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4.10 Debugging Programs with Multiple Processes

On most systems, gdb has no special support for debugging programs which create additional processes using the fork function. When a program forks, gdb will continue to debug the parent process and the child process will run unimpeded. If you have set a breakpoint in any code which the child then executes, the child will get a SIGTRAP signal which (unless it catches the signal) will cause it to terminate.

However, if you want to debug the child process there is a workaround which isn't too painful. Put a call to sleep in the code which the child process executes after the fork. It may be useful to sleep only if a certain environment variable is set, or a certain file exists, so that the delay need not occur when you don't want to run gdb on the child. While the child is sleeping, use the ps program to get its process ID. Then tell gdb (a new invocation of gdb if you are also debugging the parent process) to attach to the child process (see Attach). From that point on you can debug the child process just like any other process which you attached to.

On some systems, gdb provides support for debugging programs that create additional processes using the fork or vfork functions. Currently, the only platforms with this feature are HP-UX (11.x and later only?) and gnu/Linux (kernel version 2.5.60 and later).

By default, when a program forks, gdb will continue to debug the parent process and the child process will run unimpeded.

If you want to follow the child process instead of the parent process, use the command set follow-fork-mode.

set follow-fork-mode mode
Set the debugger response to a program call of fork or vfork. A call to fork or vfork creates a new process. The mode argument can be:
parent
The original process is debugged after a fork. The child process runs unimpeded. This is the default.
child
The new process is debugged after a fork. The parent process runs unimpeded.


show follow-fork-mode
Display the current debugger response to a fork or vfork call.

On Linux, if you want to debug both the parent and child processes, use the command set detach-on-fork.

set detach-on-fork mode
Tells gdb whether to detach one of the processes after a fork, or retain debugger control over them both.
on
The child process (or parent process, depending on the value of follow-fork-mode) will be detached and allowed to run independently. This is the default.
off
Both processes will be held under the control of gdb. One process (child or parent, depending on the value of follow-fork-mode) is debugged as usual, while the other is held suspended.


show detach-on-follow
Show whether detach-on-follow mode is on/off.

If you choose to set detach-on-follow mode off, then gdb will retain control of all forked processes (including nested forks). You can list the forked processes under the control of gdb by using the info forks command, and switch from one fork to another by using the fork command.

info forks
Print a list of all forked processes under the control of gdb. The listing will include a fork id, a process id, and the current position (program counter) of the process.


fork fork-id
Make fork number fork-id the current process. The argument fork-id is the internal fork number assigned by gdb, as shown in the first field of the `info forks' display.

To quit debugging one of the forked processes, you can either detach from it by using the detach fork command (allowing it to run independently), or delete (and kill) it using the delete fork command.

detach fork fork-id
Detach from the process identified by gdb fork number fork-id, and remove it from the fork list. The process will be allowed to run independently.


delete fork fork-id
Kill the process identified by gdb fork number fork-id, and remove it from the fork list.

If you ask to debug a child process and a vfork is followed by an exec, gdb executes the new target up to the first breakpoint in the new target. If you have a breakpoint set on main in your original program, the breakpoint will also be set on the child process's main.

When a child process is spawned by vfork, you cannot debug the child or parent until an exec call completes.

If you issue a run command to gdb after an exec call executes, the new target restarts. To restart the parent process, use the file command with the parent executable name as its argument.

You can use the catch command to make gdb stop whenever a fork, vfork, or exec call is made. See Setting Catchpoints.