From 9cc63f8bcd560c760d0b12e15bba8f81c86237cf Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: "Paul E. McKenney" Date: Fri, 14 Aug 2026 15:43:51 -0700 Subject: Merge branches 'expcb.2026.07.24a', 'misc.2026.07.30a', 'rcu-tasks.2026.07.30a', 'srcu.2026.08.11a' and 'torture.2026.08.14a' into HEAD Changes: Make expedited grace periods expedite normal RCU callbacks Miscellaneous fixes: * Improve diagnostic output with character task states. * Mark accesses to inform KCSAN of concurrency design. * Move from kmalloc() to kmalloc_obj(). * Documentation updates. * Improve handling of RCU deferred quiescent states. * Clean up unused function arguments and structure fields. * Reduce show_rcu_gp_kthreads() stack space. Tasks RCU updates: * Clean up after SRCU re-implementation of Tasks Trace RCU. * Mark accesses to inform KCSAN of concurrency design. * Add ->lazy_timer status to diagnostic output. * Remove an unnecessary memory barrier. * Fix a data race, courtesy of KCSAN. * Documentation updates. * Convert cond_resched_tasks_rcu_qs() from macro to static inline function. SRCU updates: * Add Rust helpers for SRCU. * Avoid losing queued work at cleanup_srcu_struct() time. Torture-test updates: * Preparation work for immediate RCU priority deboosting. * Test RCU readers from real interrupt handlers (as opposed to softirq). * Simplify code through use of cpumask_next_wrap(). * Improve diagnostic output with character task states. * Add rcutorture.nwriters parameter to allow lightweight stall testing, and rcutorture.stall_only to make doing so easier. * Test an RCU Tasks Trace grace period implying an RCU grace period. * Make RCU Tasks Trace torturing track reader batches. * Fix a data race, courtesy of KCSAN. * Plug a shuffle_tmp_mask memory leak on kthread spawn failure. --- Documentation/process/debugging/index.rst | 71 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 71 insertions(+) create mode 100644 Documentation/process/debugging/index.rst (limited to 'Documentation/process/debugging/index.rst') diff --git a/Documentation/process/debugging/index.rst b/Documentation/process/debugging/index.rst new file mode 100644 index 000000000..357243e18 --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/process/debugging/index.rst @@ -0,0 +1,71 @@ +.. SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0 + +============================================ +Debugging advice for Linux Kernel developers +============================================ + +general guides +-------------- + +.. toctree:: + :maxdepth: 1 + + driver_development_debugging_guide + gdb-kernel-debugging + kgdb + userspace_debugging_guide + +subsystem specific guides +------------------------- + +.. toctree:: + :maxdepth: 1 + + media_specific_debugging_guide + +General debugging advice +======================== + +Depending on the issue, a different set of tools is available to track down the +problem or even to realize whether there is one in the first place. + +As a first step you have to figure out what kind of issue you want to debug. +Depending on the answer, your methodology and choice of tools may vary. + +Do I need to debug with limited access? +--------------------------------------- + +Do you have limited access to the machine or are you unable to stop the running +execution? + +In this case your debugging capability depends on built-in debugging support of +provided distribution kernel. +The :doc:`/process/debugging/userspace_debugging_guide` provides a brief +overview over a range of possible debugging tools in that situation. You can +check the capability of your kernel, in most cases, by looking into config file +within the /boot directory. + +Do I have root access to the system? +------------------------------------ + +Are you easily able to replace the module in question or to install a new +kernel? + +In that case your range of available tools is a lot bigger, you can find the +tools in the :doc:`/process/debugging/driver_development_debugging_guide`. + +Is timing a factor? +------------------- + +It is important to understand if the problem you want to debug manifests itself +consistently (i.e. given a set of inputs you always get the same, incorrect +output), or inconsistently. If it manifests itself inconsistently, some timing +factor might be at play. If inserting delays into the code does change the +behavior, then quite likely timing is a factor. + +When timing does alter the outcome of the code execution using a simple +printk() for debugging purposes may not work, a similar alternative is to use +trace_printk() , which logs the debug messages to the trace file instead of the +kernel log. + +**Copyright** ©2024 : Collabora -- cgit v1.3.1