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RE: gdb over ethernet network support for ECOS RAMapplication


>It is only possible to initiate a network GDB connection before the
>program starts.  However, you can load and execute a program via a 
>serial connection and later start up a serial GDB session, but not a
>network one.

why is there this difference between a serial and network gdb session?
One of the things I wanted to do is keep gdb support always available
(preferrably via network). Normally, redboot would come up and start the
application by default through its script. So while the application is
running, if I wanted to examine it for some reason, then I could connect
and do so. But it sounds like this is not possible for network gdb
sessions? How about for serial sessions, is it possible to connect after
an application is running? Or must an application be started by gdb in
order for it to be debugged by it? One thought I had was merging the
Redboot functionality into the application, does this not make sense?

>There's nothing to keep you from doing this, but alas, at this time 
>there's not much to help you either.  The FIS directory is laid out so
>that finding things should be straight forward, but there aren't any
>support routines (or a supported API) for doing so.  Of course, if you
>wanted to contribute such support, we'd be more than happy :-)

I actually did a quick and dirty in this case and stole the lookup
function and entry structure to just retrieve the location and size of
the file. I noticed there was packages/fs/rom. Is this a different
fuller rom file system than FIS or a framework of some sort?


-----Original Message-----
From: Gary Thomas [mailto:gary@chez-thomas.org] 
Sent: Tuesday, June 18, 2002 5:06 PM
To: George Sosnowski
Cc: eCos Discussion
Subject: RE: [ECOS] gdb over ethernet network support for ECOS
RAMapplication


On Tue, 2002-06-18 at 16:13, George Sosnowski wrote:
> Thanks for the replies they've been very inciteful.
> I am running ecos that I download via anonymous CVS back in December.
> I've been afraid to get the 2.0 alpha code because I wasn't sure how
> much reconfiguration and lost changes there might be on my part.
> 

There would be few, if any, such impacts.  The version number belies
the code changes (they are major, but still incremental).  The main
reason for a major version number jump was the change in licensing.

> Does a gdb session have to be already established via network or
serial
> before the RAM application runs? Or can one connect via gdb even after
> the application image is loaded and running? Showing my ignorance of
> gdb, if connected after the application image is running, can it still
> be debugged or does it have to be rerun?
> 

It is only possible to initiate a network GDB connection before the
program starts.  However, you can load and execute a program via a 
serial connection and later start up a serial GDB session, but not a
network one.

> On a somewhat related issue, can RAM applications somehow access the
> FIS? I have some fpga images that I want to store there and wasn't
sure
> if there was an interface that provided the RedBoot functionality of
> lookup, create, load, etc.
> 

There's nothing to keep you from doing this, but alas, at this time 
there's not much to help you either.  The FIS directory is laid out so
that finding things should be straight forward, but there aren't any
support routines (or a supported API) for doing so.  Of course, if you
wanted to contribute such support, we'd be more than happy :-)

> Thanks again!
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Gary Thomas [mailto:gary@chez-thomas.org] 
> Sent: Tuesday, June 18, 2002 11:30 AM
> To: George Sosnowski
> Cc: eCos Discussion
> Subject: RE: [ECOS] gdb over ethernet network support for ECOS
> RAMapplication
> 
> 
> On Tue, 2002-06-18 at 11:52, George Sosnowski wrote:
> > I was using a target based on powerpc mbx and viper boards which has

> > an 860T.
> > 
> > The thing I'm not clear about is that my ECOS 1.3.1 application is 
> > using the NET package which is a fuller version IP stack than what 
> > Redboot has. Do these stacks run concurrently somehow? Or are the 
> > ethernet (fec) driver and IP stack in the ecos application
inheriting 
> > the Redboot driver and stack?
> > 
> 
> Actually neither.
> 
> The network stacks are split into a logical and physical driver.
Which
> logical driver is in use depends on the mode; there is a separate
driver
> for RedBoot than from an eCos application.  However, the physical
driver
> is the same for both environments (or at least equivalent).  What
> happens is the physical driver in RedBoot is used until the eCos
> application takes over.  Once that happens, only the physical driver
in
> the eCos application is used, but it gets shared by both the eCos
stack
> (xxxBSD based) and the RedBoot stack.  When there is network activity
> (incoming packets primarily), both logical stacks get a chance to
> process the data/packet.  In this way, both the eCos stack and the
> RedBoot stack can run, more or less in tandem.
> 
> It's all rather complicated, but it does work, because of how the
> drivers are structured.
> 
> BTW - I assume you mean by 1.3.1 that you are using anonymous CVS,
> possibly before the 2.0 alpha was announced.  I would suggest that you
> update to the latest code base since there have been significant
changes
> since 1.3.1 was officially relased *in March of 2000*!
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Gary Thomas [mailto:gary@chez-thomas.org]
> > Sent: Tuesday, June 18, 2002 10:40 AM
> > To: George Sosnowski
> > Cc: eCos Discussion
> > Subject: Re: [ECOS] gdb over ethernet network support for ECOS
> > RAMapplication
> > 
> > 
> > On Tue, 2002-06-18 at 11:20, George Sosnowski wrote:
> > > I'm running RedBoot on my target (powerpc 860T based) from flash,
> > > which has both serial and network (TCP 9000) support for GDB. When

> > > RedBoot loads an ECOS
> > > (v1.3) RAM
> > > application, what's the best way to configure the ecos ram
> application
> > 
> > > to have support/ maintain support for GDB over the
network/ethernet
> > > (fec) , as well as serial?
> > >  
> > > >From what I understand it looks like RAM applications are only
> > > >supposed
> > > to inherit
> > > serial gdb functionality?  Although the Redboot documentation says
> > "ecos
> > > contains
> > > special network sharing code to allow for this situation". I
didn't 
> > > notice anything at the ethernet (fec) or IP stack level. Have I 
> > > overlooked this?
> > >  
> > > One thought I had on doing this was to merge in the Redboot RAM
> > > functionality into
> > > my application.  This wouldn't maintain a gdb session over the
> network
> > > from the ROM
> > > Redboot, but would give gdb support over the network in RAM
> > application
> > > at least.
> > 
> > If you're running RedBoot from ROM, any network GDB connection will 
> > remain, even after the eCos application starts up.  One caveat is
that
> 
> > RedBoot and your eCos application have to use unique IP addresses.  
> > This is normally done by giving RedBoot a static address and then 
> > letting the eCos application either use a different static address
or 
> > get an address dynamically via DHCP.
> > 
> > Also note that once you start debugging via the network, the serial
is
> 
> > no longer part of the GDB "path".  Your application can do things
with
> 
> > it directly, e.g. by accessing it via the serial device drivers, but

> > only the network will be used for GDB control and/or output.
> > 
> > What platform are you using (just for my information)?
> > 
> > 
> > --
> > Before posting, please read the FAQ:
> http://sources.redhat.com/fom/ecos
> > and search the list archive:
http://sources.redhat.com/ml/ecos-discuss
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Before posting, please read the FAQ:
http://sources.redhat.com/fom/ecos
> and search the list archive: http://sources.redhat.com/ml/ecos-discuss



--
Before posting, please read the FAQ: http://sources.redhat.com/fom/ecos
and search the list archive: http://sources.redhat.com/ml/ecos-discuss


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