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| -rw-r--r-- | gdb/README | 75 |
1 files changed, 54 insertions, 21 deletions
@@ -9,12 +9,16 @@ Unpacking and Installation -- quick overview ========================== In this release, the GDB debugger sources, the generic GNU include -files, the BFD ("binary file description") library, the readline library, -and other libraries all have directories of their own underneath -the gdb-4.9 directory. The idea is that a variety of GNU tools can -share a common copy of these things. Configuration scripts and -makefiles exist to cruise up and down this directory tree and -automatically build all the pieces in the right order. +files, the BFD ("binary file description") library, the readline +library, and other libraries all have directories of their own +underneath the gdb-4.9 directory. The idea is that a variety of GNU +tools can share a common copy of these things. Be aware of variation +over time--for example don't try to build gdb with a copy of bfd from +a release other than the gdb release (such as a binutils or gas +release), especially if the releases are more than a few weeks apart. +Configuration scripts and makefiles exist to cruise up and down this +directory tree and automatically build all the pieces in the right +order. When you unpack the gdb-4.9.tar.z or gdb-4.9.tar.Z file, you'll find a directory called `gdb-4.9', which contains: @@ -366,12 +370,19 @@ GDB or its supporting libraries. Languages other than C ======================= -GDB provides some support for debugging C++ progams. Partial Modula-2 -and Chill support is now in GDB. GDB should work with FORTRAN programs. -(If you have problems, please send a bug report; you may have to refer to -some FORTRAN variables with a trailing underscore). Pascal programs which -use sets, subranges, file variables, or nested functions will not -currently work. +GDB provides some support for debugging C++ programs, however that support +only works well with GNU C++, and even then only on systems that use stabs +debugging format. In particular, cfront based compilers such as Sun's C++ +are not fully supported. + +GDB should work with FORTRAN programs. If you have problems, please send a +bug report; you may have to refer to some FORTRAN variables with a trailing +underscore. + +Pascal programs which use sets, subranges, file variables, or nested functions +will not currently work. + +Partial Modula-2 and Chill support is now in GDB. Kernel debugging @@ -438,11 +449,12 @@ section of the GDB manual (gdb/doc/gdb.texinfo). Known bugs: - * Under Ultrix 4.2 (DECstation-3100), we have seen problems with backtraces - after interrupting the inferior out of a read(). The problem is caused by - ptrace() returning an incorrect value for register 30. As far as we can - tell, this is a kernel problem. Any help with this would be greatly - appreciated. + * Under Ultrix 4.2 (DECstation-3100) or Alphas under OSF/1, we have + seen problems with backtraces after interrupting the inferior out + of a read(). The problem is caused by ptrace() returning an + incorrect value for the frame pointer register (15 or 30). As far + as we can tell, this is a kernel problem. Any help with this + would be greatly appreciated. * On the SPARC GDB reports incorrect values of struct arguments to functions, for the seventh and subsequent arguments. We have been looking @@ -452,10 +464,31 @@ Known bugs: various BFD modules. None of them is a cause for alarm, they are actually a result of bugs in the DECstation compiler. - * On Solaris using the "run" command when the program is already running - restarts the program, but may leave a core dump from the previous - execution in the current directory. Other SVR4 based systems don't seem - to have this problem, using the same gdb source code. + * On Solaris (2.1, at least) using the "run" command when the program + is already running restarts the program, but may leave a core dump + from the previous execution in the current directory. Other SVR4 + based systems don't seem to have this problem, using the same gdb + source code. + + * Notes for the DEC Alpha using OSF/1: + The debugging output of native cc has two known problems; we view these + as compiler bugs. + The linker miscompacts symbol tables, which causes gdb to confuse the + type of variables or results in `struct <illegal>' type outputs. + dbx has the same problems with those executables. A workaround is to + specify -Wl,-b when linking, but that will increase the executable size + considerably. + If a structure is declared as opaque in one file (e.g. "struct foo *" + without a definition for "struct foo"), gdb will be unable to find the + structure definition in another file. + It has been reported that the Ultrix 4.3A compiler on destations has the + same problems. + + If you intend to compile gdb with gcc-2.4.5, be warned that the file + bfd/libbfd.c will be miscompiled due to a bug in gcc, you have + to compile this file with native cc. You will get many warnings from + gcc while compiling gdb, but these can be ignored for now. Again, these + problems are Alpha-specific. GDB can produce warnings about symbols that it does not understand. By default, these warnings are disabled. You can enable them by executing |