MSP430 linux toolchain with C::B

[ywi]

Hello Developers,

First, thank you for supporting this project. I've been using C::B over the last few years on both Linux and Windows and I find it light and friendly.
I am currently using C::B as IDE for developing and debugging code on an MSP430-based embedded target. I would like to address here some issues and several amelioration that would help a better integration of the mspgcc toolchain in C::B (mspgcc + mspdebug). Of course I would be ready to contribute as far as I can.

Thank you in advance for your support,
Yordan


Here a list of issues/ameliorations:

1) CPU register is empty. How to setup correctly this window for mspgcc?
2) Impossible to select another debugger executable than GDB with the latest nightly build (would need to be msp430-gdb)
3) Need to send some default commands to mspdebug when msp430-gdb connects to it ("target remote :2000", "erase", "load"...). Would ideally like to write a new plugin for mspgdb with an extra button to load code to the remote, based on the debugger plugin. Would appreciate to get some support on this.

[oBFusCATed]

1) What is the output of the cpu registers gdb command? Does it look like the one for x86?
2) Have you tried "Settings -> Debugger -> GDB Debugger -> Your config -> Executable path" ?
3) Have you tried the settings in Project -> Properties -> Debugger?

[ywi]

1) What is the output of the cpu registers gdb command? Does it look like the one for x86?

-> The command passed from gdb to the proxy is "regs". It is works correctly when manually invoked through the debugger window command line. But there is no polling and display on the "CPU registers" window

2) Have you tried "Settings -> Debugger -> GDB Debugger -> Your config -> Executable path" ?

-> Thx, I did not catch that upda

3) Have you tried the settings in Project -> Properties -> Debugger?

[oBFusCATed]

-> The command passed from gdb to the proxy is "regs". It is works correctly when manually invoked through the debugger window command line. But there is no polling and display on the "CPU registers" window

I said output, not the command. Paste it please.

[ywi]

1) What is the output of the cpu registers gdb command? Does it look like the one for x86?

-> The command passed from gdb to the proxy is "regs". It is works correctly when manually invoked through the debugger window command line. But there is no polling and display on the "CPU registers" window

2) Have you tried "Settings -> Debugger -> GDB Debugger -> Your config -> Executable path" ?

-> Thx, I did not catch that update. I can now configure my own debugger, but I get the following error message when I run it: "Starting the debuggee failed: Don't know how to run." I do not have this message with 10.05 ("do *not* run the debugee" option is disabled in both cases). When I use a custom command file (-x option) I don't get the previous error, I can talk to the proxy, erase and load the flash, but gdb does not seem to release the target from reset, so I cannot debug.

3) Have you tried the settings in Project -> Properties -> Debugger?

Yes, I call the proxy as an additional shell command, but it does not seem to work. But I still need a separate button to load the flash.

[ywi]

> regs
Use 'info registers'.
pc/r0: 9800  sp/r1: 1cfa  sr/r2: 0000     r3: 0000 
fp/r4: 0000     r5: 5a8c     r6: 0000     r7: 0000 
   r8: 0000     r9: 0000    r10: 0000    r11: 0000 
  r12: 0000    r13: 0022    r14: 0182    r15: 0519 

[oBFusCATed]

-> Thx, I did not catch that update. I can now configure my own debugger, but I get the following error message when I run it: "Starting the debuggee failed: Don't know how to run." I do not have this message with 10.05 ("do *not* run the debugee" option is disabled in both cases). When I use a custom command file (-x option) I don't get the previous error, I can talk to the proxy, erase and load the flash, but gdb does not seem to release the target from reset, so I cannot debug.

Steps to reproduce please, because I don't understand much of what you've written.
Keep in mind that I'm not embedded developer and proxy/reset/erase-load doesn't mean much to me.

[ywi]

Case 1 :
=====

I configure the following :
Settings -> Debugger -> GDB Debugger -> MSPGDB -> execute path : /usr/local/bin/msp430-gdb
Settings -> Debugger -> GDB Debugger -> MSPGDB -> arguments :

I run the debugger :

...
Starting debugger: /usr/local/bin/msp430-gdb -nx -fullname  -quiet  -args /projects/cb/test/bin/Debug/test
done
Registered new type: wxString
Registered new type: STL String
Registered new type: STL Vector
Setting breakpoints
Debugger name and version: GNU gdb (GDB) 7.2
Starting the debuggee failed: Don't know how to run.  Try "help target".
Debugger finished with status 0

Case 2
=====

a) I configure the following :
Settings -> Debugger -> GDB Debugger -> MSPGDB -> execute path : /usr/local/bin/msp430-gdb
Settings -> Debugger -> GDB Debugger -> MSPGDB -> arguments : -x /usr/local/msp430/gdb.ini

b) gdb.ini contains commands for the mspdebug proxy :

target remote :2000 // connect to the proxy
erase // erase flash
load // load executable to flash
continue // release CPU from reset

c) I run the proxy, then I run the debugger:

The debugger connects successfully to the proxy, the commands are passed to the proxy and executed successfully. But then I lose control on gdb (I can push the buttons, write commands in the command line, but they are not taken into account).

"do *not* run the debugee". It is disabled in both cases.

[oBFusCATed]

Have you tried to setup the remote debugging options for your project in  Project -> Properties -> Debugger-> Remote connection?

p.s. All please enable the full log in the Settings->Debugger, before posting more logs from the debugger...

[ywi]

I set the remote connection in Project -> Properties -> Debugger-> Remote connection. It works. I not have the "Don't know how to run" error anymore (Case 1, default setting and not using a command file). I can see the gdb connect to the proxy and send the "continue" command. I then lose control over the command line and the buttons. I can stop gdb only by killing the proxy.

