I'm trying to run my program in valgrind 3.10.0, but it seems to hang in set_address_range_perms(). The last output I get is
--69447:1:aspacem allocated thread stack at 0x803c7c000 size 1064960
--69447:1:syswrap- run_a_thread_NORETURN(tid=2): pre-thread_wrapper
--69447:1:syswrap- thread_wrapper(tid=2): entry
Any idea how I can narrow down the problem?
The first thing to try is to use gdb+vgdb and connect to your program which is hanging: in another window, start gdb
and then in gdb, do target remote | vgdb
You can then use various gdb commands to see what is happening e.g. info threads; threads apply all bt full; ....
See
http://www.valgrind.org/docs/manual/manual-core-adv.html#manual-core-adv.gdbserver for more information about valgrind+gdb.
If the valgrind gdbserver does not react, then you will have to attach directly to valgrind, and debug the valgrind internals.
I have a complex cgi executable written in C, I configured in Apache2 and now it is running succesfully. How can I debug this program in the source code, such as set break points and inspect variables? Any tools like gdb or eclipse? Any tutorial of how to set up the debugging environment?
Thanks in advance!!
The CGI interface basically consists in passing the HTTP request to the executable's standard input and getting the response on the standard output. Therefore you can write test requests to files and manually execute your CGI without having to use Apache. The debugging can then be done with GDB :
gdb ./my_cgi
>> break some_func
>> run < my_req.txt
with my_req.txt containing the full request:
GET /some/func HTTP/1.0
Host: myhost
If you absolutely need the CGI to be run by Apache it may become tricky to attach GDB to the right process. You can for example configure Apache to have only one worker process, attach to it with gdb -p and use set follow-fork-mode child to make sure it switches to the CGI process when a request arrives.
I did this: in cgi main i added code to look for an existing file, like /var/tmp/flag. While existing, i run in a loop. Time enough to attach to cgi process via gdb. After then i delete /var/tmp/flag and from now I can debug my cgi code.
bool file_exists(const char *filename)
{
ifstream ifile(filename);
return ifile;
}
int cgiMain()
{
while (file_exists ("/var/tmp/flag"))
sleep (1);
...
your code
Unless FastCGI or SCGI is used, the CGI process is short-lived and you need to delay its exit to have enough time to attach the debugger while the process is still running. For casual debugging the easiest option is to simply use sleep() in an endless loop at the breakpoint location and exit the loop with the debugger once it is attached to the program.
Here's a small example CGI program:
#include <stdio.h>
#include <unistd.h>
void wait_for_gdb_to_attach() {
int is_waiting = 1;
while (is_waiting) {
sleep(1); // sleep for 1 second
}
}
int main(void) {
wait_for_gdb_to_attach();
printf("Content-Type: text/plain;charset=us-ascii\n\n");
printf("Hello!");
return 0;
}
Suppose it is compiled into cgi-debugging-example, this is how you would attach the debugger once the application enters the endless loop:
sudo cgdb cgi-debugging-example $(pgrep cgi-debugging)
Next you need to exit the infinite loop and wait_for_gdb_to_attach() function to reach the "breakpoint" in your application. The trick here is to step out of sleep functions until you reach wait_for_gdb_to_attach() and set the value of the variable is_waiting with the debugger so that while (is_waiting) exits:
(gdb) finish
Run till exit from 0x8a0920 __nanosleep_nocancel () at syscall-template.S:81
0x8a07d4 in __sleep (seconds=0) at sleep.c:137
(gdb) finish
Run till exit from 0x8a07d4 in __sleep (seconds=0) at sleep.c:137
wait_for_gdb_to_attach () at cgi-debugging-example.c:6
Value returned is $1 = 0
(gdb) set is_waiting = 0 # <<<<<< to exit while
(gdb) finish
Run till exit from wait_for_gdb_to_attach () cgi-debugging-example.c:6
main () at cgi-debugging-example.c:13
Once you are out of wait_for_gdb_to_attach(), you can continue debugging the program or let it run to completion.
Full example with detailed instructions here.
I'm not sure how to use gdb or other frontends in eclipse, but I just debugged my CGI program with gdb. I'd like to share something that other answers didn't mention, that CGIs usually need to read request meta-variables defined in RFC 3875#4.1 with getenv(3). Popular request variables in my mind are:
SCRIPT_NAME
QUERY_STRING
CONTENT_LENGTH
CONTENT_TYPE
REMOTE_ADDR
There variables are provided by http servers such as Apache. When debugging with gdb, we need to set these values by our own with set environment. In my case, there're only a few variables neededa(and the source code is very old, it still uses SCRIPT_URL instead of SCRIPT_NAME), so here's my example:
gdb cgi_name
set environment SCRIPT_URL /path/to/sub/cgis
set environment QUERY_STRING p1=v1&p2=v2
break foo.c:42
run
For me both solutions for debugging the CGI in gdb without web server presented above didn't work.
