path: root/docs/linux_debugging.md

# Tips for debugging on Linux

This page is for Chromium-specific debugging tips; learning how to run gdb is
out of scope.

[TOC]

## Symbolized stack trace

The sandbox can interfere with the internal symbolizer. Use `--no-sandbox` (but
keep this temporary) or an external symbolizer (see
`tools/valgrind/asan/asan_symbolize.py`).

Generally, do not use `--no-sandbox` on waterfall bots, sandbox testing is
needed. Talk to security@chromium.org.

## GDB

*** promo
GDB-7.7 is required in order to debug Chrome on Linux.
***

Any prior version will fail to resolve symbols or segfault.

### Basic browser process debugging

    gdb -tui -ex=r --args out/Debug/chrome --disable-seccomp-sandbox \
        http://google.com

### Allowing attaching to foreign processes

On distributions that use the
[Yama LSM](https://www.kernel.org/doc/Documentation/security/Yama.txt) (that
includes Ubuntu and Chrome OS), process A can attach to process B only if A is
an ancestor of B.

You will probably want to disable this feature by using

    echo 0 | sudo tee /proc/sys/kernel/yama/ptrace_scope

If you don't you'll get an error message such as "Could not attach to process".

Note that you'll also probably want to use `--no-sandbox`, as explained below.

### Multiprocess Tricks

#### Getting renderer subprocesses into gdb

Since Chromium itself spawns the renderers, it can be tricky to grab a
particular with gdb. This command does the trick:

```
chrome --no-sandbox --renderer-cmd-prefix='xterm -title renderer -e gdb --args'
```

The `--no-sandbox` flag is needed because otherwise the seccomp sandbox will
kill the renderer process on startup, or the setuid sandbox will prevent xterm's
execution.  The "xterm" is necessary or gdb will run in the current terminal,
which can get particularly confusing since it's running in the background, and
if you're also running the main process in gdb, won't work at all (the two
instances will fight over the terminal). To auto-start the renderers in the
debugger, send the "run" command to the debugger:

    chrome --no-sandbox --renderer-cmd-prefix='xterm -title renderer -e gdb \
        -ex run --args

If you're using Emacs and `M-x gdb`, you can do

    chrome "--renderer-cmd-prefix=gdb --args"

*** note
Note: using the `--renderer-cmd-prefix` option bypasses the zygote launcher, so
the renderers won't be sandboxed. It is generally not an issue, except when you
are trying to debug interactions with the sandbox. If that's what you are doing,
you will need to attach your debugger to a running renderer process (see below).
***

You may also want to pass `--disable-hang-monitor` to suppress the hang monitor,
which is rather annoying.

You can also use `--renderer-startup-dialog` and attach to the process in order
to debug the renderer code. Go to
http://www.chromium.org/blink/getting-started-with-blink-debugging for more
information on how this can be done.

#### Choosing which renderers to debug

If you are starting multiple renderers then the above means that multiple gdb's
start and fight over the console. Instead, you can set the prefix to point to
this shell script:

```sh
#!/bin/sh

echo "**** Child $$ starting: y to debug"
read input
if [ "$input" = "y" ] ; then
  gdb --args $*
else
  $*
fi
```

#### Selective breakpoints

When debugging both the browser and renderer process, you might want to have
separate set of breakpoints to hit. You can use gdb's command files to
accomplish this by putting breakpoints in separate files and instructing gdb to
load them.

```
gdb -x ~/debug/browser --args chrome --no-sandbox --disable-hang-monitor \
    --renderer-cmd-prefix='xterm -title renderer -e gdb -x ~/debug/renderer \
    --args '
```

Also, instead of running gdb, you can use the script above, which let's you
select which renderer process to debug. Note: you might need to use the full
path to the script and avoid `$HOME` or `~/.`

#### Connecting to a running renderer

Usually `ps aux | grep chrome` will not give very helpful output. Try
`pstree -p | grep chrome` to get something like

```
        |                      |-bash(21969)---chrome(672)-+-chrome(694)
        |                      |                           |-chrome(695)---chrome(696)-+-{chrome}(697)
        |                      |                           |                           \-{chrome}(709)
        |                      |                           |-{chrome}(675)
        |                      |                           |-{chrome}(678)
        |                      |                           |-{chrome}(679)
        |                      |                           |-{chrome}(680)
        |                      |                           |-{chrome}(681)
        |                      |                           |-{chrome}(682)
        |                      |                           |-{chrome}(684)
        |                      |                           |-{chrome}(685)
        |                      |                           |-{chrome}(705)
        |                      |                           \-{chrome}(717)
```

Most of those are threads. In this case the browser process would be 672 and the
(sole) renderer process is 696. You can use `gdb -p 696` to attach.
Alternatively, you might find out the process ID from Chrome's built-in Task
Manager (under the Tools menu). Right-click on the Task Manager, and enable
"Process ID" in the list of columns.

