man(1) Manual page archive


     PI(9.1)                                                   PI(9.1)

     NAME
          pi, 3pi - process inspector

     SYNOPSIS
          pi [ -t corefile objectfile ]

          3pi [ -p programmer ]

     DESCRIPTION
          Pi is a C debugger that is bound dynamically to multiple
          subject processes or core dumps.  It works better for pro-
          grams compiled cc -g. Pi uses the Pads(9.5) multi-window
          user interface.  There are three types of windows: debugger
          control windows, which access the global state of the debug-
          ger; process control windows (exactly one per process),
          which start and stop processes and connect to process-
          specific functions; and process inspection windows, which
          include viewers for source text and memory, formatted vari-
          ous ways.

          The most important debugger control window is the pi window
          itself.  Each line within the pi window refers to a specific
          process.  These lines may be introduced to the window by
          running ps(1) from the button 3 menu; by typing a file name,
          either a /proc(4) name, or the name of a core image followed
          by the name of the binary that created the core; or by typ-
          ing a command, prefixed by an exclamation `!', to be exe-
          cuted as a child of pi. There are several ways to access a
          process (using the button 2 menu), each of which generates a
          process control window: open process (open coredump)
          attaches to a running process (core image); open child
          attaches to a process forked by a process being debugged by
          the current pi; and take over rebinds an existing process
          window hierarchy (pointed to with the mouse) to the named
          process, which must be an instance of the same program.  A
          command may be instantiated afresh (hang & open proc) or
          restarted and bound to an existing process window
          (hang & take over); in either case, IO is redirected to
          /dev/null.

          The process window indicates the process's state, shows the
          call stack traceback and connects to windows that access
          source text, local variables within a stack frame, raw mem-
          ory, and so on.  These windows are cross-connected, so, for
          example, an instruction in a process's assembly language
          window can be inspected in hexadecimal in the raw memory
          window.  Closing the process control window closes all the
          windows under it.

          The following menu functions are provided by the various

     PI(9.1)                                                   PI(9.1)

          window types in pi. Initially there are these windows avail-
          able:

          Help Reminder of user interface mechanics.

          Pi   Overall control of processes, core dumps and programs.
               A process is identified by its pathname or command
               line.  Process symbols are found in the executable file
               from which the process was loaded, but may be overrid-
               den.  Symbols for core dumps must be supplied explic-
               itly, after the core filename.  Synopsis: Identify and
               open process or core dump; run a program as Pi's child;
               take over a process with the debugging environment of a
               different one.

          Pwd/cd
               change the working directory of the debugger.

        Process Window
          Selecting and opening a process from the Pi window creates a
          new window with overall control of that process.  It shows
          the process state, and a traceback if the process is halted
          or dead.  States are:

          ACTIVE         running normally
          HALTED         halted asynchronously by a debugger
          BREAKPOINT     halted on reaching breakpoint
          STMT STEPPED   halted after executing C source statement(s)
          INSTR STEPPED  halted after executing machine instruction(s)
          EVENT PENDING  halted about to receive a signal being traced
          ERROR STATE    the process has probably exited.

          The menu operations on the process are:
          go        let the process run
          stop      stop the process
          kill      send signal SIGKILL to the process
          src text  open source text window(s)
          Signals   open window for sending and trapping signals
          Globals   open window for evaluating expression in global
                    scope
          RawMemory open window for editing uninterpreted memory
          Assembler open window for disassembler

          Each line of the call stack traceback describes one func-
          tion.  Each function in the traceback can open an expression
          evaluator window or display its current source line.

        Globals and Stack Frame Windows
          These windows evaluate expressions with respect to global
          scope, and scope in a function, respectively.  A stack frame
          window is opened from a line in the call stack traceback or
          from a line of source text.  C expressions can be entered by

     PI(9.1)                                                   PI(9.1)

          the keyboard or mouse.  The unary operators fabs and sizeof
          are supported; the only assignment operator is `='.  Func-
          tions from the user program may be called.

          New C expressions can be derived from old ones by the key-
          board or mouse.  In menus and the keyboard, $ means the
          expression in the current line.  The VAX registers are
          called $r0 to $r15; the address of a register is the loca-
          tion at which it was saved.  The format in which values are
          displayed can be changed.  The raw memory editor may be
          entered using an expression's value as address.  An expres-
          sion may be made a spy. The value of a spy expression is
          evaluated and displayed each time the debugger looks at the
          process.  If the value of a spy changes the process is
          halted at the next instruction, statement or breakpoint.  A
          stack frame can find its active source line in a source win-
          dow or the stack frame window of its caller.

