System Administration Commands                           kadb(1M)



NAME
     kadb - a kernel debugger

SYNOPSIS
  SPARC
     ok boot devicespecifier 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     kadb, an interactive kernel debugger, has been  replaced  by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 interpreted 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 operation of mdb. The kmdb(1) man
     page  describes  the  differences between mdb and kmdb. This
     man page describes the major changes  and  incompatibilities
     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 control 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  facili-
         ties,  are available under kmdb(1). Support for changing
         the representative CPU (:x) is available for both  SPARC
         and  x86. Furthermore, full execution-control facilities



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System Administration Commands                           kadb(1M)



         are available after  the  representative  CPU  has  been
         changed.


  Significant Incompatibilities
     This  section  lists  the  significant  features  that  have
     changed  incompatibly  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 descrip-
     tion 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 watch-
         points  (SPARC  only),  and  -i for I/O port watchpoints
         (x86 only). $l is not supported, therefore,  the  watch-
         point   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.


ATRIBUTES
     See attributes(5) for descriptions of the  following  attri-
     butes:



     
           ATRIBUTE TYPE               ATRIBUTE VALUE       
    
     Availability                 SUNWcar                     
    


SEE ALSO




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System Administration Commands                           kadb(1M)



     adb(1), mdb(1), kmdb(1), attributes(5)


     Solaris Modular Debugger Guide



















































SunOS 5.11           Last change: 2 Jul 2004                    3