Maybe the second solution works for a GET Request.
I needed a combination of both, first setting the environment variables from rfc3875 (not sure if all of them are really neded).
Then I was able to pass only the params (not the compltete request) via STDIN from a file.
gdb cgi_name
set environment REQUEST_METHOD=POST
set environment CONTENT_LENGTH=1337
set environment CONTENT_TYPE=application/json
set environment SCRIPT_NAME=my.cgi
set environment REMOTE_ADDR=127.0.0.1
run < ./params.txt
With params.txt:
{"user":"admin","pass":"admin"}
I'm trying to attach a program with gdb but it returns:
Attaching to process 29139
Could not attach to process. If your uid matches the uid of the target
process, check the setting of /proc/sys/kernel/yama/ptrace_scope, or try
again as the root user. For more details, see /etc/sysctl.d/10-ptrace.conf
ptrace: Operation not permitted.
gdb-debugger returns "Failed to attach to process, please check privileges and try again."
strace returns "attach: ptrace(PTRACE_ATTACH, ...): Operation not permitted"
I changed "kernel.yama.ptrace_scope" 1 to 0 and /proc/sys/kernel/yama/ptrace_scope 1 to 0 and tried set environment LD_PRELOAD=./ptrace.so with this:
#include <stdio.h>
int ptrace(int i, int j, int k, int l) {
printf(" ptrace(%i, %i, %i, %i), returning -1\n", i, j, k, l);
return 0;
}
But it still returns the same error. How can I attach it to debuggers?
If you are using Docker, you will probably need these options:
docker run --cap-add=SYS_PTRACE --security-opt seccomp=unconfined
If you are using Podman, you will probably need its --cap-add option too:
podman run --cap-add=SYS_PTRACE
This is due to kernel hardening in Linux; you can disable this behavior by echo 0 > /proc/sys/kernel/yama/ptrace_scope or by modifying it in /etc/sysctl.d/10-ptrace.conf
See also this article about it in Fedora 22 (with links to the documentation) and this comment thread about Ubuntu and .
I would like to add that I needed --security-opt apparmor=unconfined along with the options that #wisbucky mentioned. This was on Ubuntu 18.04 (both Docker client and host). Therefore, the full invocation for enabling gdb debugging within a container is:
docker run --cap-add=SYS_PTRACE --security-opt seccomp=unconfined --security-opt apparmor=unconfined
Just want to emphasize a related answer. Let's say that you're root and you've done:
strace -p 700
and get:
strace: attach: ptrace(PTRACE_SEIZE, 700): Operation not permitted
Check:
grep TracerPid /proc/700/status
If you see something like TracerPid: 12, i.e. not 0, that's the PID of the program that is already using the ptrace system call. Both gdb and strace use it, and there can only be one active at a time.
Not really addressing the above use-case but I had this problem:
Problem: It happened that I started my program with sudo, so when launching gdb it was giving me ptrace: Operation not permitted.
Solution: sudo gdb ...
As most of us land here for Docker issues I'll add the Kubernetes answer as it might come in handy for someone...
You must add the SYS_PTRACE capability in your pod's security context
at spec.containers.securityContext:
securityContext:
capabilities:
add: [ "SYS_PTRACE" ]
There are 2 securityContext keys at 2 different places. If it tells you that the key is not recognized than you missplaced it. Try the other one.
You probably need to have a root user too as default. So in the other security context (spec.securityContext) add :
securityContext:
runAsUser: 0
runAsGroup: 0
fsGroup: 101
FYI : 0 is root. But the fsGroup value is unknown to me. For what I'm doing I don't care but you might.
Now you can do :
strace -s 100000 -e write=1 -e trace=write -p 16
You won't get the permission denied anymore !
BEWARE : This is the Pandora box. Having this in production it NOT recommended.
I was running my code with higher privileges to deal with Ethernet Raw Sockets by setting set capability command in Debian Distribution. I tried the above solution: echo 0 > /proc/sys/kernel/yama/ptrace_scope
or by modifying it in /etc/sysctl.d/10-ptrace.conf but that did not work for me.
Additionally, I also tried with set capabilities command for gdb in installed directory (usr/bin/gdb) and it works: /sbin/setcap CAP_SYS_PTRACE=+eip /usr/bin/gdb.
