doc: Add "Installing Debugging Files".

* doc/guix.texi (Installing Debugging Files): New node.
  (Packages with Multiple Outputs): Add cross-reference.
This commit is contained in:
Ludovic Courtès 2013-07-09 00:24:54 +02:00
parent 6e721c4d02
commit 91ef73d464
1 changed files with 65 additions and 4 deletions

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@ -707,10 +707,12 @@ output, whereas the GUIs are in a separate output. This allows users
who do not need the GUIs to save space.
There are several such multiple-output packages in the GNU distribution.
Other conventional output names are @code{lib} for libraries and
possibly header files, and @code{bin} for stand-alone programs. The
outputs of a packages are listed in the third column of the output of
@command{guix package --list-available} (@pxref{Invoking guix package}).
Other conventional output names include @code{lib} for libraries and
possibly header files, @code{bin} for stand-alone programs, and
@code{debug} for debugging information (@pxref{Installing Debugging
Files}). The outputs of a packages are listed in the third column of
the output of @command{guix package --list-available} (@pxref{Invoking
guix package}).
@node Invoking guix gc
@ -1481,6 +1483,7 @@ tools that help users exert that freedom.
@menu
* Packaging Guidelines:: What goes into the distribution.
* Installing Debugging Files:: Feeding the debugger.
* Package Modules:: Packages from the programmer's viewpoint.
* Bootstrapping:: GNU/Linux built from scratch.
* Porting:: Targeting another platform or kernel.
@ -1509,6 +1512,64 @@ reject non-free firmware, recommendations of non-free software, and
discuss ways to deal with trademarks and patents.
@node Installing Debugging Files
@section Installing Debugging Files
Program binaries, as produced by the GCC compilers for instance, are
typically written in the ELF format, with a section containing
@dfn{debugging information}. Debugging information is what allows the
debugger, GDB, to map binary code to source code; it is required to
debug a compiled program in good conditions.
The problem with debugging information is that is takes up a fair amount
of disk space. For example, debugging information for the GNU C Library
weighs in at more than 60 MiB. Thus, as a user, keeping all the
debugging info of all the installed programs is usually not an option.
Yet, space savings should not come at the cost of an impediment to
debugging---especially in the GNU system, which should make it easier
for users to exert their computing freedom (@pxref{GNU Distribution}).
Thankfully, the GNU Binary Utilities (Binutils) and GDB provide a
mechanism that allows users to get the best of both worlds: debugging
information can be stripped from the binaries and stored in separate
files. GDB is then able to load debugging information from those files,
when they are available (@pxref{Separate Debug Files,,, gdb, Debugging
with GDB}).
The GNU distribution takes advantage of this by storing debugging
information in the @code{lib/debug} sub-directory of a separate package
output unimaginatively called @code{debug} (@pxref{Packages with
Multiple Outputs}). Users can choose to install the @code{debug} output
of a package when they need it. For instance, the following command
installs the debugging information for the GNU C Library and for GNU
Guile:
@example
guix package -i glibc:debug -i guile:debug
@end example
GDB must then be told to look for debug files in the user's profile, by
setting the @code{debug-file-directory} variable (consider setting it
from the @file{~/.gdbinit} file, @pxref{Startup,,, gdb, Debugging with
GDB}):
@example
(gdb) set debug-file-directory ~/.guix-profile/lib/debug
@end example
From there on, GDB will pick up debugging information from the
@code{.debug} files under @file{~/.guix-profile/lib/debug}.
@c XXX: keep me up-to-date
The @code{debug} output mechanism in Guix is implemented by the
@code{gnu-build-system} (@pxref{Defining Packages}). Currently, it is
opt-in---debugging information is available only for those packages
whose definition explicitly declares a @code{debug} output. This may be
changed to opt-out in the future, if our build farm servers can handle
the load. To check whether a package has a @code{debug} output, use
@command{guix package --list-available} (@pxref{Invoking guix package}).
@node Package Modules
@section Package Modules