nuttx/Documentation/quickstart/debugging.rst

.. include:: /substitutions.rst
.. _debugging:

Debugging
=========

Finding and fixing bugs is an important part of the hardware and software development process. Sometimes you also need
to use debugging techniques to understand how the system works. Two tools that are helpful are debug logging and
debugging using the Gnu Debugger (gdb).

Debug Logging
-------------

NuttX has a powerful logging facility with ``info``, ``warn``, and ``error`` levels. You can enable debugging for your
build for the ``net`` feature (TCP/IP stack) by putting the following lines in your ``.config`` file:

    ::

       CONFIG_DEBUG_ALERT=y
       CONFIG_DEBUG_FEATURES=y
       CONFIG_DEBUG_ERROR=y
       CONFIG_DEBUG_WARN=y
       CONFIG_DEBUG_INFO=y
       CONFIG_DEBUG_ASSERTIONS=y
       CONFIG_DEBUG_NET=y
       CONFIG_DEBUG_NET_ERROR=y
       CONFIG_DEBUG_NET_WARN=y
       CONFIG_DEBUG_NET_INFO=y
       CONFIG_DEBUG_SYMBOLS=y
       CONFIG_DEBUG_NOOPT=y
       CONFIG_SYSLOG_TIMESTAMP=y

Note that turning all these to ``y`` will produce an incredible amount of logging output. Set the level you want and
the area you're interested in to ``y``, and the rest to ``n``, and then recompile. You can see the full list of
debug feature areas in the file `debug.h <https://github.com/apache/incubator-nuttx/blob/master/include/debug.h>`__.

Timestamps can be enabled by setting ``CONFIG_SYSLOG_TIMESTAMP=y``.

You may need to do a little bit of experimenting to find the combination of logging settings that work for the problem
you're trying to solve. See the file `debug.h <https://github.com/starcat-io/incubator-nuttx/blob/master/include/debug.h>`_
for available debug settings that are available. This can also be configured via the ``menuconfig`` system.

There are also subsystems that enable USB trace debugging, and you can log to memory too, if you need the logging to be
faster than what the console can output.

Changing Debug Settings Quickly
-------------------------------

You can use the ``kconfig-tweak`` script that comes with the ``kconfig-frontends`` tools to quickly change debug settings,
for instance turning them on or off before doing a build:

.. code-block:: bash

   $ kconfig-tweak --disable CONFIG_DEBUG_NET
   $ kconfig-tweak --enable CONFIG_DEBUG_NET

You can put a bunch of these into a simple script to configure the logging the way you want:

.. code-block:: bash

   #!/bin/bash

   $ kconfig-tweak --disable CONFIG_DEBUG_ALERT
   $ kconfig-tweak --disable CONFIG_DEBUG_FEATURES
   $ kconfig-tweak --disable CONFIG_DEBUG_ERROR
   $ kconfig-tweak --disable CONFIG_DEBUG_WARN
   $ kconfig-tweak --disable CONFIG_DEBUG_INFO
   $ kconfig-tweak --disable CONFIG_DEBUG_ASSERTIONS
   $ kconfig-tweak --disable CONFIG_DEBUG_NET
   $ kconfig-tweak --disable CONFIG_DEBUG_NET_ERROR
   $ kconfig-tweak --disable CONFIG_DEBUG_NET_WARN
   $ kconfig-tweak --disable CONFIG_DEBUG_NET_INFO
   $ kconfig-tweak --disable CONFIG_DEBUG_SYMBOLS
   $ kconfig-tweak --disable CONFIG_DEBUG_NOOPT
   $ kconfig-tweak --disable CONFIG_SYSLOG_TIMESTAMP

Custom Debug Logging
--------------------

Sometimes you need to see debug logs specific to your feature, and you don't want the rest of the built-in logs
because they're either not relevant or have too much information. Debugging using logs is surprisingly powerful.


You can add your own custom debug logging by adding the following lines to
`debug.h <https://github.com/apache/incubator-nuttx/blob/master/include/debug.h>`__:

.. code-block:: c

   /* after the CONFIG_DEBUG_WATCHDOG_INFO block near line 721 */
   #ifdef CONFIG_DEBUG_CUSTOM_INFO
   #  define custinfo    _info
   #else
   #  define custinfo    _none
   #endif

You need to add the following line to your ``.config`` file:

.. code-block:: c

   CONFIG_DEBUG_CUSTOM_INFO=y

You would use it like this:

.. code-block:: c

   /* Custom debug logging */
   custinfo("This is a custom log message.");
   custinfo("Custom log data: %d", my-integer-variable);


JTAG Debugging
--------------

`JTAG <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JTAG>`_ is a set of standards that specify a way to attach a hardware device to
your embedded board, and then remotely control the CPU. You can load code, start, stop, step through the program, and
examine variables and memory.

This guide assumes your board has a JTAG connector, and you have a JTAG hardware debugger like a
`Segger J-Link <https://www.segger.com/products/debug-probes/j-link/>`_ or `OpenOCD <http://openocd.org/doc-release/html/index.html>`_.

The NuttX operating system uses `threads <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thread_(computing)>`_, so you need a
thread-aware debugger to do more than load code, start, and stop it. A thread-aware debugger will allow you to switch
threads to the one that is running the code you're interested in, for instance your application, or an operating system
network thread. So far, OpenOCD is the only supported NuttX thread-aware debugger.

You will need an OpenOCD-compatible hardware adapter, ideally a fast one (USB 2.0 High Speed). This guide assumes you
are using the `Olimex ARM USB TINY H <https://www.olimex.com/Products/ARM/JTAG/ARM-USB-TINY-H/>`_.
(`Olimex ARM USB TINY H on Amazon <https://smile.amazon.com/Olimex-ARM-USB-TINY-H-Arm-Jtag/dp/B009UED630/>`_.) Other
adapters may work, follow the OpenOCD instructions and the instructions that came with your adapter.

You'll need to use the `Sony fork of OpenOCD <https://github.com/sony/openocd-nuttx>`_. Download and install it
according to the OpenOCD instructions.

See this article for more info:
`Debugging a Apache NuttX target with GDB and OpenOCD <https://micro-ros.github.io/docs/tutorials/advanced/debugging_gdb_openocd/>`_.

See the section :ref:`Running <running>` for a brief tutorial on how to use GDB.

----

Next up is :ref:`organization`.