Debugging and Symbol Files

Understanding the Basics

As software developers, we've all been there - staring at a pesky error message or a mysterious crash, trying to figure out what's gone wrong with our code. Debugging is an essential part of the software development process, and in this blog post, we'll dive into the world of debugging and symbol files.

What is Debugging?

Debugging, simply put, is the art and science of finding and eliminating bugs in software. Bugs can range from simple functional issues to security vulnerabilities, and as developers, it's our responsibility to identify and fix them. But before we can start fixing bugs, we need to understand what debugging is all about.

What is a Debugger?

A debugger is a program that analyzes and debugs other programs. There are many different types of debuggers available, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Some popular debuggers include,

• GNU Debugger (GDB)
• Intel Debugger (IDB)
• SoftIce (kernel mode debugger)
• WinDBG.

What are Debugger Symbols?

Debugger symbols are information about variables, functions, and other aspects of a binary that can be read by a debugger. When a debugger has access to these symbols, it can understand the binary much better, making it easier to debug. Debugger symbols can be part of the binary itself or stored in a separate file.

Debugger Symbol Files

Debug symbol files need to be explicitly mentioned at compile time. There are several types of debug symbol files, including

• DWARF-2
• COFF
• XCOFF
• Stabs

GCC, a popular compiler, uses the -g option to generate debug symbols, while GCC -ggdb is used for GDB-specific symbols.

gcc -ggdb main.c -o main

Let's take a look at an example:

For demonstration purposes I have built 2 different files, one with the debug symbols and another one without the debug symbols.

File Without Debug Symbols	File With Debug Symbols

The above examples clearly demonstrate that the file with debug symbols contain more details than the file without the debug symbols.

As you can see, the file without debug symbols lacks information about the variables and functions, making it much harder to debug. On the other hand, the file with debug symbols provides valuable information about the variables and functions, making it easier for the debugger to understand the code.

What do the Symbol Files Tell Us?

Symbol files provide a wealth of information about the code, including:

• Information about the sources
• Information about the variables
• Information about scopes
• Information about functions

By understanding what debugger symbols are and how they work, developers can write better code, identify bugs more easily, and improve their overall debugging experience.

In conclusion, debugging is an essential part of software development, and having a good understanding of debugger symbols is crucial for any developer. By knowing how to work with symbol files and what information they provide, you'll be well on your way to becoming a master debugger.