Mehmet Demir
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 23

Debugging Linux systems using

GDB and QEMU

Khem Raj
Agenda

 Introduction
 Compiling and debugging Linux kernel using
QEMU
 Creating image file for root file system
 Compiling and debugging uclibc dynamic linker
using QEMU
 Compiling and debugging u-boot using QEMU
 Some more on gdb
 Q&A
What is QEMU ?

 Processor emulator
 Emulates ARM, x86, powerpc, mips, SH …
 Has a built-in GDB stub

 Getting QEMU
 http://bellard.org/qemu/
 Your favourite distribution might have already built it
for you
Enable GDB stub

 Add -s and -S options while invoking QEMU


 -s enables the gdb stub
 -S instructs QEMU to stop after system restart
 Waits for gdb to connect
Compiling Kernel for QEMU

 Mainline kernel supports QEMU


 ARM versatilePB is supported
qemu­system­arm ­M ?
 Use versatile configuration
make ARCH=arm versatile_defconfig
make ARCH=arm CROSS_COMPILE=arm­oe­
linux­uclibceabi­ all
 Use compressed image 'zImage' in
arch/arm/boot
Compiling Kernel for QEMU

 Do not forget to turn debugging on for better


experience
make ARCH=arm menuconfig
Kernel Hacking ­­>Compile the kernel 
with debug info
Compile with debug information
Debugging kernel
 qemu­system­arm ­M versatilepb ­­snapshot ­gdb tcp::1234 ­s ­S 
­m 256 ­kernel 
/scratch/oe/qemuarm/deploy/uclibc/images/qemuarm/zImage­
qemuarm.bin ­hda 
/scratch/oe/qemuarm/deploy/uclibc/images/qemuarm/console­
image­qemuarm.ext2 ­usb ­usbdevice wacom­tablet ­nographic 
­­no­reboot ­localtime ­append 'console=ttyAMA0 console=ttyS0 
root=/dev/sda rw   debug user_debug=­1' ­net none
Debugging Kernel

 Start GDB in another window


/scratch/oe/qemuarm/cross/armv5te/bin/arm-oe-linux-uclibceabi-gdb
/scratch/oe/qemuarm/work/qemuarm-oe-linux-uclibceabi/linux-rp-2.6.25+2.6.26-
rc4-r6/linux-2.6.25/vmlinux

 Connect to the waiting QEMU remotely


(gdb) target remote :1234
Remote debugging using :1234
0xc001eb30 in calibrate_delay ()

 Set breakpoints in the kernel start-up code


somewhere in start_kernel ()
(gdb) b pidmap_init
Useful breakpoints

 System-wide breakpoints to halt current thread


of execution
(gdb) b panic
Breakpoint 4 at 0xc030be54
(gdb) b sys_sync
Breakpoint 3 at 0xc00b3bd4
Debugging early startup
userspace with QEMU
 Dynamic linker is one of first userspace
program started after kernel boots.
 Dynamic linkers rely on printf debugging
 Its helpful in porting to new architectures
 Adding more functionality or fixing bugs
Generating an ext2 root
filesystem image
 Create a sysroot
 Install the packages into the sysroot
 Create device nodes
 makedevs ­r <sysroot> ­D <device table>
 Create an ext2 image
 genext2fs ­b <size> ­d <sysroot> ­i 8192 
<image>.ext2
Device table
Compiling uClibc ld.so for
debugging
 Compile uclibc with debug information
make CROSS=/scratch/oe/qemuarm/cross/armv5te/bin/arm­oe­
linux­uclibceabi­ menuconfig
Debugging early startup
userspace with QEMU
 Find out entry address of ld.so
objdump ­f ld­uClibc.so.0 |grep start

start address 0x00000ed0

 Find the load address of ld.so


 On a booted target use gdb's command info shared
 Use SUPPORT_LD_DEBUG_EARLY which dumps
the address
 Add entry address and load address to get the
final virtual address
Debugging early startup
userspace with QEMU
 Launch QEMU system emulation
 Use add-symbol-file <address> to load the
debug info to right address.
 Set breakpoint in _dl_get_ready_to_run ()
(gdb) b _dl_get_ready_to_run
Breakpoint 1 at 0x40005f94: file ldso/ldso/ldso.c, line 
366.
Debugging early startup
userspace with QEMU
 Connect to remote target
 'Continue' should hit the breakpoint in ld.so
.gdbinit

 All can be put into a file that gdb reads


Compile u-boot for running in
QEMU
 Download stable u-boot
 Compile for versatilePB
make 
CROSS_COMPILE=/scratch/oe/qemuarm/cross/armv5te/bin/arm­oe­
linux­uclibceabi­ versatilepb_config
make 
CROSS_COMPILE=/scratch/oe/qemuarm/cross/armv5te/bin/arm­oe­
linux­uclibceabi­ ARCH=arm
Debugging u-boot in QEMU

 Invoke QEMU system emulator


 qemu­system­arm ­M versatilepb ­m 256 
­kernel u­boot.bin 
 Start ARM gdb in another window and load u-boot
//scratch/oe/qemuarm/cross/armv5te/b
in/arm­oe­linux­uclibceabi­gdb 
­nx ./u­boot
 Connect to remote target i.e. QEMU
(gdb) target remote :1234
Debugging u-boot in QEMU

 Set breakpoints (say do_printenv () )


(gdb) b do_printenv 
Breakpoint 1 at 0x10081b8: file cmd_nvedit.c, line 147.
Continue

 Issue printenv command on u-boot CLI


VersatilePB # printenv

 Execution breaks at do_printenv in gdb


Breakpoint 1, do_printenv (cmdtp=0x10151e4, flag=0, argc=1, 
argv=0xfddef4) at cmd_nvedit.c:147
Frontends to gdb

 Data Display Debugger (DDD)


 Uses gdb to control the target
 Provided rich GUI experience
 Eclipse CDT
 Insight
Questions

Happy Debugging

You might also like