scripts/gdb: document lx_current is only supported by x86
authorBarry Song <song.bao.hua@hisilicon.com>
Fri, 7 May 2021 01:05:06 +0000 (18:05 -0700)
committerLinus Torvalds <torvalds@linux-foundation.org>
Fri, 7 May 2021 07:26:33 +0000 (00:26 -0700)
commitdc9586823f3e06867344e6cf88741688c2c7737f
tree98edf6b61a8b533edd579bcdaca807396c43a610
parent23921540d2c0a4d8530078f6f64fc3e28444ca9d
scripts/gdb: document lx_current is only supported by x86

Patch series "scripts/gdb: clarify the platforms supporting lx_current and add arm64 support", v2.

lx_current depends on per_cpu current_task variable which exists on x86
only.  so it actually works on x86 only.  the 1st patch documents this
clearly; the 2nd patch adds support for arm64.

This patch (of 2):

x86 is the only architecture which has per_cpu current_task:

  arch$ git grep current_task | grep -i per_cpu
  x86/include/asm/current.h:DECLARE_PER_CPU(struct task_struct *, current_task);
  x86/kernel/cpu/common.c:DEFINE_PER_CPU(struct task_struct *, current_task) ____cacheline_aligned =
  x86/kernel/cpu/common.c:EXPORT_PER_CPU_SYMBOL(current_task);
  x86/kernel/cpu/common.c:DEFINE_PER_CPU(struct task_struct *, current_task) = &init_task;
  x86/kernel/cpu/common.c:EXPORT_PER_CPU_SYMBOL(current_task);
  x86/kernel/smpboot.c: per_cpu(current_task, cpu) = idle;

On other architectures, lx_current() will lead to a python exception:

  (gdb) p $lx_current().pid
  Python Exception <class 'gdb.error'> No symbol "current_task" in current context.:
  Error occurred in Python: No symbol "current_task" in current context.

To avoid more people struggling and wasting time in other architectures,
document it.

Link: https://lkml.kernel.org/r/20210314203444.15188-1-song.bao.hua@hisilicon.com
Link: https://lkml.kernel.org/r/20210314203444.15188-2-song.bao.hua@hisilicon.com
Signed-off-by: Barry Song <song.bao.hua@hisilicon.com>
Cc: Jan Kiszka <jan.kiszka@siemens.com>
Cc: Kieran Bingham <kbingham@kernel.org>
Cc: Jonathan Corbet <corbet@lwn.net>
Signed-off-by: Andrew Morton <akpm@linux-foundation.org>
Signed-off-by: Linus Torvalds <torvalds@linux-foundation.org>
Documentation/dev-tools/gdb-kernel-debugging.rst
scripts/gdb/linux/cpus.py