Debugging with Mono

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Debugging with GDB

If you want to do deep debugging, you need to use gdb. gdb is useful when Smuxi crashes with a SEGV, as gdb can debug into Mono itself too.

First you need gdb and Mono with debug symbols installed:

sudo apt-get install gdb mono-runtime-dbg mono-dbg

Now you can start smuxi-server with gdb like this:

gdb --args mono-sgen --debug /usr/lib/smuxi/smuxi-server.exe

Or smuxi-frontend-gnome like this:

gdb --args mono-sgen --debug /usr/lib/smuxi/smuxi-frontend-gnome.exe

Or test-cases like this:

gdb --args mono-sgen --debug /usr/lib/nunit/nunit-console.exe bin/debug/smuxi-engine-tests.dll

This starts a gdb shell that lets you control the process. Start the process by entering:

run

Debugging with Windows Debugger (WinDbg)

Run! Ok, you don't want to listen. So here is the path of doom:

• Download and install the Windows SDK (you don't need all of the SDK, Debugging Tools are sufficient)
• Start WinDbg X86 (not X64!) from the start menu
• Hit File -> Open Executable from the application menu
• Select smuxi-frontend-gnome.exe from Smuxi's application directory (default install location is C:\Program Files (x86)\Smuxi)
• Set start directory to to Smuxi's application directory
• Confirm the Open button
• Acknowledge Save information for workspace with yes.
• Enter
  • .sympath SRV*c:\symbols*http://msdl.microsoft.com/download/symbols
  • .symfix+ c:\symbols
  • .reload /f
  • .loadby sos clr
  • or
  • .load C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\sos.dll
• Hit Debug -> Go from the application menu
• Use Smuxi very hard till it explodes with a Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime Library error dialog
• Close error dialog
• Switch to WinDbg
• Enter
  • ~* kp
  • !PrintException
  • !threads
  • !dumpstack
• Copy/paste the complete output into the bugreport
• Feel tortured