Note: by default, sandboxed processes can't be attached by a debugger. To be
able to do so, you will need to pass the `--allow-sandbox-debugging` option.

If the problem only occurs with the seccomp sandbox enabled (and the previous
tricks don't help), you could try enabling core-dumps (see the **Core files**
section).  That would allow you to get a backtrace and see some local variables,
though you won't be able to step through the running program.

Note: If you're interested in debugging LinuxSandboxIPC process, you can attach
to 694 in the above diagram. The LinuxSandboxIPC process has the same command
line flag as the browser process so that it's easy to identify it if you run
`pstree -pa`.

#### Getting GPU subprocesses into gdb

Use `--gpu-launcher` flag instead of `--renderer-cmd-prefix` in the instructions
for renderer above.

#### Getting `browser_tests` launched browsers into gdb

Use environment variable `BROWSER_WRAPPER` instead of `--renderer-cmd-prefix`
switch in the instructions above.

Example:

```shell
BROWSER_WRAPPER='xterm -title renderer -e gdb --eval-command=run \
    --eval-command=quit --args' out/Debug/browser_tests --gtest_filter=Print
```

#### Plugin Processes

Same strategies as renderers above, but the flag is called `--plugin-launcher`:

    chrome --plugin-launcher='xterm -e gdb --args'

*** note
Note: For now, this does not currently apply to PPAPI plugins because they
currently run in the renderer process.
***

#### Single-Process mode

Depending on whether it's relevant to the problem, it's often easier to just run
in "single process" mode where the renderer threads are in-process. Then you can
just run gdb on the main process.

    gdb --args chrome --single-process

Currently, the `--disable-gpu` flag is also required, as there are known crashes
that occur under TextureImageTransportSurface without it. The crash described in
http://crbug.com/361689 can also sometimes occur, but that crash can be
continued from without harm.

Note that for technical reasons plugins cannot be in-process, so
`--single-process` only puts the renderers in the browser process. The flag is
still useful for debugging plugins (since it's only two processes instead of
three) but you'll still need to use `--plugin-launcher` or another approach.

### Printing Chromium types

gdb 7 lets us use Python to write pretty-printers for Chromium types. The
directory `tools/gdb/` contains a Python gdb scripts useful for Chromium code.
There are similar scripts [in WebKit](http://trac.webkit.org/wiki/GDB) (in fact,
the Chromium script relies on using it with the WebKit one).

To include these pretty-printers with your gdb, put the following into
`~/.gdbinit`:

```python
python
import sys
sys.path.insert(0, "<path/to/chromium/src>/third_party/WebKit/Tools/gdb/")
import webkit
sys.path.insert(0, "<path/to/chromium/src>/tools/gdb/")
import gdb_chrome
```

Pretty printers for std types shouldn't be necessary in gdb 7, but they're
provided here in case you're using an older gdb. Put the following into
`~/.gdbinit`:

```
# Print a C++ string.
define ps
  print $arg0.c_str()
end

# Print a C++ wstring or wchar_t*.
define pws
  printf "\""
  set $c = (wchar_t*)$arg0
  while ( *$c )
    if ( *$c > 0x7f )
      printf "[%x]", *$c
    else
      printf "%c", *$c
    end
    set $c++
  end
  printf "\"\n"
end
```

[More STL GDB macros](http://www.yolinux.com/TUTORIALS/src/dbinit_stl_views-1.01.txt)

### Graphical Debugging Aid for Chromium Views

The following link describes a tool that can be used on Linux, Windows and Mac under GDB.

[graphical_debugging_aid_chromium_views](graphical_debugging_aid_chromium_views.md)

### Faster startup

Use the `gdb-add-index` script (e.g.
`build/gdb-add-index out/Debug/browser_tests`)

Only makes sense if you run the binary multiple times or maybe if you use the
component build since most `.so` files won't require reindexing on a rebuild.

See
https://groups.google.com/a/chromium.org/forum/#!searchin/chromium-dev/gdb-add-index/chromium-dev/ELRuj1BDCL4/5Ki4LGx41CcJ
for more info.

You can improve GDB load time significantly at the cost of link time by
plitting symbols from the object files. In GN, set `use_debug_fission=false` in
your "gn args". In GYP add `linux_use_debug_fission=0` to your `GYP_DEFINES`.

