kadb(1M) System Administration Commands kadb(1M)NAMEkadb - a kernel debugger
SYNOPSIS
SPARC
ok boot device_specifier kadb [-d] [boot-flags]
x86
select (b)oot or (i)nterpreter: b kadb [-d] [boot-flags]
DESCRIPTION
kadb, an interactive kernel debugger, has been replaced by kmdb(1). For
backwards compatibility, the methods used to load kadb will be inter‐
preted as requests to load kmdb(1). Unlike with the compatibility link
from adb(1) to mdb(1), kmdb(1) will always load in its native user
interface mode, regardless of the name used to load it.
kmdb(1) is based on mdb(1), and thus shares mdb's user interface style
and feature set. The mdb(1) man page describes the features and opera‐
tion of mdb. The kmdb(1) man page describes the differences between mdb
and kmdb. This man page describes the major changes and incompatibili‐
ties between kadb and kmdb.
Consult the Solaris Modular Debugger Guide for a detailed description
of both mdb and kmdb.
Major changes
This section briefly lists the major differences between kadb and kmdb.
It is not intended to be exhaustive.
Debugger Loading and Unloading
kmdb(1) may be loaded at boot, as with kadb. It may also be loaded
after boot, thus allowing for kernel debugging and execution con‐
trol without requiring a system reboot. If kmdb(1) is loaded after
boot, it may be unloaded.
mdb Feature Set
The features introduced by mdb(1), including access to kernel type
data, debugger commands (dcmds), debugger modules (dmods), and
enhanced execution control facilities, are available under kmdb(1).
Support for changing the representative CPU (:x) is available for
both SPARC and x86. Furthermore, full execution-control facilities
are available after the representative CPU has been changed.
Significant Incompatibilities
This section lists the significant features that have changed incompat‐
ibly between kadb and kmdb(1). It is not intended to be exhaustive. All
kmdb(1) commands referenced here are fully described in the kmdb(1) man
page. A description as well as examples can be found in the Solaris
Modular Debugger Guide.
Deferred Breakpoints
The kadb-style "module#symbol:b" syntax is not supported under
kmdb(1). Instead, use "::bp module`symbol".
Watchpoints
The ::wp dcmd is the preferred way to set watchpoint with kmdb.
Various options are available to control the type of watchpoint
set, including -p for physical watchpoints (SPARC only), and -i for
I/O port watchpoints (x86 only). $l is not supported, therefore,
the watchpoint size must be specified for each watchpoint created.
Access to I/O Ports (x86 only)
The commands used to access I/O ports under kadb have been replaced
with the ::in and ::out dcmds. These two dcmds allow both read and
write of all I/O port sizes supported by kadb.
ATTRIBUTES
See attributes(5) for descriptions of the following attributes:
┌─────────────────────────────┬─────────────────────────────┐
│ ATTRIBUTE TYPE │ ATTRIBUTE VALUE │
├─────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────┤
│Availability │SUNWcar │
└─────────────────────────────┴─────────────────────────────┘
SEE ALSOadb(1), mdb(1), kmdb(1), attributes(5)
Solaris Modular Debugger Guide
SunOS 5.10 2 Jul 2004 kadb(1M)