Here is the full log :

Code

Building to ensure sources are up-to-date
Selecting target: 
Debug
Adding source dir: /projects/cb/test/
Adding source dir: /
Adding file: /projects/cb/test/bin/Debug/test
Changing directory to: /projects/cb/test/.

[debug]LD_LIBRARY_PATH=.:/projects/cb/test:/usr/local/lib:
[debug]Command-line: /usr/local/bin/msp430-gdb -nx -fullname  -quiet  -args /projects/cb/test/bin/Debug/test
[debug]Working dir : /projects/cb/test

Starting debugger: /usr/local/bin/msp430-gdb -nx -fullname  -quiet  -args /projects/cb/test/bin/Debug/test
done

[debug]Reading symbols from /projects/cb/test/bin/Debug/test...done.
[debug](gdb) 
[debug]> set prompt >>>>>>cb_gdb:

Registered new type: wxString
Registered new type: STL String
Registered new type: STL Vector
Connecting to remote target
Setting breakpoints

[debug]>>>>>>cb_gdb:
[debug]> show version
[debug]GNU gdb (GDB) 7.2
[debug]Copyright (C) 2010 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
[debug]License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later <http://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>
[debug]This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.
[debug]There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.  Type "show copying"
[debug]and "show warranty" for details.
[debug]This GDB was configured as "--host=x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu --target=msp430".
[debug]For bug reporting instructions, please see:
[debug]<http://www.gnu.org/software/gdb/bugs/>.
[debug]>>>>>>cb_gdb:
[debug]> set confirm off

Debugger name and version: GNU gdb (GDB) 7.2

[debug]>>>>>>cb_gdb:
[debug]> set width 0
[debug]>>>>>>cb_gdb:
[debug]> set height 0
[debug]>>>>>>cb_gdb:
[debug]> set breakpoint pending on
[debug]>>>>>>cb_gdb:
[debug]> set print asm-demangle on
[debug]>>>>>>cb_gdb:
[debug]> set unwindonsignal on
[debug]>>>>>>cb_gdb:
[debug]> set print elements 0
[debug]>>>>>>cb_gdb:
[debug]> set disassembly-flavor intel
[debug]No symbol "disassembly" in current context.
[debug]>>>>>>cb_gdb:
[debug]> catch throw
[debug]Function "__cxa_throw" not defined.
[debug]Catchpoint 1 (throw)
[debug]>>>>>>cb_gdb:
[debug]> source /usr/share/codeblocks/scripts/stl-views-1.0.3.gdb
[debug]>>>>>>cb_gdb:
[debug]> directory /projects/cb/test/
[debug]>>>>>>cb_gdb:
[debug]> directory /
[debug]>>>>>>cb_gdb:
[debug]> target remote tcp:127.0.0.1:2000
[debug]Queued:[tty /dev/pts/3]
[debug]_reset_vector__ () at ../../../gcc-4.5.3/gcc/config/msp430/crt0.S:118
[debug]/home/toto/msp430/gcc-4.5.3/gcc/config/msp430/crt0.S:118:3824:beg:0x9800
[debug]>>>>>>cb_gdb:

Connected

[debug]> tty /dev/pts/3

At /home/toto/msp430/gcc-4.5.3/gcc/config/msp430/crt0.S:118

[debug]> tty /dev/pts/3
[debug]>>>>>>cb_gdb:>>>>>>cb_gdb:
[debug]> continue

EDIT:
Please use code-tags if you post such an amount of log entries or source-code the next time, because it's much more readable.
I changed your post.

Jens

[oBFusCATed]

Does it work if you execute the same commands in a command line gdb?

Also what happens if you put a breakpoint before you start the debugger?

[ywi]

It works OK as command line and with 10.05. I will be able to answer the second question on Monday. Thx.

[oBFusCATed]

Can you post the log from command line debugger?
But make sure to execute all gdb commands C::B is executing...

[ywi]

This is the minimal commands executed on msp430-gdb

Code

Reading symbols from /projects/cb/test/bin/Debug/test...done.
(gdb) target remote :2000
Remote debugging using :2000
_reset_vector__ () at ../../../gcc-4.5.3/gcc/config/msp430/crt0.S:118
~/msp430/gcc-4.5.3/gcc/config/msp430/crt0.S:118:3824:beg:0x9800
(gdb) break *0xdcd0
Breakpoint 1 at 0xdcd0: file /projects/cb/test/test, line 79.
(gdb) continue
Continuing.

Breakpoint 1, plat_mpipe_rx_isr (id=2) at /projects/cb/test/test.c:79
/projects/cb/test/test.c:79:2857:beg:0xdcd0
(gdb) 

I found that the difference with the nightly is that it sends the command "run" rather than "continue" to continue after a break. msp430-gdb does not support (for some reason) the command "run". I think we can consider this is more a problem with msp430-gdb than the nightly, unless there some other reason to differentiate both.

Maybe at this point you can explain to me the usage of the config "do *not* run the debuggee".

Also, for remote target debugging it is mandatory to have two separate buttons in the debugger toolbar, one to burn the code on the remote's flash, the other to start/continue. Burning takes some time and you do not want to burn every time you start a debugging session.

I would appreciate your suggestions on how to display the regs information in the appropriate debug window.

Than you.

[oBFusCATed]

Hm, as far as I can see in your previous logs continue is used, as it should.
There is no run in the log.

"do *not* run the debuggee" - does not run the debuggee, just starts the debugger, sets the breakpoints and probably connects to the target, then the user has to press the continue button in order to start debugging.

How do you burn something to a flash? I don't think C::B knows how to do it.