500126 - --debugger=gdb option for runtests.py doesn't work when crashreporter is enabled

Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE of bug 485531

(Toolkit :: Crash Reporting, defect)

Description

[Josh Aas]

The --debugger=gdb option for runtests.py doesn't work when crashreporter is enabled. After instructing gdb to run the build goes down with something like "error code 06". Disable crashreporter and everything works fine.

Tested on Mac OS X 10.5.7.

Comment 1

[Matthew Gregan [:kinetik]]

This behaviour isn't specific to the test harness, it just happens to show up there because the MOZ_CRASHREPORTER environment variable is set by the automation harness.  You can also reproduce it like so:

% MOZ_CRASHREPORTER=1 gdb --args ../obj-i386-apple-darwin9.7.0/dist/MinefieldDebug.app/Contents/MacOS/firefox-bin -no-remote -P minefield
(gdb) r
...
Program exited with code 06.

And the crash reporter UI pops up.  Crash report: http://crash-stats.mozilla.com/report/index/895b4b0a-284b-4bbe-a7d3-0a3f62090624?p=1

If I try to trace this in gdb, gdb hangs in google_breakpad::ExceptionHandler::InstallHandler (at toolkit/crashreporter/google-breakpad/src/client/mac/handler/exception_handler.cc:568) when calling task_set_exception_ports.  I can't attach to the hung gdb with another gdb session, and the only way to kill it is with a SIGKILL.

I guess it's possible that this is just a known limitation of Breakpad and we should try to work around it in the automation harness by not setting MOZ_CRASHREPORTER if --debugger has been specified, but I had a look through the Breakpad bug tracker and couldn't find any evidence that this behaviour is expected.

It could also be a gdb bug.  I'm seeing this with: gdb 6.3.50-20050815 (Apple version gdb-960).  Josh mentioned he was using gdb-966 from XCode 3.1.3.

Moving this to Toolkit/Breakpad Integration.

Comment 2

[(not currently active) Ted Mielczarek]

It could just be that gdb and Breakpad step on each other's toes since they both try to use the same Mach ports for the process. I'm not really well versed enough to know, but I think we should just work around this in the Mochitest harness if you specify --debugger.

Comment 3

[Boris Zbarsky [:bzbarsky]]

This is a duplicate of bug 485531, no?

Comment 4

[Matthew Gregan [:kinetik]]

Yes, it is.