## Core files

`ulimit -c unlimited` should cause all Chrome processes (run from that shell) to
dump cores, with the possible exception of some sandboxed processes.

Some sandboxed subprocesses might not dump cores unless you pass the
`--allow-sandbox-debugging` flag.

If the problem is a freeze rather than a crash, you may be able to trigger a
core-dump by sending SIGABRT to the relevant process:

    kill -6 [process id]

## Breakpad minidump files

See [linux_minidump_to_core.md](linux_minidump_to_core.md)

## Running Tests

Many of our tests bring up windows on screen. This can be annoying (they steal
your focus) and hard to debug (they receive extra events as you mouse over them).
Instead, use `Xvfb` or `Xephyr` to run a nested X session to debug them, as
outlined on [layout_tests_linux.md](layout_tests_linux.md).

### Browser tests

By default the `browser_tests` forks a new browser for each test. To debug the
browser side of a single test, use a command like

```
gdb --args out/Debug/browser_tests --single_process --gtest_filter=MyTestName
```

**note the underscore in `single_process`** -- this makes the test harness and
browser process share the outermost process.


To debug a renderer process in this case, use the tips above about renderers.

### Layout tests

See [layout_tests_linux.md](layout_tests_linux.md) for some tips. In particular,
note that it's possible to debug a layout test via `ssh`ing to a Linux box; you
don't need anything on screen if you use `Xvfb`.

### UI tests

UI tests are run in forked browsers. Unlike browser tests, you cannot do any
single process tricks here to debug the browser. See below about
`BROWSER_WRAPPER`.

To pass flags to the browser, use a command line like
`--extra-chrome-flags="--foo --bar"`.

### Timeouts

UI tests have a confusing array of timeouts in place. (Pawel is working on
reducing the number of timeouts.) To disable them while you debug, set the
timeout flags to a large value:

*   `--test-timeout=100000000`
*   `--ui-test-action-timeout=100000000`
*   `--ui-test-terminate-timeout=100000000`

### To replicate Window Manager setup on the bots

Chromium try bots and main waterfall's bots run tests under Xvfb&openbox
combination. Xvfb is an X11 server that redirects the graphical output to the
memory, and openbox is a simple window manager that is running on top of Xvfb.
The behavior of openbox is markedly different when it comes to focus management
and other window tasks, so test that runs fine locally may fail or be flaky on
try bots. To run the tests on a local machine as on a bot, follow these steps:

Make sure you have openbox:

    apt-get install openbox

Start Xvfb and openbox on a particular display:

    Xvfb :6.0 -screen 0 1280x1024x24 & DISPLAY=:6.0 openbox &

Run your tests with graphics output redirected to that display:

    DISPLAY=:6.0 out/Debug/browser_tests --gtest_filter="MyBrowserTest.MyActivateWindowTest"

You can look at a snapshot of the output by:

    xwd -display :6.0 -root | xwud

Alternatively, you can use testing/xvfb.py to set up your environment for you:

    testing/xvfb.py out/Debug out/Debug/browser_tests \
        --gtest_filter="MyBrowserTest.MyActivateWindowTest"

### BROWSER_WRAPPER

You can also get the browser under a debugger by setting the `BROWSER_WRAPPER`
environment variable.  (You can use this for `browser_tests` too, but see above
for discussion of a simpler way.)

    BROWSER_WRAPPER='xterm -e gdb --args' out/Debug/browser_tests

### Replicating Trybot Slowness

Trybots are pretty stressed, and can sometimes expose timing issues you can't
normally reproduce locally.

You can simulate this by shutting down all but one of the CPUs
(http://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/debian-rhel-centos-redhat-suse-hotplug-cpu/) and
running a CPU loading tool (e.g., http://www.devin.com/lookbusy/). Now run your
test. It will run slowly, but any flakiness found by the trybot should replicate
locally now - and often nearly 100% of the time.

## Logging

### Seeing all LOG(foo) messages

Default log level hides `LOG(INFO)`. Run with `--log-level=0` and
`--enable-logging=stderr` flags.

Newer versions of chromium with VLOG may need --v=1 too. For more VLOG tips, see
[the chromium-dev thread](http://groups.google.com/a/chromium.org/group/chromium-dev/browse_thread/thread/dcd0cd7752b35de6?pli=1).

### Seeing IPC debug messages

Run with `CHROME_IPC_LOGGING=1` eg.

    CHROME_IPC_LOGGING=1 out/Debug/chrome

or within gdb:

    set environment CHROME_IPC_LOGGING 1

If some messages show as unknown, check if the list of IPC message headers in
[chrome/common/logging_chrome.cc](/chrome/common/logging_chrome.cc) is
up-to-date. In case this file reference goes out of date, try looking for usage
of macros like `IPC_MESSAGE_LOG_ENABLED` or `IPC_MESSAGE_MACROS_LOG_ENABLED`.

