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<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ANSI_X3.4-1968" /><title>Chapter 1. Introduction</title><meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.75.2" /><link rel="home" href="index.html" title="Using kgdb and the kgdb Internals" /><link rel="up" href="index.html" title="Using kgdb and the kgdb Internals" /><link rel="prev" href="index.html" title="Using kgdb and the kgdb Internals" /><link rel="next" href="ch02.html" title="Chapter 2. Compiling a kernel" /></head><body><div class="navheader"><table width="100%" summary="Navigation header"><tr><th colspan="3" align="center">Chapter 1. Introduction</th></tr><tr><td width="20%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="index.html">Prev</a> </td><th width="60%" align="center"> </th><td width="20%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="ch02.html">Next</a></td></tr></table><hr /></div><div class="chapter" title="Chapter 1. Introduction"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title"><a id="Introduction"></a>Chapter 1. Introduction</h2></div></div></div><p>
kgdb is a source level debugger for linux kernel. It is used along
with gdb to debug a linux kernel. The expectation is that gdb can
be used to "break in" to the kernel to inspect memory, variables
and look through call stack information similar to what an
application developer would use gdb for. It is possible to place
breakpoints in kernel code and perform some limited execution
stepping.
</p><p>
Two machines are required for using kgdb. One of these machines is a
development machine and the other is a test machine. The kernel
to be debugged runs on the test machine. The development machine
runs an instance of gdb against the vmlinux file which contains
the symbols (not boot image such as bzImage, zImage, uImage...).
In gdb the developer specifies the connection parameters and
connects to kgdb. The type of connection a developer makes with
gdb depends on the availability of kgdb I/O modules compiled as
builtin's or kernel modules in the test machine's kernel.
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