Commit 953ab835 authored by Mauro Carvalho Chehab's avatar Mauro Carvalho Chehab

Documentation/BUG-HUNTING: convert to ReST markup

- Add a document title and remove its own index;
- use monotonic fonts for paths;
- use quote blocks where needed;
- adjust/use spaces to properly format paragraphs;
- add it to the user book.
Signed-off-by: default avatarMauro Carvalho Chehab <mchehab@s-opensource.com>
parent 8e7fbec6
Table of contents
=================
Bug hunting
+++++++++++
Last updated: 20 December 2005
Contents
========
- Introduction
- Devices not appearing
- Finding patch that caused a bug
-- Finding using git-bisect
-- Finding it the old way
- Fixing the bug
Introduction
============
......@@ -24,7 +14,8 @@ Finding bugs is not always easy. Have a go though. If you can't find it don't
give up. Report as much as you have found to the relevant maintainer. See
MAINTAINERS for who that is for the subsystem you have worked on.
Before you submit a bug report read REPORTING-BUGS.
Before you submit a bug report read
:ref:`Documentation/REPORTING-BUGS <reportingbugs>`.
Devices not appearing
=====================
......@@ -37,15 +28,16 @@ Finding patch that caused a bug
Finding using git-bisect
------------------------
Finding using ``git-bisect``
----------------------------
Using the provided tools with git makes finding bugs easy provided the bug is
reproducible.
Using the provided tools with ``git`` makes finding bugs easy provided the bug
is reproducible.
Steps to do it:
- start using git for the kernel source
- read the man page for git-bisect
- read the man page for ``git-bisect``
- have fun
Finding it the old way
......@@ -58,22 +50,22 @@ It's a brute force approach but it works pretty well.
You need:
. A reproducible bug - it has to happen predictably (sorry)
. All the kernel tar files from a revision that worked to the
- A reproducible bug - it has to happen predictably (sorry)
- All the kernel tar files from a revision that worked to the
revision that doesn't
You will then do:
. Rebuild a revision that you believe works, install, and verify that.
. Do a binary search over the kernels to figure out which one
- Rebuild a revision that you believe works, install, and verify that.
- Do a binary search over the kernels to figure out which one
introduced the bug. I.e., suppose 1.3.28 didn't have the bug, but
you know that 1.3.69 does. Pick a kernel in the middle and build
that, like 1.3.50. Build & test; if it works, pick the mid point
between .50 and .69, else the mid point between .28 and .50.
. You'll narrow it down to the kernel that introduced the bug. You
- You'll narrow it down to the kernel that introduced the bug. You
can probably do better than this but it gets tricky.
. Narrow it down to a subdirectory
- Narrow it down to a subdirectory
- Copy kernel that works into "test". Let's say that 3.62 works,
but 3.63 doesn't. So you diff -r those two kernels and come
......@@ -83,7 +75,7 @@ You will then do:
Copy the non-working directory next to the working directory
as "dir.63".
One directory at time, try moving the working directory to
"dir.62" and mv dir.63 dir"time, try
"dir.62" and mv dir.63 dir"time, try::
mv dir dir.62
mv dir.63 dir
......@@ -97,15 +89,15 @@ You will then do:
found in my case that they were self explanatory - you may
or may not want to give up when that happens.
. Narrow it down to a file
- Narrow it down to a file
- You can apply the same technique to each file in the directory,
hoping that the changes in that file are self contained.
. Narrow it down to a routine
- Narrow it down to a routine
- You can take the old file and the new file and manually create
a merged file that has
a merged file that has::
#ifdef VER62
routine()
......@@ -120,7 +112,7 @@ You will then do:
#endif
And then walk through that file, one routine at a time and
prefix it with
prefix it with::
#define VER62
/* both routines here */
......@@ -153,94 +145,104 @@ To debug a kernel, use objdump and look for the hex offset from the crash
output to find the valid line of code/assembler. Without debug symbols, you
will see the assembler code for the routine shown, but if your kernel has
debug symbols the C code will also be available. (Debug symbols can be enabled
in the kernel hacking menu of the menu configuration.) For example:
in the kernel hacking menu of the menu configuration.) For example::
objdump -r -S -l --disassemble net/dccp/ipv4.o
NB.: you need to be at the top level of the kernel tree for this to pick up
your C files.
.. note::
You need to be at the top level of the kernel tree for this to pick up
your C files.
If you don't have access to the code you can also debug on some crash dumps
e.g. crash dump output as shown by Dave Miller.
> EIP is at ip_queue_xmit+0x14/0x4c0
> ...
