toolchain/share/doc/gdb/PowerPC-Embedded.html

116 lines
6.3 KiB
HTML

<html lang="en">
<head>
<title>PowerPC Embedded - Debugging with GDB</title>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html">
<meta name="description" content="Debugging with GDB">
<meta name="generator" content="makeinfo 4.13">
<link title="Top" rel="start" href="index.html#Top">
<link rel="up" href="Embedded-Processors.html#Embedded-Processors" title="Embedded Processors">
<link rel="prev" href="OpenRISC-1000.html#OpenRISC-1000" title="OpenRISC 1000">
<link rel="next" href="AVR.html#AVR" title="AVR">
<link href="http://www.gnu.org/software/texinfo/" rel="generator-home" title="Texinfo Homepage">
<!--
Copyright (C) 1988-2019 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or
any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
Invariant Sections being ``Free Software'' and ``Free Software Needs
Free Documentation'', with the Front-Cover Texts being ``A GNU Manual,''
and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below.
(a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You are free to copy and modify
this GNU Manual. Buying copies from GNU Press supports the FSF in
developing GNU and promoting software freedom.''
-->
<meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css">
<style type="text/css"><!--
pre.display { font-family:inherit }
pre.format { font-family:inherit }
pre.smalldisplay { font-family:inherit; font-size:smaller }
pre.smallformat { font-family:inherit; font-size:smaller }
pre.smallexample { font-size:smaller }
pre.smalllisp { font-size:smaller }
span.sc { font-variant:small-caps }
span.roman { font-family:serif; font-weight:normal; }
span.sansserif { font-family:sans-serif; font-weight:normal; }
--></style>
</head>
<body>
<div class="node">
<a name="PowerPC-Embedded"></a>
<p>
Next:&nbsp;<a rel="next" accesskey="n" href="AVR.html#AVR">AVR</a>,
Previous:&nbsp;<a rel="previous" accesskey="p" href="OpenRISC-1000.html#OpenRISC-1000">OpenRISC 1000</a>,
Up:&nbsp;<a rel="up" accesskey="u" href="Embedded-Processors.html#Embedded-Processors">Embedded Processors</a>
<hr>
</div>
<h4 class="subsection">21.3.7 PowerPC Embedded</h4>
<p><a name="index-DVC-register-1589"></a><span class="sc">gdb</span> supports using the DVC (Data Value Compare) register to
implement in hardware simple hardware watchpoint conditions of the form:
<pre class="smallexample"> (gdb) watch <var>ADDRESS|VARIABLE</var> \
if <var>ADDRESS|VARIABLE</var> == <var>CONSTANT EXPRESSION</var>
</pre>
<p>The DVC register will be automatically used when <span class="sc">gdb</span> detects
such pattern in a condition expression, and the created watchpoint uses one
debug register (either the <code>exact-watchpoints</code> option is on and the
variable is scalar, or the variable has a length of one byte). This feature
is available in native <span class="sc">gdb</span> running on a Linux kernel version 2.6.34
or newer.
<p>When running on PowerPC embedded processors, <span class="sc">gdb</span> automatically uses
ranged hardware watchpoints, unless the <code>exact-watchpoints</code> option is on,
in which case watchpoints using only one debug register are created when
watching variables of scalar types.
<p>You can create an artificial array to watch an arbitrary memory
region using one of the following commands (see <a href="Expressions.html#Expressions">Expressions</a>):
<pre class="smallexample"> (gdb) watch *((char *) <var>address</var>)@<var>length</var>
(gdb) watch {char[<var>length</var>]} <var>address</var>
</pre>
<p>PowerPC embedded processors support masked watchpoints. See the discussion
about the <code>mask</code> argument in <a href="Set-Watchpoints.html#Set-Watchpoints">Set Watchpoints</a>.
<p><a name="index-ranged-breakpoint-1590"></a>PowerPC embedded processors support hardware accelerated
<dfn>ranged breakpoints</dfn>. A ranged breakpoint stops execution of
the inferior whenever it executes an instruction at any address within
the range it specifies. To set a ranged breakpoint in <span class="sc">gdb</span>,
use the <code>break-range</code> command.
<p><span class="sc">gdb</span> provides the following PowerPC-specific commands:
<a name="index-break_002drange-1591"></a>
<dl><dt><code>break-range </code><var>start-location</var><code>, </code><var>end-location</var><dd>Set a breakpoint for an address range given by
<var>start-location</var> and <var>end-location</var>, which can specify a function name,
a line number, an offset of lines from the current line or from the start
location, or an address of an instruction (see <a href="Specify-Location.html#Specify-Location">Specify Location</a>,
for a list of all the possible ways to specify a <var>location</var>.)
The breakpoint will stop execution of the inferior whenever it
executes an instruction at any address within the specified range,
(including <var>start-location</var> and <var>end-location</var>.)
<p><a name="index-set-powerpc-1592"></a><br><dt><code>set powerpc soft-float</code><dt><code>show powerpc soft-float</code><dd>Force <span class="sc">gdb</span> to use (or not use) a software floating point calling
convention. By default, <span class="sc">gdb</span> selects the calling convention based
on the selected architecture and the provided executable file.
<br><dt><code>set powerpc vector-abi</code><dt><code>show powerpc vector-abi</code><dd>Force <span class="sc">gdb</span> to use the specified calling convention for vector
arguments and return values. The valid options are &lsquo;<samp><span class="samp">auto</span></samp>&rsquo;;
&lsquo;<samp><span class="samp">generic</span></samp>&rsquo;, to avoid vector registers even if they are present;
&lsquo;<samp><span class="samp">altivec</span></samp>&rsquo;, to use AltiVec registers; and &lsquo;<samp><span class="samp">spe</span></samp>&rsquo; to use SPE
registers. By default, <span class="sc">gdb</span> selects the calling convention
based on the selected architecture and the provided executable file.
<br><dt><code>set powerpc exact-watchpoints</code><dt><code>show powerpc exact-watchpoints</code><dd>Allow <span class="sc">gdb</span> to use only one debug register when watching a variable
of scalar type, thus assuming that the variable is accessed through the
address of its first byte.
</dl>
</body></html>