Book Image

Linux Kernel Debugging

By : Kaiwan N. Billimoria
Book Image

Linux Kernel Debugging

By: Kaiwan N. Billimoria

Overview of this book

The Linux kernel is at the very core of arguably the world’s best production-quality OS. Debugging it, though, can be a complex endeavor. Linux Kernel Debugging is a comprehensive guide to learning all about advanced kernel debugging. This book covers many areas in-depth, such as instrumentation-based debugging techniques (printk and the dynamic debug framework), and shows you how to use Kprobes. Memory-related bugs tend to be a nightmare – two chapters are packed with tools and techniques devoted to debugging them. When the kernel gifts you an Oops, how exactly do you interpret it to be able to debug the underlying issue? We’ve got you covered. Concurrency tends to be an inherently complex topic, so a chapter on lock debugging will help you to learn precisely what data races are, including using KCSAN to detect them. Some thorny issues, both debug- and performance-wise, require detailed kernel-level tracing; you’ll learn to wield the impressive power of Ftrace and its frontends. You’ll also discover how to handle kernel lockups, hangs, and the dreaded kernel panic, as well as leverage the venerable GDB tool within the kernel (KGDB), along with much more. By the end of this book, you will have at your disposal a wide range of powerful kernel debugging tools and techniques, along with a keen sense of when to use which.
Table of Contents (17 chapters)
1
Part 1: A General Introduction and Approaches to Kernel Debugging
4
Part 2: Kernel and Driver Debugging Tools and Techniques
11
Part 3: Additional Kernel Debugging Tools and Techniques

Conventions used

There are a number of text conventions used throughout this book.

Code in text: Indicates code words in text, database table names, folder names, filenames, file extensions, pathnames, dummy URLs, user input, and Twitter handles. Here is an example: "The end result is the kernel configuration file saved as .config in the root of the kernel source tree."

A block of code is set as follows:

#include <linux/init.h>
#include <linux/module.h>
#include <linux/kernel.h>
[...]
static int __init printk_loglevels_init(void)

When we wish to draw your attention to a particular part of a code block, the relevant lines or items are set in bold:

    if (lotype & (1<<5)) {
       pr_emerg("CPU#%d: Possible thermal failure (CPU on fire ?).\n", smp_processor_id());
    }

Any command-line input or output is written as follows:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade
sudo apt install build-essential dkms linux-headers-$(uname –r) ssh -y

Bold: Indicates a new term, an important word, or words that you see onscreen. For instance, words in menus or dialog boxes appear in bold. Here is an example: "Select System info from the Administration panel."

Tips or Important Notes

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