> Code: 44 24 04 e8 6f 05 00 00 e9 e8 fe ff ff 8d 76 00 8d bc 27 00 00
> 00 00 55 57 56 53 81 ec bc 00 00 00 8b ac 24 d0 00 00 00 8b 5d 08
> <8b> 83 3c 01 00 00 89 44 24 14 8b 45 28 85 c0 89 44 24 18 0f 85
>
> Put the bytes into a "foo.s" file like this:
>
> .text
> .globl foo
> foo:
> .byte .... /* bytes from Code: part of OOPS dump */
>
> Compile it with "gcc -c -o foo.o foo.s" then look at the output of
> "objdump --disassemble foo.o".
>
> Output:
>
> ip_queue_xmit:
> push %ebp
> push %edi
> push %esi
> push %ebx
> sub $0xbc, %esp
> mov 0xd0(%esp), %ebp ! %ebp = arg0 (skb)
> mov 0x8(%ebp), %ebx ! %ebx = skb->sk
> mov 0x13c(%ebx), %eax ! %eax = inet_sk(sk)->opt
e.g. crash dump output as shown by Dave Miller::
EIP is at ip_queue_xmit+0x14/0x4c0
...
Code: 44 24 04 e8 6f 05 00 00 e9 e8 fe ff ff 8d 76 00 8d bc 27 00 00
00 00 55 57 56 53 81 ec bc 00 00 00 8b ac 24 d0 00 00 00 8b 5d 08
<8b> 83 3c 01 00 00 89 44 24 14 8b 45 28 85 c0 89 44 24 18 0f 85
Put the bytes into a "foo.s" file like this:
.text
.globl foo
foo:
.byte .... /* bytes from Code: part of OOPS dump */
Compile it with "gcc -c -o foo.o foo.s" then look at the output of
"objdump --disassemble foo.o".
Output:
ip_queue_xmit:
push %ebp
push %edi
push %esi
push %ebx
sub $0xbc, %esp
mov 0xd0(%esp), %ebp ! %ebp = arg0 (skb)
mov 0x8(%ebp), %ebx ! %ebx = skb->sk
mov 0x13c(%ebx), %eax ! %eax = inet_sk(sk)->opt
In addition, you can use GDB to figure out the exact file and line
number of the OOPS from the vmlinux file. If you have
CONFIG_DEBUG_INFO enabled, you can simply copy the EIP value from the
OOPS:
number of the OOPS from the ``vmlinux`` file. If you have
``CONFIG_DEBUG_INFO`` enabled, you can simply copy the EIP value from the
OOPS::
EIP: 0060:[<c021e50e>] Not tainted VLI
And use GDB to translate that to human-readable form:
And use GDB to translate that to human-readable form::
gdb vmlinux
(gdb) l *0xc021e50e
If you don't have CONFIG_DEBUG_INFO enabled, you use the function
offset from the OOPS:
If you don't have ``CONFIG_DEBUG_INFO`` enabled, you use the function
offset from the OOPS::
EIP is at vt_ioctl+0xda8/0x1482
And recompile the kernel with CONFIG_DEBUG_INFO enabled:
And recompile the kernel with ``CONFIG_DEBUG_INFO`` enabled::
make vmlinux
gdb vmlinux
(gdb) p vt_ioctl
(gdb) l *(0x<address of vt_ioctl> + 0xda8)
or, as one command
or, as one command::
(gdb) l *(vt_ioctl + 0xda8)
If you have a call trace, such as :-
>Call Trace:
> [<ffffffff8802c8e9>] :jbd:log_wait_commit+0xa3/0xf5
> [<ffffffff810482d9>] autoremove_wake_function+0x0/0x2e
> [<ffffffff8802770b>] :jbd:journal_stop+0x1be/0x1ee
> ...
If you have a call trace, such as::
Call Trace:
[<ffffffff8802c8e9>] :jbd:log_wait_commit+0xa3/0xf5
[<ffffffff810482d9>] autoremove_wake_function+0x0/0x2e
[<ffffffff8802770b>] :jbd:journal_stop+0x1be/0x1ee
...
this shows the problem in the :jbd: module. You can load that module in gdb
and list the relevant code.
and list the relevant code::
gdb fs/jbd/jbd.ko
(gdb) p log_wait_commit
(gdb) l *(0x<address> + 0xa3)
or
or::
(gdb) l *(log_wait_commit + 0xa3)
Another very useful option of the Kernel Hacking section in menuconfig is
Debug memory allocations. This will help you see whether data has been
initialised and not set before use etc. To see the values that get assigned
with this look at mm/slab.c and search for POISON_INUSE. When using this an
Oops will often show the poisoned data instead of zero which is the default.
with this look at ``mm/slab.c`` and search for ``POISON_INUSE``. When using
this an Oops will often show the poisoned data instead of zero which is the
default.
Once you have worked out a fix please submit it upstream. After all open
source is about sharing what you do and don't you want to be recognised for
your genius?
Please do read Documentation/SubmittingPatches though to help your code get
accepted.
Please do read :ref:`Documentation/SubmittingPatches <submittingpatches>`
though to help your code get accepted.
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