Remote Configuration (Debugging with GDB)

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### 20.4 Remote Configuration

This section documents the configuration options available when debugging remote programs. For the options related to the File I/O extensions of the remote protocol, see system-call-allowed.

`set remoteaddresssize bits`

  Set the maximum size of address in a memory packet to the specified number of bits. GDB will mask off the address bits above that number, when it passes addresses to the remote target. The default value is the number of bits in the target’s address.

`show remoteaddresssize`

  Show the current value of remote address size in bits.

`set serial baud n`

  Set the baud rate for the remote serial I/O to n baud. The value is used to set the speed of the serial port used for debugging remote targets.

`show serial baud`

  Show the current speed of the remote connection.

`set serial parity parity`

  Set the parity for the remote serial I/O. Supported values of parity are: `even`, `none`, and `odd`. The default is `none`.

`show serial parity`

  Show the current parity of the serial port.

`set remotebreak`

  If set to on, GDB sends a `BREAK` signal to the remote when you type `Ctrl-c` to interrupt the program running on the remote. If set to off, GDB sends the ‘`Ctrl-C`’ character instead. The default is off, since most remote systems expect to see ‘`Ctrl-C`’ as the interrupt signal.

`show remotebreak`

  Show whether GDB sends `BREAK` or ‘`Ctrl-C`’ to interrupt the remote program.

`set remoteflow on`
`set remoteflow off`

  Enable or disable hardware flow control (`RTS`/`CTS`) on the serial port used to communicate to the remote target.

`show remoteflow`

  Show the current setting of hardware flow control.

`set remotelogbase base`

  Set the base (a.k.a. radix) of logging serial protocol communications to base. Supported values of base are: `ascii`, `octal`, and `hex`. The default is `ascii`.

`show remotelogbase`

  Show the current setting of the radix for logging remote serial protocol.

`set remotelogfile file`

  Record remote serial communications on the named file. The default is not to record at all.

`show remotelogfile`

  Show the current setting of the file name on which to record the serial communications.

`set remotetimeout num`

  Set the timeout limit to wait for the remote target to respond to num seconds. The default is 2 seconds.

`show remotetimeout`

  Show the current number of seconds to wait for the remote target responses.

`set remote hardware-watchpoint-limit limit`
`set remote hardware-breakpoint-limit limit`

  Restrict GDB to using limit remote hardware watchpoints or breakpoints. The limit can be set to 0 to disable hardware watchpoints or breakpoints, and `unlimited` for unlimited watchpoints or breakpoints.

`show remote hardware-watchpoint-limit`
`show remote hardware-breakpoint-limit`

  Show the current limit for the number of hardware watchpoints or breakpoints that GDB can use.

`set remote hardware-watchpoint-length-limit limit`

  Restrict GDB to using limit bytes for the maximum length of a remote hardware watchpoint. A limit of 0 disables hardware watchpoints and `unlimited` allows watchpoints of any length.

`show remote hardware-watchpoint-length-limit`

  Show the current limit (in bytes) of the maximum length of a remote hardware watchpoint.

`set remote exec-file filename`
`show remote exec-file`

  Select the file used for `run` with `target extended-remote`. This should be set to a filename valid on the target system. If it is not set, the target will use a default filename (e.g. the last program run).

`set remote interrupt-sequence`

  Allow the user to select one of ‘`Ctrl-C`’, a `BREAK` or ‘`BREAK-g`’ as the sequence to the remote target in order to interrupt the execution. ‘`Ctrl-C`’ is a default. Some system prefers `BREAK` which is high level of serial line for some certain time. Linux kernel prefers ‘`BREAK-g`’, a.k.a Magic SysRq g. It is `BREAK` signal followed by character `g`.

`show remote interrupt-sequence`

  Show which of ‘`Ctrl-C`’, `BREAK` or `BREAK-g` is sent by GDB to interrupt the remote program. `BREAK-g` is BREAK signal followed by `g` and also known as Magic SysRq g.

`set remote interrupt-on-connect`

  Specify whether interrupt-sequence is sent to remote target when GDB connects to it. This is mostly needed when you debug Linux kernel. Linux kernel expects `BREAK` followed by `g` which is known as Magic SysRq g in order to connect GDB.

`show remote interrupt-on-connect`

  Show whether interrupt-sequence is sent to remote target when GDB connects to it.

`set tcp auto-retry on`

  Enable auto-retry for remote TCP connections. This is useful if the remote debugging agent is launched in parallel with GDB; there is a race condition because the agent may not become ready to accept the connection before GDB attempts to connect. When auto-retry is enabled, if the initial attempt to connect fails, GDB reattempts to establish the connection using the timeout specified by `set tcp connect-timeout`.

`set tcp auto-retry off`

  Do not auto-retry failed TCP connections.

`show tcp auto-retry`

  Show the current auto-retry setting.

`set tcp connect-timeout seconds`
`set tcp connect-timeout unlimited`

  Set the timeout for establishing a TCP connection to the remote target to seconds. The timeout affects both polling to retry failed connections (enabled by `set tcp auto-retry on`) and waiting for connections that are merely slow to complete, and represents an approximate cumulative value. If seconds is `unlimited`, there is no timeout and GDB will keep attempting to establish a connection forever, unless interrupted with `Ctrl-c`. The default is 15 seconds.

`show tcp connect-timeout`

  Show the current connection timeout setting.

The GDB remote protocol autodetects the packets supported by your debugging stub. If you need to override the autodetection, you can use these commands to enable or disable individual packets. Each packet can be set to ‘`on`’ (the remote target supports this packet), ‘`off`’ (the remote target does not support this packet), or ‘`auto`’ (detect remote target support for this packet). They all default to ‘`auto`’. For more information about each packet, see Remote Protocol.

