Re: [PATCH] gdbserver: Install single-step breakpoint for a pending thread whose last_resume_kind is resume_step

Kevin Buettner via Gdb-patches
2023-07-21T20:50:13Z

Hi Zhiyong,

I set up a Raspberry Pi running a recent 32-bit Raspberry Pi OS so
that I could test your patch. I was able to build and run your test
case, but I could not reproduce the bug on the Pi.

I tested gdb.threads/*.exp using --target_board=native-gdbserver both
with and without your patch. Some of these tests are racy, but my
conclusion from just looking at the PASSes and FAILs (after many test
runs) is that there are no regressions.

But then I remembered to enable core dumps on the Pi and after running
gdb.threads/pending-fork-event-detach/pending-fork-event-detach-main-vfork
by itself, I saw that it left a core file...

$ make check RUNTESTFLAGS="--target_board=native-gdbserver" TESTS=gdb.threads/pending-fork-event-detach.exp
...
=== gdb Summary ===

# of unexpected core files 1
# of expected passes 240

The core file was from the running test case, not gdbserver, nor gdb.

Looking at the core file in GDB shows...

Program terminated with signal SIGTRAP, Trace/breakpoint trap.
#0 0x00010624 in break_here () at /mesquite2/sourceware-git/rpi-gdbserver/bld/../../worktree-gdbserver/gdb/testsuite/gdb.threads/pending-fork-event-detach.c:29
29 x++;
[Current thread is 1 (Thread 0xf7e10440 (LWP 4835))]
(gdb) x/i $pc
=> 0x10624 <break_here+12>: udf #16
(gdb) x/x $pc
0x10624 <break_here+12>: 0xe7f001f0

...and in gdbserver/linux-aarch32-low.cc:

#define arm_eabi_breakpoint 0xe7f001f0UL

I think what's happened here is that the breakpoint added by your
patch is left in place when GDB detaches the test case. When it
starts running again, it hits the software single step breakpoint
and, since it's no longer under GDB control, it dies with a SIGTRAP.

This core file is not created when I run the test using a gdbserver
without your patch.

I'm suspicious of the assert in linux_process_target::maybe_hw_step.
Currently, it looks like this:

bool
linux_process_target::maybe_hw_step (thread_info *thread)
{
if (supports_hardware_single_step ())
return true;
else
{
/* GDBserver must insert single-step breakpoint for software
single step. */
gdb_assert (has_single_step_breakpoints (thread));
return false;
}
}

But, when Yao Qi introduced it back in June, 2016, it looked like
this:

static int
maybe_hw_step (struct thread_info *thread)
{
if (can_hardware_single_step ())
return 1;
else
{
struct process_info *proc = get_thread_process (thread);

/* GDBserver must insert reinsert breakpoint for software
single step. */
gdb_assert (has_reinsert_breakpoints (proc));
return 0;
}
}

So, back is 2016, when it was introduced, it's clear that the assert
was referring to breakpoints which needed to be reinserted. Now,
that's not at all obvious.

Also, back in 2016, maybe_hw_step() was only called from two
locations; in each case it was in a block in which the condition
lwp->bp_reinsert != 0 was true. But now there are two other
calls; in one case, the software single step breakpoints have
just been inserted, so that should be okay, but for the other
case, in linux_process_target::resume_stopped_resumed_lwps, I'm
less certain.

In any case, could you comment out (or delete) the assert in a
version of the source without your patch and let me know what
happens?

Also, if possible, I'd like to see a backtrace from where the
assert occurs so that I can see which call to maybe_hw_step
is responsible for triggering the failing assert.

Kevin