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Debugging Multithreaded Applications

12


This chapter describes how to find information about and debug threads using the dbx thread commands.

This chapter is organized into the following sections:

Basic Concepts

page 155

Understanding Multithreaded Debugging

page 156

Understanding LWP Information

page 158

Command Reference

page 158


Basic Concepts

With dbx, you can examine stack traces of each thread, resume (cont) a specific thread or all threads, step or next a specific thread, and navigate between threads.

dbx can debug multithreaded applications that use either Solaris threads or POSIX threads.

dbx recognizes a multithreaded program by detecting whether it utilizes libthread.so. The program will use libthread.so either by explicitly being compiled with -lthread or -mt, or implicitly by being compiled
with -lpthread.


Understanding Multithreaded Debugging

When it detects a multithreaded program, dbx tries to dlopen libthread_db.so, a special system library for thread debugging located in /usr/lib.

dbx is a synchronous dbx; when any thread or lightweight process (LWP) stops, all other threads and LWPs sympathetically stop. This behavior is sometimes referred to as the "stop the world" model.

Thread Information

The following thread information is available:

(dbx) threads
t@1 a |@1 ?() running in main()
t@2 ?() asleep on 0xef751450 in_swtch()
t@3 b |@2 ?() running in sigwait()
    t@4     consumer()  asleep on 0x22bb0 in _lwp_sema_wait()
*>t@5 b |@4 consumer() breakpoint in Queue_dequeue()
t@6 b |@5 producer() running in _thread_start()
(dbx)

An 'o' instead of an asterisk indicates that a dbx internal event has occured.

Viewing the Context of Another Thread

To switch the viewing context to another thread, use the thread command. The syntax is:

thread [-info] [-hide] [-unhide] [-suspend] [-resume] tid

To display the current thread:

thread

To switch to thread tid:

thread tid

Viewing the Threads List

The following are commands for viewing the threads list. The syntax is:

threads [-all} [-mode [all|filter] [auto|manual]]

To print the list of all known threads:

threads

To print threads normally not printed (zombies):

threads -all

Resuming Execution

Use the cont command to resume program execution. Currently, threads use synchronous breakpoints so all threads resume execution.


Understanding LWP Information

Normally, you need not be aware of LWPs. There are times, however, when thread level queries cannot be completed. In this case, use the lwps command to show information about LWPs.

(dbx) lwps
l@1 running in main()
l@2 running in sigwait()
l@3 running in _lwp_sema_wait()
*>l@4 breakpoint in Queue_dequeue()
l@5 running in _thread_start()
(dbx)


Command Reference

thread

In the following commands, a missing tid implies the current thread.

Print everything known about the given thread:

thread -info tid 

Hide or unhide the given (or current) thread. It will or will not show up in the generic threads listing:

thread [-hide | -unhide] tid 

Unhide all threads:

thread -unhide all 

Keep the given thread from ever running. A suspended thread shows up with an S in the threads list:

thread -suspend tid 

Undo the effect of -suspend:

thread -suspend tid 

threads

Echoes the current modes:

threads -mode

Control whether threads prints all threads or filters them by default:

threads -mode [all | filter]

Thread and LWP States

Thread and
LWP States

Description

suspended

Thread has been explicitly suspended.

runnable

Thread is runnable and is waiting for an LWP as a computational resource.

zombie

When a detached thread exits (thr_exit)), it is in a zombie state until it has rendezvoused through the use of thr_join(). THR_DETACHED is a flag specified at thread creation time (thr_create()). A non-detached thread that exits is in a zombie state until it has been reaped.

asleep on syncobj

Thread is blocked on the given synchronization object. Depending on what level of support libthread and libthread_db provide, syncobj might be as simple as a hexadecimal address or something with more information content.

active

The thread is active on an LWP, but dbx cannot access the LWP.

unknown

dbx cannot determine the state.

lwpstate

A bound or active thread state is the state of the LWP associated with it.

running

LWP was running but was stopped in synchrony with some other LWP.

syscall num

LWP stopped on an entry into the given system call #.

syscall return num

LWP stopped on an exit from the given system call #.

job control

LWP stopped due to job control.

LWP suspended

LWP is blocked in the kernel.

single stepped

LWP has just completed a single step.

breakpoint

LWP has just hit a breakpoint.

fault num

LWP has incurred the given fault #.

signal name

LWP has incurred the given signal.

process sync

The process to which this LWP belongs has just started executing.

LWP death

LWP is in the process of exiting.




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