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- <a name="Inferiors-and-Programs"></a>
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- <p>
- Next: <a href="Threads.html#Threads" accesskey="n" rel="next">Threads</a>, Previous: <a href="Kill-Process.html#Kill-Process" accesskey="p" rel="prev">Kill Process</a>, Up: <a href="Running.html#Running" accesskey="u" rel="up">Running</a> [<a href="index.html#SEC_Contents" title="Table of contents" rel="contents">Contents</a>][<a href="Concept-Index.html#Concept-Index" title="Index" rel="index">Index</a>]</p>
- </div>
- <hr>
- <a name="Debugging-Multiple-Inferiors-and-Programs"></a>
- <h3 class="section">4.9 Debugging Multiple Inferiors and Programs</h3>
- <p><small>GDB</small> lets you run and debug multiple programs in a single
- session. In addition, <small>GDB</small> on some systems may let you run
- several programs simultaneously (otherwise you have to exit from one
- before starting another). In the most general case, you can have
- multiple threads of execution in each of multiple processes, launched
- from multiple executables.
- </p>
- <a name="index-inferior"></a>
- <p><small>GDB</small> represents the state of each program execution with an
- object called an <em>inferior</em>. An inferior typically corresponds to
- a process, but is more general and applies also to targets that do not
- have processes. Inferiors may be created before a process runs, and
- may be retained after a process exits. Inferiors have unique
- identifiers that are different from process ids. Usually each
- inferior will also have its own distinct address space, although some
- embedded targets may have several inferiors running in different parts
- of a single address space. Each inferior may in turn have multiple
- threads running in it.
- </p>
- <p>To find out what inferiors exist at any moment, use <code>info inferiors</code><!-- /@w -->:
- </p>
- <dl compact="compact">
- <dd><a name="index-info-inferiors-_005b-id_2026-_005d"></a>
- </dd>
- <dt><code>info inferiors</code></dt>
- <dd><p>Print a list of all inferiors currently being managed by <small>GDB</small>.
- By default all inferiors are printed, but the argument <var>id</var>…
- – a space separated list of inferior numbers – can be used to limit
- the display to just the requested inferiors.
- </p>
- <p><small>GDB</small> displays for each inferior (in this order):
- </p>
- <ol>
- <li> the inferior number assigned by <small>GDB</small>
- </li><li> the target system’s inferior identifier
- </li><li> the name of the executable the inferior is running.
- </li></ol>
- <p>An asterisk ‘<samp>*</samp>’ preceding the <small>GDB</small> inferior number
- indicates the current inferior.
- </p>
- <p>For example,
- </p></dd>
- </dl>
- <div class="smallexample">
- <pre class="smallexample">(gdb) info inferiors
- Num Description Executable
- 2 process 2307 hello
- * 1 process 3401 goodbye
- </pre></div>
- <p>To switch focus between inferiors, use the <code>inferior</code> command:
- </p>
- <dl compact="compact">
- <dd><a name="index-inferior-infno"></a>
- </dd>
- <dt><code>inferior <var>infno</var></code></dt>
- <dd><p>Make inferior number <var>infno</var> the current inferior. The argument
- <var>infno</var> is the inferior number assigned by <small>GDB</small>, as shown
- in the first field of the ‘<samp>info inferiors</samp>’ display.
- </p></dd>
- </dl>
- <a name="index-_0024_005finferior_002c-convenience-variable"></a>
- <p>The debugger convenience variable ‘<samp>$_inferior</samp>’ contains the
- number of the current inferior. You may find this useful in writing
- breakpoint conditional expressions, command scripts, and so forth.
- See <a href="Convenience-Vars.html#Convenience-Vars">Convenience Variables</a>, for general
- information on convenience variables.
- </p>
- <p>You can get multiple executables into a debugging session via the
- <code>add-inferior</code> and <code><span class="nolinebreak">clone-inferior</span></code><!-- /@w --> commands. On some
- systems <small>GDB</small> can add inferiors to the debug session
- automatically by following calls to <code>fork</code> and <code>exec</code>. To
- remove inferiors from the debugging session use the
- <code><span class="nolinebreak">remove-inferiors</span></code><!-- /@w --> command.
- </p>
- <dl compact="compact">
- <dd><a name="index-add_002dinferior"></a>
- </dd>
- <dt><code>add-inferior [ -copies <var>n</var> ] [ -exec <var>executable</var> ]</code></dt>
- <dd><p>Adds <var>n</var> inferiors to be run using <var>executable</var> as the
- executable; <var>n</var> defaults to 1. If no executable is specified,
- the inferiors begins empty, with no program. You can still assign or
- change the program assigned to the inferior at any time by using the
- <code>file</code> command with the executable name as its argument.
- </p>
- <a name="index-clone_002dinferior"></a>
- </dd>
- <dt><code>clone-inferior [ -copies <var>n</var> ] [ <var>infno</var> ]</code></dt>
- <dd><p>Adds <var>n</var> inferiors ready to execute the same program as inferior
- <var>infno</var>; <var>n</var> defaults to 1, and <var>infno</var> defaults to the
- number of the current inferior. This is a convenient command when you
- want to run another instance of the inferior you are debugging.
- </p>
- <div class="smallexample">
- <pre class="smallexample">(gdb) info inferiors
- Num Description Executable
- * 1 process 29964 helloworld
- (gdb) clone-inferior
- Added inferior 2.
- 1 inferiors added.
- (gdb) info inferiors
- Num Description Executable
- 2 <null> helloworld
- * 1 process 29964 helloworld
- </pre></div>
- <p>You can now simply switch focus to inferior 2 and run it.
