incubator-nuttx/Documentation/quickstart/debugging.rst

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.. include:: /substitutions.rst
.. _debugging:
Debugging
=========
Finding and fixing bugs is an important part of the hardware and software development process. Sometimes you also need
to use debugging techniques to understand how the system works. Two tools that are helpful are debug logging and
debugging using the GNU Debugger (gdb).
Debug Logging
-------------
NuttX has a powerful system logging facility (syslog) with ``info``, ``warn``, and ``error`` levels. You can enable
debugging for your build for the subsystem or feature by using the ``menuconfig`` system.
.. code-block:: console
$ make menuconfig
The debug options are available under ``Build Setup`` > ``Debug Options``. You will most likely have to enable the
following options:
* ``Enable Debug Features`` — selecting this will turn on subsystem-level debugging options, they will become visible
on the page below. You can then select the ones you want.
* ``Enable Error Output`` — this will only log errors.
* ``Enable Warnings Output`` — this will log warnings and errors.
* ``Enable Informational Debug Output`` — this will produce informational output, warnings, and errors.
You can then select from the subsystems that are available, Network, Scheduler, USB, etc. Note that you will need to
separately enable the subsystem elsewhere in the ``menuconfig`` system. To see the ``CONFIG`` define that is set,
use the arrow keys to highlight the subsystem (for instance, ``Network Debug Features``) and type '?'. This will show
you that the C macro that is set is called ``CONFIG_DEBUG_NET``. ``debug.h`` defines the ``netinfo()`` logging
function that will log output if this macro is set. You can search the source code for ``netinfo`` to see how it is
used.
.. image:: ../_static/images/menuconfig-debug.png
:width: 800px
:align: center
:alt: Screenshot of menuconfig system main screen
Note that enabling all these will produce an incredible amount of logging output. Enable the level you want and
the area you're interested in, and leave the rest disabled, save the config, and then recompile. You can see the full
list of debug feature logging functions in the file
`debug.h <https://github.com/apache/incubator-nuttx/blob/master/include/debug.h>`__.
Syslog timestamps can be enabled in the ``menuconfig`` system using ``Device Drivers`` > ``System Logging`` > ``Prepend
timestamp to syslog message`` (``CONFIG_SYSLOG_TIMESTAMP``).
You may need to do a little bit of experimenting to find the combination of logging settings that work for the problem
you're trying to solve. See the file `debug.h <https://github.com/apache/incubator-nuttx/blob/master/include/debug.h>`_
for available debug settings that are available. This can also be configured via the ``menuconfig`` system.
There are also subsystems that enable USB trace debugging, and you can log to memory too, if you need the logging to be
faster than what the console can output.
Changing Debug Settings Quickly
-------------------------------
You can use the ``kconfig-tweak`` script that comes with the ``kconfig-frontends`` tools to quickly change debug settings,
for instance turning them on or off before doing a build:
.. code-block:: console
$ kconfig-tweak --disable CONFIG_DEBUG_NET
$ make olddefconfig # needed to have the kconfig system check the config
$ kconfig-tweak --enable CONFIG_DEBUG_NET
$ make olddefconfig
You can put a bunch of these into a simple script to configure the logging the way you want:
.. code-block:: console
#!/bin/bash
kconfig-tweak --disable CONFIG_DEBUG_ALERT
kconfig-tweak --disable CONFIG_DEBUG_FEATURES
kconfig-tweak --disable CONFIG_DEBUG_ERROR
kconfig-tweak --disable CONFIG_DEBUG_WARN
kconfig-tweak --disable CONFIG_DEBUG_INFO
kconfig-tweak --disable CONFIG_DEBUG_ASSERTIONS
kconfig-tweak --disable CONFIG_DEBUG_NET
kconfig-tweak --disable CONFIG_DEBUG_NET_ERROR
kconfig-tweak --disable CONFIG_DEBUG_NET_WARN
kconfig-tweak --disable CONFIG_DEBUG_NET_INFO
kconfig-tweak --disable CONFIG_DEBUG_SYMBOLS
kconfig-tweak --disable CONFIG_DEBUG_NOOPT
kconfig-tweak --disable CONFIG_SYSLOG_TIMESTAMP
make oldconfig
JTAG/SWD Debugging
------------------
`JTAG <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JTAG>`_ is a set of standards that specify a way to attach a hardware device to
your embedded board, and then remotely control the CPU. You can load code, start, stop, step through the program, and
examine variables and memory. `SWD <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JTAG#Similar_interface_standards>`_ is an
Arm-specific interface with a reduced number of signals which can be used alternatively.
The NuttX operating system uses `threads <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thread_(computing)>`_, so you need a
thread-aware debugger to do more than load code, start, and stop it. A thread-aware debugger will allow you to switch
threads to the one that is running the code you're interested in, for instance your application, or an operating system
network thread. So far, `OpenOCD <http://openocd.org/>`_ is the only supported NuttX thread-aware debugger.
.. note::
OpenOCD hasn't announced a stable release for a few years but the development remains active. You'll need to use a
version of OpenOCD recent enough so that it includes NuttX support as `contributed by Sony upstream
<http://openocd.zylin.com/#/c/4103/>`_. The version included in official OS repositories will probably be too old.
You should build from source or use one of the unofficial, more recent builds. See `Getting OpenOCD
<http://openocd.org/getting-openocd/>`_ for more details.
You will need a board with a JTAG or SWD connector and an `OpenOCD-compatible hardware adapter
<http://openocd.org/supported-jtag-interfaces/>`_, ideally a fast one (USB 2.0 High Speed). For example an `Olimex
ARM USB TINY H <https://www.olimex.com/Products/ARM/JTAG/ARM-USB-TINY-H/>`_ or a `Segger J-Link
<https://www.segger.com/products/debug-probes/j-link/>`_. Many other adapters work too, follow the OpenOCD
instructions and the instructions that came with your adapter.
See this article for more info:
`Debugging a Apache NuttX target with GDB and OpenOCD <https://micro-ros.github.io/docs/tutorials/advanced/nuttx/debugging/>`_.
See the section :ref:`Running <running>` for a brief tutorial on how to use GDB.
----
Next up is :ref:`organization`.