Be sure to run this command with root privileges.
Jesup's answer is correct; it is due to Linux kernel hardening. In my case, I am using Docker Community for Mac, and in order to do change the flag I must enter the LinuxKit shell using justin cormack's nsenter (ref: https://www.bretfisher.com/docker-for-mac-commands-for-getting-into-local-docker-vm/ ).
docker run -it --rm --privileged --pid=host justincormack/nsenter1
/ # cat /etc/issue
Welcome to LinuxKit
## .
## ## ## ==
## ## ## ## ## ===
/"""""""""""""""""\___/ ===
{ / ===-
\______ O __/
\ \ __/
\____\_______/
/ # cat /proc/sys/kernel/yama/ptrace_scope
1
/ # echo 0 > /proc/sys/kernel/yama/ptrace_scope
/ # exit
Maybe someone has attached this process with gdb.
ps -ef | grep gdb
can't gdb attach the same process twice.
I was going to answer this old question as it is unaccepted and any other answers are not got the point. The real answer may be already written in /etc/sysctl.d/10-ptrace.conf as it is my case under Ubuntu. This file says:
For applications launching crash handlers that need PTRACE, exceptions can
be registered by the debugee by declaring in the segfault handler
specifically which process will be using PTRACE on the debugee:
prctl(PR_SET_PTRACER, debugger_pid, 0, 0, 0);
So just do the same thing as above: keep /proc/sys/kernel/yama/ptrace_scope as 1 and add prctl(PR_SET_PTRACER, debugger_pid, 0, 0, 0); in the debugee. Then the debugee will allow debugger to debug it. This works without sudo and without reboot.
Usually, debugee also need to call waitpid to avoid exit after crash so debugger can find the pid of debugee.
If permissions are a problem, you probably will want to use gdbserver. (I almost always use gdbserver when I gdb, docker or no, for numerous reasons.) You will need gdbserver (Deb) or gdb-gdbserver (RH) installed in the docker image. Run the program in docker with
$ sudo gdbserver :34567 myprogram arguments
(pick a port number, 1025-65535). Then, in gdb on the host, say
(gdb) target remote 172.17.0.4:34567
where 172.17.0.4 is the IP address of the docker image as reported by /sbin/ip addr list run in the docker image. This will attach at a point before main runs. You can tb main and c to stop at main, or wherever you like. Run gdb under cgdb, emacs, vim, or even in some IDE, or plain. You can run gdb in your source or build tree, so it knows where everything is. (If it can't find your sources, use the dir command.) This is usually much better than running it in the docker image.
gdbserver relies on ptrace, so you will also need to do the other things suggested above. --privileged --pid=host sufficed for me.
If you deploy to other OSes or embedded targets, you can run gdbserver or a gdb stub there, and run gdb the same way, connecting across a real network or even via a serial port (/dev/ttyS0).
I don't know what you are doing with LD_PRELOAD or your ptrace function.
Why don't you try attaching gdb to a very simple program? Make a program that simply repeatedly prints Hello or something and use gdb --pid [hello program PID] to attach to it.
If that does not work then you really do have a problem.
Another issue is the user ID. Is the program that you are tracing setting itself to another UID? If it is then you cannot ptrace it unless you are using the same user ID or are root.
I have faced the same problem and try a lot of solution but finally, I have found the solution, but really I don't know what the problem was. First I modified the ptrace_conf value and login into Ubuntu as a root but the problem still appears. But the most strange thing that happened is the gdb showed me a message that says:
Could not attach to process. If your uid matches the uid of the target process, check the setting of /proc/sys/kernel/yama/ptrace_scope, or try again as the root user.
For more details, see /etc/sysctl.d/10-ptrace.conf
warning: process 3767 is already traced by process 3755 ptrace: Operation not permitted.
With ps command terminal, the process 3755 was not listed.
I found the process 3755 in /proc/$pid but I don't understand what was it!!
Finally, I deleted the target file (foo.c) that I try to attach it vid gdb and tracer c program using PTRACE_ATTACH syscall, and in the other folder, I created another c program and compiled it.
the problem is solved and I was enabled to attach to another process either by gdb or ptrace_attach syscall.
