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GDB Internals

11. Native Debugging

Several files control GDB's configuration for native support:

`gdb/config/arch/xyz.mh'

Specifies Makefile fragments needed by a native configuration on machine xyz. In particular, this lists the required native-dependent object files, by defining `NATDEPFILES=...'. Also specifies the header file which describes native support on xyz, by defining `NAT_FILE= nm-xyz.h'. You can also define `NAT_CFLAGS', `NAT_ADD_FILES', `NAT_CLIBS', `NAT_CDEPS', etc.; see `Makefile.in'.

Maintainer's note: The `.mh' suffix is because this file originally contained `Makefile' fragments for hosting GDB on machine xyz. While the file is no longer used for this purpose, the `.mh' suffix remains. Perhaps someone will eventually rename these fragments so that they have a `.mn' suffix.

`gdb/config/arch/nm-xyz.h'

(`nm.h' is a link to this file, created by configure). Contains C macro definitions describing the native system environment, such as child process control and core file support.

`gdb/xyz-nat.c'

Contains any miscellaneous C code required for this native support of this machine. On some machines it doesn't exist at all.

There are some "generic" versions of routines that can be used by various systems. These can be customized in various ways by macros defined in your `nm-xyz.h' file. If these routines work for the xyz host, you can just include the generic file's name (with `.o', not `.c') in NATDEPFILES.

Otherwise, if your machine needs custom support routines, you will need to write routines that perform the same functions as the generic file. Put them into `xyz-nat.c', and put `xyz-nat.o' into NATDEPFILES.

`inftarg.c'

This contains the target_ops vector that supports Unix child processes on systems which use ptrace and wait to control the child.

`procfs.c'

This contains the target_ops vector that supports Unix child processes on systems which use /proc to control the child.

`fork-child.c'

This does the low-level grunge that uses Unix system calls to do a "fork and exec" to start up a child process.

`infptrace.c'

This is the low level interface to inferior processes for systems using the Unix ptrace call in a vanilla way.