NetBSD Problem Report #44242

From www@NetBSD.org  Thu Dec 16 08:44:53 2010
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Date: Thu, 16 Dec 2010 08:44:52 +0000 (UTC)
From: randolf+netbsd@inter-corporate.com
Reply-To: randolf+netbsd@inter-corporate.com
To: gnats-bugs@NetBSD.org
Subject: Minor but useful improvement to text output from NetBSD debugger
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>Number:         44242
>Category:       kern
>Synopsis:       Minor but useful improvement to text output from NetBSD debugger
>Confidential:   no
>Severity:       non-critical
>Priority:       low
>Responsible:    kern-bug-people
>State:          closed
>Class:          change-request
>Submitter-Id:   net
>Arrival-Date:   Thu Dec 16 08:45:00 +0000 2010
>Closed-Date:    Sat Oct 07 12:58:08 +0000 2017
>Last-Modified:  Sat Oct 07 12:58:08 +0000 2017
>Originator:     Randolf Richardson
>Release:        5.1
>Organization:
Inter-Corporate Computer & Network Services, Inc.
>Environment:
Not applicable.
>Description:
Today someone in IRC was wondering how they could determine what the source of the problem was when a breakpoint message appeared on their console when the debugger fired up.

Eventually someone pointed out that CTRL-Alt-Esc can start the debugger and then the user realized that this was most likely the cause of their breakpoint message.

The problem is that the user didn't know that they had accidentally started the debugger and were worried that something might be wrong with their hardware.

SUGGESTION
----------

My suggestion is to update the debugger in NetBSD by inserting an extra line of text when it starts as the first line, which indicates how the debugger was started.  When it's due to keyboard use, I suggest this as the very first line of the debugger output (or last line before the debugger prompt):

*** You pressed CTRL-ALT-ESC to start the debugger.  To continue to NetBSD, type the letter "c" then press the Enter key. ***

For those users who don't understand how to use a debugger, this will be a very helpful message which will make it very easy to continue without losing something important that they're working on.

>How-To-Repeat:
Press CTRL-Alt-Esc accidentally (humour not intended).

>Fix:
Use the debugger's Continue ("c") command (if you know how; many users don't).

>Release-Note:

>Audit-Trail:

State-Changed-From-To: open->closed
State-Changed-By: kamil@NetBSD.org
State-Changed-When: Sat, 07 Oct 2017 14:58:08 +0200
State-Changed-Why:
Closing.

Starting ddb(4) might be different on different ports and different user-configurations...
It might be better to disable ddb(4) in the kernel config at all for users who are not allowed
or expected to debug the kernel.


>Unformatted:

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