(gdb) attach 4416
Attaching to process 4416
and I send a lot of signals to process 4416. I tested it with both gdb and ptrace, both of them run correctly.
really I don't know the problem what was, but I think it is not a bug in Ubuntu as a lot of sites have referred to it, such https://askubuntu.com/questions/143561/why-wont-strace-gdb-attach-to-a-process-even-though-im-root
Extra information
If you wanna make changes in the interfaces such as add the ovs bridge, you must use --privileged instead of --cap-add NET_ADMIN.
sudo docker run -itd --name=testliz --privileged --cap-add=SYS_PTRACE --security-opt seccomp=unconfined ubuntu
If you are using FreeBSD, edit /etc/sysctl.conf, change the line
security.bsd.unprivileged_proc_debug=0
to
security.bsd.unprivileged_proc_debug=1
Then reboot.
I have started running the gdb with a executable say out1 i.e gdb out1 . Now I realised that I missed to add few checks in the code and upon adding the code I generated the new exec file say out2. Now is it possible to add this out2 to the already running gdb out1 so that I can debug with the new added checks exec code. Thanks for your time.
You want to load out2 without quitting gdb. Am I correct?
I think you can run "file out2" in gdb, then gdb will kill out1 and load out2.
Just keep the name out1, kill the currenly running process ((gdb) k) and start it again ((gdb) r). The GDB will reload the new data/code/debug info.
I use a debugging script that runs several related processes in succession with the debugger. I'm currently using -x to execute several commands automatically (such as run). How can I make gdb quit automatically when the debugged process successfully terminates? Adding a quit command to the command file will cause that command to be handled not just on successful termination, but when errors occur also (when I'd rather take over at that point).
Here's an extract of what's going on:
+ gdb -return-child-result -x gdbbatch --args ./mkfs.cpfs /dev/loop0
GNU gdb (GDB) 7.1-ubuntu
Reading symbols from /home/matt/cpfs/mkfs.cpfs...done.
Program exited normally.
Breakpoint 2 at 0x805224f: file log.c, line 32.
(gdb)
Contents of gdbbatch:
start
b cpfs_log if level >= WARNING
I think I have found a complete solution to your question in connection to looking for something similar in How to make gdb send an external notification on receiving a signal?. None of the other guys here seem to have mentioned or discovered gdb hooks.
Based on Matthew's tip about $_exitcode, this is now my app/.gdbinit that achieves exactly the behavior wanted; normal quit on successful termination and drop to gdb prompt, send email, whatnot on everything else:
set $_exitcode = -999
set height 0
handle SIGTERM nostop print pass
handle SIGPIPE nostop
define hook-stop
if $_exitcode != -999
quit
else
shell echo | mail -s "NOTICE: app has stopped on unhandled signal" root
end
end
echo .gdbinit: running app\n
run
gdb sets $_exitcode when the program successfully terminates. You can make use of that - set it to an unlikely value at the start of your script, and only quit at the end if it has changed:
set $_exitcode = -999
# ...
run
# ...
if $_exitcode != -999
quit
end
(Setting $_exitcode to an unlikely value is a bit ugly, but it will otherwise not be defined at all if the program doesn't terminate, and there doesn't seem to be any obvious way of asking "is this variable defined?" in a conditional.)
GDB has a different "language" for interacting with automated programs called GDB/MI (detailed here), but unfortunately, it doesn't look like it supports conditionals, and is expected to run from other programs with parsing and branching. So, it looks like Expect is the easiest (or at least a working) solution:
$ cat gdbrunner
#!/usr/bin/expect -f
#spawn gdb -return-child-result --args ./mkfs.cpfs /dev/loop0
spawn gdb -return-child-result --args [lindex $argv 0]
#send "start\n"
#send "b cpfs_log if level >= WARNING"
send "run\n"
expect {
normally\. { send "quit\n" }
"exited with code" { interact -nobuffer }
}
I tested this with the simple programs:
$ cat prog1.c
int main(void) { return 0; }
$ cat prog2.c
int main(void) { return 1; }
With the following results:
$ ./gdbrunner ./prog1
spawn gdb -return-child-result --args ./prog1
run
(gdb) run
Starting program: /home/foo/prog1
Program exited normally.
(gdb) quit
$ ./gdbrunner ./prog2
spawn gdb -return-child-result --args ./prog2
run
(gdb) run
Starting program: /home/foo/prog2
Program exited with code 01.
(gdb)
Essentially, you have to parse the output and branch using something else. This would of course work with any other program capable of handling input/output of another process, but the above expect script should get you started, if you don't mind Tcl. It should be a little better, and expect the first (gdb) prompt, but works due to stdin buffering.
You can also modify it to use that GDB/MI interface with the -i command-line argument to GDB; its commands and output are a bit more readily parsable, if you will expand to need more advanced features, as you can see in the previously linked documentation.