- </p>
- <a name="index-remove_002dinferiors"></a>
- </dd>
- <dt><code>remove-inferiors <var>infno</var>…</code></dt>
- <dd><p>Removes the inferior or inferiors <var>infno</var>…. It is not
- possible to remove an inferior that is running with this command. For
- those, use the <code>kill</code> or <code>detach</code> command first.
- </p>
- </dd>
- </dl>
- <p>To quit debugging one of the running inferiors that is not the current
- inferior, you can either detach from it by using the <code>detach inferior</code><!-- /@w --> command (allowing it to run independently), or kill it
- using the <code>kill inferiors</code><!-- /@w --> command:
- </p>
- <dl compact="compact">
- <dd><a name="index-detach-inferiors-infno_2026"></a>
- </dd>
- <dt><code>detach inferior <var>infno</var>…</code></dt>
- <dd><p>Detach from the inferior or inferiors identified by <small>GDB</small>
- inferior number(s) <var>infno</var>…. Note that the inferior’s entry
- still stays on the list of inferiors shown by <code>info inferiors</code>,
- but its Description will show ‘<samp><null></samp>’.
- </p>
- <a name="index-kill-inferiors-infno_2026"></a>
- </dd>
- <dt><code>kill inferiors <var>infno</var>…</code></dt>
- <dd><p>Kill the inferior or inferiors identified by <small>GDB</small> inferior
- number(s) <var>infno</var>…. Note that the inferior’s entry still
- stays on the list of inferiors shown by <code>info inferiors</code>, but its
- Description will show ‘<samp><null></samp>’.
- </p></dd>
- </dl>
- <p>After the successful completion of a command such as <code>detach</code>,
- <code>detach inferiors</code>, <code>kill</code> or <code>kill inferiors</code>, or after
- a normal process exit, the inferior is still valid and listed with
- <code>info inferiors</code>, ready to be restarted.
- </p>
- <p>To be notified when inferiors are started or exit under <small>GDB</small>’s
- control use <code>set print <span class="nolinebreak">inferior-events</span></code><!-- /@w -->:
- </p>
- <dl compact="compact">
- <dd><a name="index-set-print-inferior_002devents"></a>
- <a name="index-print-messages-on-inferior-start-and-exit"></a>
- </dd>
- <dt><code>set print inferior-events</code></dt>
- <dt><code>set print inferior-events on</code></dt>
- <dt><code>set print inferior-events off</code></dt>
- <dd><p>The <code>set print inferior-events</code> command allows you to enable or
- disable printing of messages when <small>GDB</small> notices that new
- inferiors have started or that inferiors have exited or have been
- detached. By default, these messages will not be printed.
- </p>
- <a name="index-show-print-inferior_002devents"></a>
- </dd>
- <dt><code>show print inferior-events</code></dt>
- <dd><p>Show whether messages will be printed when <small>GDB</small> detects that
- inferiors have started, exited or have been detached.
- </p></dd>
- </dl>
- <p>Many commands will work the same with multiple programs as with a
- single program: e.g., <code>print myglobal</code> will simply display the
- value of <code>myglobal</code> in the current inferior.
- </p>
- <p>Occasionaly, when debugging <small>GDB</small> itself, it may be useful to
- get more info about the relationship of inferiors, programs, address
- spaces in a debug session. You can do that with the <code>maint info <span class="nolinebreak">program-spaces</span></code><!-- /@w --> command.
- </p>
- <dl compact="compact">
- <dd><a name="index-maint-info-program_002dspaces"></a>
- </dd>
- <dt><code>maint info program-spaces</code></dt>
- <dd><p>Print a list of all program spaces currently being managed by
- <small>GDB</small>.
- </p>
- <p><small>GDB</small> displays for each program space (in this order):
- </p>
- <ol>
- <li> the program space number assigned by <small>GDB</small>
- </li><li> the name of the executable loaded into the program space, with e.g.,
- the <code>file</code> command.
- </li></ol>
- <p>An asterisk ‘<samp>*</samp>’ preceding the <small>GDB</small> program space number
- indicates the current program space.
- </p>
- <p>In addition, below each program space line, <small>GDB</small> prints extra
- information that isn’t suitable to display in tabular form. For
- example, the list of inferiors bound to the program space.
- </p>
- <div class="smallexample">
- <pre class="smallexample">(gdb) maint info program-spaces
- Id Executable
- * 1 hello
- 2 goodbye
- Bound inferiors: ID 1 (process 21561)
- </pre></div>
- <p>Here we can see that no inferior is running the program <code>hello</code>,
- while <code>process 21561</code> is running the program <code>goodbye</code>. On
- some targets, it is possible that multiple inferiors are bound to the
- same program space. The most common example is that of debugging both
- the parent and child processes of a <code>vfork</code> call. For example,
- </p>
- <div class="smallexample">
- <pre class="smallexample">(gdb) maint info program-spaces
- Id Executable
- * 1 vfork-test
- Bound inferiors: ID 2 (process 18050), ID 1 (process 18045)
- </pre></div>
- <p>Here, both inferior 2 and inferior 1 are running in the same program
- space as a result of inferior 1 having executed a <code>vfork</code> call.
- </p></dd>
- </dl>
- <hr>
- <div class="header">
- <p>
- Next: <a href="Threads.html#Threads" accesskey="n" rel="next">Threads</a>, Previous: <a href="Kill-Process.html#Kill-Process" accesskey="p" rel="prev">Kill Process</a>, Up: <a href="Running.html#Running" accesskey="u" rel="up">Running</a> [<a href="index.html#SEC_Contents" title="Table of contents" rel="contents">Contents</a>][<a href="Concept-Index.html#Concept-Index" title="Index" rel="index">Index</a>]</p>
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