Re: GDB reverse execution question

[Luis Machado <luis.machado@linaro.org>]

Does the following fix the problem for you?

https://sourceware.org/pipermail/gdb-patches/2021-February/175678.html

On 7/2/21 3:38 PM, Carl Love via Gdb wrote:
> GCC maintainers:
> 
> I am looking into some GDB regression test failures for reverse mode.
> The specific test I am currently looking at is
> gdb/testsuite/gdb.reverse/step-reverse.exp.  I am running the test on a
> Power 9 machine with the test compiled with two different versions of
> the gcc compiler.
> 
> The test runs fine using the distro compiler /usr/bin/gcc  which is gcc
> version 7.5.0 (Ubuntu 7.5.0-3ubuntu1~18.04).
> 
> The issue occurs with a more recent build I have gcc version 10.3.1.
> where the test fails.
> 
> Both of the compilers generate the same instruction sequences but the
> addresses of the assembly instructions differ slightly.  Note, the
> tests are done with the default optimization for gcc.
> 
> Inintially the test executes "forward", with record enabled, thru a
> couple of functions to the line in main with the label "FINISH TEST".
> The C code statement consists of five assembly instructions as shown
> below where I have put in generic addresses 1 to 7 as the actuall
> addresses differ slightly for the output of the two compilers:
> 
>   /* Test that "step" doesn't */
>     callee();    /* STEP INTO THIS CALL */
>   1:   9bc:   c9 fe ff 4b     bl      884 <callee+0x8>
>                                                                                          
>     /* Test "stepi" */
>     a[5] = a[3] - a[4]; /* FINISH TEST */     forward execution stops at this C code line
>   2:    ce 01 5f e9     lwa     r10,460(r31)   pc is here, step reverse   (distro compiler)
>   3:    d2 01 3f e9     lwa     r9,464(r31)
>   4:    50 50 29 7d     subf    r9,r9,r10      New gcc compiler, reverse step from FINISH TEST
>                                                 only gets to here not the previous
>                                                 source code line
>   5:    b4 07 29 7d     extsw   r9,r9
>   6:    d4 01 3f 91     stw     r9,468(r31)    pc is here for the "newer gcc compiler"
> 
>     callee();    /* STEPI TEST */
>   7:    b1 fe ff 4b     bl      884 <callee+0x8>
> 
> So as noted above, the distro test stops with PC at address 2 whereas
> the newer gcc stops at address 6. Power used to issue groups of up to 4
> instructions at a time.  Not sure that Power 9 still does that.  I am
> still looking for the details on the instruction issuing on Power 9.
> But if it does still issue in groups, that could explain the difference
> in the PC given the different instruction addresses.  I only mention
> all this as it is something of note but I don't think is the real
> problem.
> 
> The issue occurs when the test switches to reverse and then does a
> step, in the reverse direction.  In the case of the distro compiler
> which is at address 2, the step, in the reverse direction, stops in the
> previous line of C code.  However, with the newer gcc the reverse step
> from address 6 only gets to address 4 which is still in the "FINISH
> TEST" C code line.  The gdb test fails because the step is not at the
> "STEP INTO THIS CALL" C code line as is expected.
> 
> I have been reading the gdb code in gdb/reverse.c and gdb/record-full.c
> etc. Recording stores the register and memory changes for each executed
> instruction.  What I can't find is anything that records the
> association of instructions to C code lines.  So when gdb does a
> reverse "step" how does it know how many assembly instructions to undo?
> I believe gdb uses the debug info to figure out where the next
> instruction.  Don't know where/how this is done in the forward
> direction.  Again, where/how would gdb make the determination in the
> reverse direction to decide where to stop?  I have not been able to
> determine that in the code for doing reverse execution that I have been
> studying.
> 
> The test fails because gdb doesn't unroll enough instructions to get to
> the previous source line when the PC is at address 6.  I am wondering
> if someone can help me understand how gdb determins where/how to stop
> when doing a reverse step?
> 
> Thanks for the help.
> 
>                             Carl Love
>