During normal use, you should not have to use any of these commands. If you do, that may be a bug in your remote debugging stub, or a bug in GDB. You may want to report the problem to the GDB developers.

For each packet name, the command to enable or disable the packet is `set remote name-packet`. If you configure a packet, the configuration will apply for all future remote targets if no target is selected. In case there is a target selected, only the configuration of the current target is changed. All other existing remote targets’ features are not affected. The command to print the current configuration of a packet is `show remote name-packet`. It displays the current remote target’s configuration. If no remote target is selected, the default configuration for future connections is shown. The available settings are:

Command Name | Remote Packet | Related Features
`fetch-register` | `p` | `info registers`
`set-register` | `P` | `set`
`binary-download` | `X` | `load`, `set`
`read-aux-vector` | `qXfer:auxv:read` | `info auxv`
`symbol-lookup` | `qSymbol` | Detecting multiple threads
`attach` | `vAttach` | `attach`
`verbose-resume` | `vCont` | Stepping or resuming multiple threads
`run` | `vRun` | `run`
`software-breakpoint` | `Z0` | `break`
`hardware-breakpoint` | `Z1` | `hbreak`
`write-watchpoint` | `Z2` | `watch`
`read-watchpoint` | `Z3` | `rwatch`
`access-watchpoint` | `Z4` | `awatch`
`pid-to-exec-file` | `qXfer:exec-file:read` | `attach`, `run`
`target-features` | `qXfer:features:read` | `set architecture`
`library-info` | `qXfer:libraries:read` | `info sharedlibrary`
`memory-map` | `qXfer:memory-map:read` | `info mem`
`read-sdata-object` | `qXfer:sdata:read` | `print $_sdata`
`read-siginfo-object` | `qXfer:siginfo:read` | `print $_siginfo`
`write-siginfo-object` | `qXfer:siginfo:write` | `set $_siginfo`
`threads` | `qXfer:threads:read` | `info threads`
`get-thread-local- storage-address` | `qGetTLSAddr` | Displaying `__thread` variables
`get-thread-information-block-address` | `qGetTIBAddr` | Display MS-Windows Thread Information Block.
`search-memory` | `qSearch:memory` | `find`
`supported-packets` | `qSupported` | Remote communications parameters
`catch-syscalls` | `QCatchSyscalls` | `catch syscall`
`pass-signals` | `QPassSignals` | `handle signal`
`program-signals` | `QProgramSignals` | `handle signal`
`hostio-close-packet` | `vFile:close` | `remote get`, `remote put`
`hostio-open-packet` | `vFile:open` | `remote get`, `remote put`
`hostio-pread-packet` | `vFile:pread` | `remote get`, `remote put`
`hostio-pwrite-packet` | `vFile:pwrite` | `remote get`, `remote put`
`hostio-unlink-packet` | `vFile:unlink` | `remote delete`
`hostio-readlink-packet` | `vFile:readlink` | Host I/O
`hostio-fstat-packet` | `vFile:fstat` | Host I/O
`hostio-stat-packet` | `vFile:stat` | Host I/O
`hostio-setfs-packet` | `vFile:setfs` | Host I/O
`noack-packet` | `QStartNoAckMode` | Packet acknowledgment
`osdata` | `qXfer:osdata:read` | `info os`
`query-attached` | `qAttached` | Querying remote process attach state.
`trace-buffer-size` | `QTBuffer:size` | `set trace-buffer-size`
`trace-status` | `qTStatus` | `tstatus`
`traceframe-info` | `qXfer:traceframe-info:read` | Traceframe info
`install-in-trace` | `InstallInTrace` | Install tracepoint in tracing
`disable-randomization` | `QDisableRandomization` | `set disable-randomization`
`startup-with-shell` | `QStartupWithShell` | `set startup-with-shell`
`environment-hex-encoded` | `QEnvironmentHexEncoded` | `set environment`
`environment-unset` | `QEnvironmentUnset` | `unset environment`
`environment-reset` | `QEnvironmentReset` | `Reset the inferior environment (i.e., unset user-set variables)`
`set-working-dir` | `QSetWorkingDir` | `set cwd`
`conditional-breakpoints-packet` | `Z0 and Z1` | `Support for target-side breakpoint condition evaluation`
`multiprocess-extensions` | `multiprocess extensions` | Debug multiple processes and remote process PID awareness
`swbreak-feature` | `swbreak stop reason` | `break`
`hwbreak-feature` | `hwbreak stop reason` | `hbreak`
`fork-event-feature` | `fork stop reason` | `fork`
`vfork-event-feature` | `vfork stop reason` | `vfork`
`exec-event-feature` | `exec stop reason` | `exec`
`thread-events` | `QThreadEvents` | Tracking thread lifetime.
`thread-options` | `QThreadOptions` | Set thread event reporting options.
`no-resumed-stop-reply` | `no resumed thread left stop reply` | Tracking thread lifetime.

The number of bytes per memory-read or memory-write packet for a remote target can be configured using the commands `set remote memory-read-packet-size` and `set remote memory-write-packet-size`. If set to ‘`0`’ (zero) the default packet size will be used. The actual limit is further reduced depending on the target. Specify ‘`fixed`’ to disable the target-dependent restriction and ‘`limit`’ to enable it. Similar to the enabling and disabling of remote packets, the command applies to the currently selected target (if available). If no remote target is selected, it applies to all future remote connections. The configuration of the selected target can be displayed using the commands `show remote memory-read-packet-size` and `show remote memory-write-packet-size`. If no remote target is selected, the default configuration for future connections is shown.

Next: Remote Stub, Previous: Server, Up: Remote Debugging [Contents][Index]