Download missing dlls from symbol server

[BMart1]

I'm trying to analyze a result from another PC, but VTune can't locate ntdll.dll and other windows dlls. I think the dlls don't match because the PC that generated the result has fewer windows updates installed than the PC that analyzes the result. I tried setting _NT_SYMBOL_PATH and configuring Microsoft symbol servers in VTune itself but couldn't make VTune download the dlls. Does VTune support downloading dlls from symbol servers?

[David_A_Intel1]

No.  (Does the symbol server even support that?  I thought it was only for "symbols". :p)

VTune Amplifier will download symbols, but you need to make the binaries available, setting the search path in the project configuration.

[BMart1]

Yes (https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/ee416588%28v=vs.85%29.aspx):

DLL and executable files are also available from the Microsoft symbol server. This makes it possible to debug crashes and examine code for operating system files that may not exist on your machine. If a debugger encounters an executable file or a DLL that does not exist on the system that you are using for debugging, it automatically requests both the symbols and a copy of the binary file from the Microsoft symbol servers. This is helpful if you are debugging a component that has many versions—for example, msvcrt.dll—and you need to examine the code for a version that does not exist on your computer. This also helps debug mini-dumps that are generated on an operating system that is different from the system that you are using for debugging.

I just opened a minidump not including process memory from one machine in another with visual studio and ntdll was loaded from SymbolCache\MicrosoftPublicSymbols\ntdll.dll\4ce7c8f91a9000\ntdll.dll, but VTune didn't look for that path at all.

Bruno

[David_A_Intel1]

Thanks.  Where does your quote come from?  I don't see it in the link you provided.  What I see is that you can check to see if there are matching PDBs for DLLs and executables in a folder.

[BMart1]

It's in the link more precisely https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/ee416588%28v=vs.85%29.aspx#symbol_servers

[David_A_Intel1]

Hi Bruno:

I apologize.  I was wrong.  The development team confirms that support for downloading missing DLLs is already in the VTune Amplifier.  What version are you using (output of 'amplx-cl -version' or Help -> About menu item)?  

Ah!  One thing I should confirm from you, did you "re-resolve" the results on your system, after setting the _NT_SYMBOL_PATH variable?

[David_A_Intel1]

Well, I get to apologize, again!  Turns out the developers didn't understand what I was asking, even though I said "binaries" and not "symbols."

I was correct the first time: VTune Amplifier does not currently support downloading binaries via Microsoft symbol server.

Are there others that would find this support useful?  It would be a feature request and have to be prioritized with all the other feature requests we receive.  Thus, the more users that would request such a feature, the higher the priority.  Thanks.