## Using valgrind

To run valgrind on the browser and renderer processes, with our suppression file
and flags:

    $ cd $CHROMIUM_ROOT/src
    $ tools/valgrind/valgrind.sh out/Debug/chrome

You can use valgrind on chrome and/or on the renderers e.g
`valgrind --smc-check=all ../sconsbuild/Debug/chrome`
or by passing valgrind as the argument to `--render-cmd-prefix`.

Beware that there are several valgrind "false positives" e.g. pickle, sqlite and
some instances in webkit that are ignorable. On systems with prelink and address
space randomization (e.g. Fedora), you may also see valgrind errors in libstdc++
on startup and in gnome-breakpad.

Valgrind doesn't seem to play nice with tcmalloc. To disable tcmalloc run GYP

    $ cd $CHROMIUM_ROOT/src
    $ build/gyp_chromium -Duse_allocator=none

and rebuild.

## Profiling

See
https://sites.google.com/a/chromium.org/dev/developers/profiling-chromium-and-webkit
and [Linux Profiling](linux_profiling.md).

## i18n

We obey your system locale. Try something like:

    LANG=ja_JP.UTF-8 out/Debug/chrome

If this doesn't work, make sure that the `LANGUAGE`, `LC_ALL` and `LC_MESSAGE`
environment variables aren't set -- they have higher priority than LANG in the
order listed. Alternatively, just do this:

    LANGUAGE=fr out/Debug/chrome

Note that because we use GTK, some locale data comes from the system -- for
example, file save boxes and whether the current language is considered RTL.
Without all the language data available, Chrome will use a mixture of your
system language and the language you run Chrome in.

Here's how to install the Arabic (ar) and Hebrew (he) language packs:

    sudo apt-get install language-pack-ar language-pack-he \
        language-pack-gnome-ar language-pack-gnome-he

Note that the `--lang` flag does **not** work properly for this.

On non-Debian systems, you need the `gtk20.mo` files. (Please update these docs
with the appropriate instructions if you know what they are.)

## Breakpad

See the last section of [Linux Crash Dumping](linux_crash_dumping.md); you
need to set a gyp variable and an environment variable for the crash dump tests
to work.

## Drag and Drop

If you break in a debugger during a drag, Chrome will have grabbed your mouse
and keyboard so you won't be able to interact with the debugger!  To work around
this, run via `Xephyr`. Instructions for how to use `Xephyr` are on the
[Running layout tests on Linux](layout_tests_linux.md) page.

## Tracking Down Bugs

### Isolating Regressions

Old builds are archived here:
http://build.chromium.org/buildbot/snapshots/chromium-rel-linux/
(TODO: does not exist).

`tools/bisect-builds.py` in the tree automates bisecting through the archived
builds. Despite a computer science education, I am still amazed how quickly
binary search will find its target.

### Screen recording for bug reports

    sudo apt-get install gtk-recordmydesktop

## Version-specific issues

### Google Chrome

Google Chrome binaries don't include symbols. Googlers can read where to get
symbols from
[the Google-internal wiki](http://wiki/Main/ChromeOfficialBuildLinux#The_Build_Archive).

### Ubuntu Chromium

Since we don't build the Ubuntu packages (Ubuntu does) we can't get useful
backtraces from them. Direct users to https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Chromium/Debugging

### Fedora's Chromium

Like Ubuntu, but direct users to
https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/TomCallaway/Chromium_Debug

### Xlib

If you're trying to track down X errors like:

```
The program 'chrome' received an X Window System error.
This probably reflects a bug in the program.
The error was 'BadDrawable (invalid Pixmap or Window parameter)'.
```

Some strategies are:

*   pass `--sync` on the command line to make all X calls synchronous
*   run chrome via [xtrace](http://xtrace.alioth.debian.org/)
*   turn on IPC debugging (see above section)

### Window Managers

To test on various window managers, you can use a nested X server like `Xephyr`.
Instructions for how to use `Xephyr` are on the
[Running layout tests on Linux](layout_tests_linux.md) page.

If you need to test something with hardware accelerated compositing
(e.g., compiz), you can use `Xgl` (`sudo apt-get install xserver-xgl`). E.g.:

    Xgl :1 -ac -accel glx:pbuffer -accel xv:pbuffer -screen 1024x768

## Mozilla Tips

https://developer.mozilla.org/en/Debugging_Mozilla_on_Linux_FAQ