OpenSolaris

1. Community: Modular Debugger (MDB)
   1. Discussions
   2. Documentation
   3. Architecture
   4. Tips and Tricks
   5. Future Projects
   6. Blogs
   7. Events
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   10. Files

OpenSolaris Community: Modular Debugger (MDB)

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About MDB

If you were a detective and were investigating at the scene of a crime, you might interview the witnesses and ask them to describe what happened and who they saw. However, if there were no witnesses or these descriptions proved insufficient, you might consider collecting fingerprints and forensic evidence that could be examined for DNA to help solve the case. Often, software program failures divide into analogous categories: problems that can be solved with source-level debugging tools, and problems that require low-level debugging facilities, examination of core files, and knowledge of assembly language to diagnose and correct. MDB is a debugger designed to facilitate analysis of this second class of problems.

It might not be necessary to use MDB in every case, just as a detective doesn't need a microscope and DNA evidence to solve every crime. However, when programming a complex low-level software system such as an operating system, these situations can occur frequently. As a result, MDB is designed as a debugging framework that allows you to construct your own custom analysis tools to aid in the diagnosis of these problems. MDB also provides a powerful set of built-in commands that allow you to analyze the state of your program at the assembly language level.

Using MDB

MDB is available on Solaris systems as two commands that share common features: mdb and kmdb. You can use the mdb command interactively or in scripts to debug live user processes, user process core files, kernel crash dumps, the live operating system, object files, and other files. You can use the kmdb command to debug the live operating system kernel and device drivers when you also need to control and halt the execution of the kernel. To start mdb, execute the mdb(1) command. To start kmdb, boot the system as described in the kmdb(1) man page, or execute the mdb command with the -K option.

MDB Documentation

MDB is described in detail in the Solaris Modular Debugger Guide, and also in the mdb(1) and kmdb(1) manual pages. MDB is available on Solaris 8, Solaris 9, and Solaris 10, and kmdb is only available in Solaris 10.

For more information on the internal MDB architecture and where to find associated source code, refer to the Architecture section. Also check out the Tips and Tricks section, which covers a wide variety of useful topics outside the standard documentation. If you're interested in MDB devlopment, you should search for "mdb" in the bug database for an interesting starter bug. Or check out the Future Projects section for possible long-term enhancements.

MDB Discussion

If you want to discuss MDB features and bugs, learn more about how to use MDB, or share an interesting tale of a problem you debugged, join the MDB Forum.

Blogs

JJMora.es - phpEasyTools: Beta de easyRM (Resource Management)

Sep 19, 8:31 AM

Ayer, desde el proyecto phpEasyTools lanzamos el módulo easyRM, se trata de un sencillo GUI que te permite gestionar las herramientas de Resource Management. Con easyRM podràs, de una forma sencilla, ...

eschrock - SES Sensors and Indicators

Aug 7, 8:32 AM

Last week, Rob Johnston and I coordinated two putbacks to Solaris to further the cause of Solaris platform integration, this time focusing on sensors and indicators. Rob has a great blog post with an ...

mws - Once Blitten

Jul 19, 9:37 PM

I've worked on a fair number of debuggers over the years, and in my efforts to engineer new things, I always spend time researching what has gone before. The ACM recently added the ability to unlock ...

mws - Self-Healing Unlocked

Jul 19, 8:36 PM

A couple of years ago, I wrote an article on Self-Healing in Modern Operating Systems for ACM Queue, detailing the state of the art in self-healing techniques for operating systems and introducing ...

JJMora.es - phpEasyTools: Un asistente web para administrar Solaris

Jul 18, 5:31 AM

Ha arrancado un nuevo proyecto oficial de la comunidad OpenSolaris, se trata de phpEasyTools, una herramienta web que no solo nos permite administrar OpenSolaris, sino que nos explica paso a paso los ...