Approach for debugging in a single session GDB

In this paper we propose a heterogeneous multiprocessor debugging in a single session GDB that can support multiple CPU target architectures and ABI and simultaneously debug all the targets in a single session. This allows harnessing GDB's powerful scripting interface which could be used in regression suites. Features like break-points, lockstep, stop/continue, GUI, etc. will be provided for multiple processors. This will entail enhancing the design and user interface provided by GDB and allow GDB to be the preferred debugger for such architectures. Each multiprocessor vendor can then design a GDB port for their processors and use the powerful features offered by GDB. The debug entities could be simulations, hardware environments on different processor boards or hardware environments on the same piece of silicon. All the targets are multiplexed and deal with the same debugger. Hence the debugger can coordinate their activities and run them as a unit. A single session of GDB will be able to handle tasks such as processor interfacing, inter-processor communication, run-time execution and coordination. Hence if one processor crashes all the others can be stopped and their state can be studied. The processors can be run in lockstep to debug synchronization errors, mutex and semaphore problems and network applications. Barrier breakpoints can also be set to synchronize the execution of all the processors. The use of such a tool will make the job of designing applications for multiprocessor systems easier and speed up the product development for such systems.