          The comma operator is useful in conditional breakpoints
          because the values of its subexpressions are displayed.
          E.g. x, y, x==y traces the values of x and y when the condi-
          tion fails; x, y, 0 just traces.

          To cross scope boundaries, the environment (a function iden-
          tifier) in which an expression is to be evaluated may be
          specified as: { expr } function.  From the source directory
          window, file static variables can be promoted to appear in
          the menu of global variables.

        Source Text Windows
          The source file directory window lists all the source files,
          if there are two or more.  A textual prefix, entered from
          the keyboard, points to a source directory, without changing
          the working directory.  Each source file is in a separate
          window, opened when needed.  The source file's pathname as
          given to cc can be overridden from the keyboard.  If things
          go wrong, use reopen to open the file afresh.  Synopsis:
          set/clear (conditional) breakpoint; single-step source
          statements; step into (rather than over) a function; go the
          process; show the statement for the current PC; open a stack
          frame window for a source line's function; evaluate expres-
          sion; disassemble first instruction of source statement;
          context search for string.

        Breakpoints Window
          Lists all the active source and assembler breakpoints and
          related errors.  Synopsis: show source or assembler for a
          breakpoint; clear breakpoint; clear all breakpoints.

        Signals Window
          Lists all signal types, showing which ones are traced.
          Synopsis: Change which signals are traced; send a signal to

     PI(9.1)                                                   PI(9.1)

          the subject process; clear pending signal; stop process on
          exec.

        Raw Memory Window
          A ``memory editor'' in which memory is a viewed as a
          sequence of 1-, 2-, 4- or 8-byte cells.  Synopsis: set cell
          address; change cell size; change display format; display
          cells above and below; indirect to cell; change cell value;
          spy on memory cell; disassemble instruction at cell.

        (Dis)assembler Window
          Disassembler in which memory is viewed as a sequence of
          instructions.  Synopsis: set instruction address; display
          more instructions; change display format; display instruc-
          tion as cell in raw memory window; set/clear breakpoint on
          instruction; open stack frame window for instruction's func-
          tion; display instruction at current PC; single step
          instruction(s); step over a function call instead of into
          the function.

        Exec and Fork
          If a process controlled by pi executes an exec(), it is sus-
          pended as if started by hang(1), if an exec() break is set
          in the Signals window.  To debug the process after the exec,
          close the original process window and re-open it.  When re-
          opened it will get the new symbol tables.

          To debug a child process: (i) set a breakpoint in code that
          will be executed in the child after the fork; (ii) execute
          the fork at full speed (the child inherits the parent's
          breakpoints, which aren't there if the parent is stepped);
          (iii) before altering any breakpoints, get a fresh ps in the
          Pi window and apply open child to the child.  The child
          should be stopped on the inherited breakpoint, but it and
          all other breakpoints should have been cleared.

        Kernel
          The state of kernel variables associated with a process may
          be examined by giving their name or virtual address.  The
          UNIX environment variable specifies the file from which the
          system was loaded; the default is /unix. Kernel dumps may be
          examined by opening the `kernel pi' window.

        Just A Traceback
          With the -t option pi writes a traceback on its standard
          output and quits.

        3pi
          3pi is a variant of pi for debugging 5620 programs running
          under mux(9.1). It creates two terminal processes: one for
          its access to terminal memory and graphics and a second for
          its Pads(9.5) interface.

     PI(9.1)                                                   PI(9.1)

        Remote Debugging
          With the -p option 3pi loads its first process, but not
          Pads. Instead, it mails a 3pi command to programmer, to be
          executed on any host in the local network.  That 3pi command
          loads Pads on programmer's terminal, and connects to the
          originator's terminal.  If separate hosts are involved and
          the versions of critical files differ, be careful with path-
          names.

        3pi Graphics
          Points, rectangles, textures and bitmaps can be displayed
          graphically.

        3pi - pi
          Most differences come from obvious differences in the hard-
          ware and software architectures.  Also, in 3pi function
          calls are executed by a debugger process on its own call
          stack.

     SEE ALSO
          hang(1), proc(4), strip(1), pads(9.5)

     BUGS
          In switch statements there is no boundary between the last
          case and the branch code; the program appears to jump to the
          last case (but is really in the branch) and then to the real
          case.  A changed spy only stops the process at a breakpoint
          or while stepping.  An expression can be cast only by menu.
          Functions may only be called when the process is stopped and
          not in a system call.