An Introduction to Advanced Debug Techniques for Linux SDK

When and where

Time

10 August 2016, 11 August 2016, 18:00 - 20:00

Place

EG306

Introduction

Advanced debugging techniques became nowadays an important aspect when comes to high-end processors and communication between various entities.

Over the last years Linux support for embedded systems is continuously evolving in terms of capabilities and support for different processors and platforms. Linux Kernel development must handle every processor specification details and accommodate different hardware platforms.

Thus there is an increasing developing effort in the kernel space area and this should be accordingly sustained by the development and debugging tools suite. The new Code Warrior for ARMv8 product is designed having in mind to extend and improve Linux Kernel Awareness features portfolio and also to simplify user experience when debugging Linux Kernel.

We intend to introduce you to the world of debugging and related tools by using CodeWarrior and gdb as a case study.

At the end of this workshop, you will know:

How debuggers in general work
What are the current debug possibilities (advantages and limitations)
How to debug an application using hardware and software capabilities
How to debug a bare-metal application (without OS support)
How to debug the Linux SDK on every phase (u-boot, linux kernel, linux user-space)

Topics

Introduction

What is a breakpoint
How a debugger works
What are the current debug possibilities (advantages and limitations)
CodeWarrior and gdb

Bare-metal debug

How we can debug a bare-metal application without OS support
U-boot debug, stages & awareness

Linux kernel debug

How to prepare the linux for debug support
Linux kernel debug, stages & awareness
Linux module debug
Tips and Tricks

Linux user-space debug

Requirements
Features supported in CodeWarrior

Prerequisites

Good C, embedded and Linux knowledge. We really encourage you to participate to the workshop even your skills are not so strong. We'll try to explain from the very basics (what a breakpoint is and how can be implemented) to how can be a linux kernel debugged real time (i.e. when a linux module is inserted).

Registration

To register for this workshop, please send an e-mail to marius.grigoras@nxp.com with next information (can be also written in Romanian, is not mandatory to fill it in English)

name
e-mail address
phone number
Faculty, year, specialization
Why do you want to participate to this workshop
From 1 to 10 what is your C, Embedded and Linux experience (u-boot, kernel, user space) level ? (need answer for each item)

Please try to just be yourself and provide honest and simple answers. We want to get a better idea about what you already know and what you would like to learn, but also to polish the last details of the training materials according to your requirements and preference.

For any questions regarding this workshop, please feel free to contact the trainer.

Registration is now open.