Re: [ECOS] run-mode debugging with eCos and GDB?

[Alex Schuilenburg <alexs at ecoscentric dot com>]

Chris Wein wrote:

> I am evaluating RTOS' for a new project and am coming from a commercial RTOS
> background (VxWorks, ThreadX) where those systems offered what is known as
> run-mode debug.  In this mode, a specific thread is the focus on the
> debugging activity and a breakpoint in that thread suspends the thread while
> leaving all other threads running.  This mode contrasts with halt-mode
> debugging where a breakpoint halts the entire processor and therefore all
> threads stop.  Run-mode debugging is extremely useful/necessary for
> development where we are managing external activities that cannot be stopped
> (such as software flow control of incoming data streams).
>
> eCos is a contender for this new project but it is not clear to me if
> "thread awareness" of GDB with eCos means that ability to display thread
> specific information AND is also equivalent to run-mode debugging, or it is
> merely the display of thread information.  The bottom line is, when
> debugging in eCos and GDB do all application tasks suspend or merely the
> targeted thread?

All threads are suspended and redboot or the jtag/bdm/ice has full 
control of the CPU.

Introducing this type of debugging would mean a distinct change in the 
way eCos works since this model assumes that there is a distinct 
seperation between application and kernel where threads can be 
frozen/thawed for debugging.  With eCos, there is no such seperation. 
Application and kernel are linked together.

Also, there is a question as to exactly how useful this type of debug 
mode will be in eCos since it assumes the threads that continue running 
are not dependant on any resources that are locked by the thread being 
debugged.  For example, debugging eCos applications currently allows you 
to step through the eCos "kernel", including stepping through critical 
regions such as the scheduler.  If you were to single step or break a 
thread in the kernel when the scheduler were locked, no other threads 
would be able to run anyway.

HTH

-- Alex



> Thanks





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