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Getting Started and Running Programs

The Concert Debugger must be run within Emacs. You can run it by typing M-x cadb. The debugger will prompt you for a CA file; enter the name of the executable. The executable must have been compiled with the `-g' compiler flag, and the debugger assumes that all source files have .ca extensions. After a pause, the debugger will show a banner such as the following.


Illinois Concert System -- Concert Debugger -- Version 2.1 Alpha
 current directory is /home/chien/dolby/ca/programs/party
 bugs to concert-bugs@red-herring.cs.uiuc.edu
 type `help concert' for instructions
 the debugger is loading...

Many features provided by the debugger require use of the CA source files. Access these in the normal Emacs way, using find-file.

Running the Program

Running a CA program in the debugger works just like running a program in The GNU Debugger : simply type `run.' Any runtime flags can be appended after the run command, in just the same manner as they are used at the UNIX prompt. The example below runs the program being debugged using 8 processors. The arguments can be changed in the normal The GNU Debugger fashion; type help run for details.


(cadb) run -n 8

5.000000

program took 0.260000 seconds
------------------------------------------------------------

When the program being debugged is run, you often (although not always) see the message shown below, even when you have not run the program before. This is because the debugger uses the runtime system, hence the program must be running to provide the debugger with access to it. Just say yes.


The program being debugged has been started already.
Start it from the beginning? (y or n)



Next: Tracing Program Execution Up: The Concert Debugger Users Previous: Introduction


Julian Dolby
Concurrent Systems Architecture Group