Re: [PATCH 3/3] gdb, gdbserver: introduce the 'x' RSP packet for binary memory read

[Luis Machado <luis.machado@arm.com>]

On 3/13/24 18:21, Aktemur, Tankut Baris wrote:
> On Wednesday, March 13, 2024 4:50 PM, Luis Machado wrote:
>> On 3/13/24 15:35, Tankut Baris Aktemur wrote:
>>> Introduce an RSP packet, 'x', for reading from the remote server
>>> memory in binary format.  The binary write packet, 'X' already exists.
>>> The 'x' packet is essentially the same as 'm', except that the
>>> returned data is in binary format.  For transferring relatively large
>>> data (e.g.  shared library files), the 'x' packet can reduce the
>>> transfer costs.
>>
>> I think file transfers are handled through vFile instead, and that uses binary data.
>>
>> Would the x packet play any role in this? Or would it be just for memory reads?
> 
> It would be about memory reads.
> 
> Sorry, the phrase "(e.g.  shared library files)" was misleading.  In our (Intel)
> downstream debugger, in-memory solib files are JIT'ed and are accessed via the 'm'
> package.  That was the background why I wrote "e.g. shared library files".  I will
> remove that phrase in the next version to avoid confusion.

Ah, got it. No worries. Thanks for clarifying it.

It is a bit funny why we have never used a binary mode to read memory, after all these years.

Sounds like a good change.