Using Serial Over LAN to do remote gdb or some sort of kernel debugger

[creatiwit]

Can I attach a remote debugger over SOL like I would do using a normal serial port and null modem cable ? Has anyone tried it or had success with it ?

[Andrew_S_Intel2]

I've never tried using gdb in a remote session before, so I can't say for certain. But theoretically it should be possible, given that the OS views the SOL session as another serial port. It might be more complicated since authorization is needed to establish the SOL session, unlike just connecting to a serial port.

I'll attach a couple of links on advanced uses of the SOL session, maybe one of them will give you enough information to answer your question.

http://software.intel.com/en-us/articles/using-intel-amt-serial-over-lan-to-the-fullest/

http://www.intel.com/technology/itj/2008/v12i4/1-paper/3-serial-over-lan.htm

[creatiwit]

Quoting - Andrew Schiestl (Intel)

I've never tried using gdb in a remote session before, so I can't say for certain. But theoretically it should be possible, given that the OS views the SOL session as another serial port. It might be more complicated since authorization is needed to establish the SOL session, unlike just connecting to a serial port.

I'll attach a couple of links on advanced uses of the SOL session, maybe one of them will give you enough information to answer your question.

http://software.intel.com/en-us/articles/using-intel-amt-serial-over-lan-to-the-fullest/

http://www.intel.com/technology/itj/2008/v12i4/1-paper/3-serial-over-lan.htm

So, getty on the linux side will connect to the VT100 terminal on the MTK Commander. For remote debug to work all i need on the MTK side is some sort of virtual serial port emulation, to which i can attach hyperterm or something similar. Is that possible ?

[Andrew_S_Intel2]

Quoting - creatiwit

So, getty on the linux side will connect to the VT100 terminal on the MTK Commander. For remote debug to work all i need on the MTK side is some sort of virtual serial port emulation, to which i can attach hyperterm or something similar. Is that possible ?

I don't think the DTK Commander stand alone will support the use model you're talking about (running a remote gdb session for instance). It should support you running gdb directly on the box by using a standard SOL session, which would eliminate the need to run a remote session, but that doesn't get to the basic question you are asking.

Is some sort of virtual serial port emulation possible? Probably, but the usage you're discussing is pretty far outside the normal use model, I'll have to ask around. Given the various interesting things I've seen people do with a SOL session, I'd say it's likely this can be supported, but as far as I know it wouldn't be supported by the DTK or SDK without some additional development. Let me see if I can find out more conclusively.

Andy

[Andrew_S_Intel2]

I just realized another possibility after looking at the documentation on gdb. With gdb, you can perform remote debugging with either a serial connection or a host:port combination. The DTK does have built-in support for TCP port redirection from a port on the DTK side to a port on the remote system side (this was discussed briefly at the bottom of the first link I attached in the TCP-over-Serial-over-LAN section). It might be possible to leverage that to use gdb remotely with the DTK as it stands, it is probably worth trying anyway. In theory you would use the DTK to forward from a port on the system that the Commander was running, to whatever port on the remote system that the gdb stub was listening on. The documentation on the DTK describes how to do this, it's the "TCP Redirector option" under the Serial Agent menu in the Managability terminal tool.

If that does work for you, that could possibly meet your needs.

Andy

[creatiwit]

Quoting - Andrew Schiestl (Intel)

I just realized another possibility after looking at the documentation on gdb. With gdb, you can perform remote debugging with either a serial connection or a host:port combination. The DTK does have built-in support for TCP port redirection from a port on the DTK side to a port on the remote system side (this was discussed briefly at the bottom of the first link I attached in the TCP-over-Serial-over-LAN section). It might be possible to leverage that to use gdb remotely with the DTK as it stands, it is probably worth trying anyway. In theory you would use the DTK to forward from a port on the system that the Commander was running, to whatever port on the remote system that the gdb stub was listening on. The documentation on the DTK describes how to do this, it's the "TCP Redirector option" under the Serial Agent menu in the Managability terminal tool.

If that does work for you, that could possibly meet your needs.

Andy

thanks that actually works :)