NetBSD 8.1 available

NetBSD 8.1 is available!

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Validation and improvements of debugging interfaces

In the past month, I have introduced correctness and reliability of tracing processes in the kernel codebase.
I took part in BSDCan 2019 and during the event wrote a NetBSD version of truss, a ptrace(2)-powered syscall tracing utility from FreeBSD. I've finished the port after getting back home and published it to the NetBSD community. This work allowed me to validate the ptrace(2) interfaces in another application and catch new problems that affect every ptrace(2)-based debugger.[Read More] [0 comments]

 

NetBSD 8.1 Release Candidate 1

Nearly a year after the initial release of NetBSD 8.0, and lots of changes on the stable branch, a new release 8.1 is upcoming.

Binaries of the first (and most likely only) release candidate are available for testing.

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Improvements in forking, threading, and signal code

I am improving signaling code in the NetBSD kernel, covering corner cases with regression tests, and improving the documentation. I've been working at the level of sytems calls (syscalls): forking, threading, handling these with GDB, and tracing syscalls. Some work happens behind the scenes as I support the work of Michal Gorny on LLDB/ptrace(2) features.[Read More] [0 comments]

 

Announcing Google Summer of Code 2019 projects

We are very happy to announce The NetBSD Foundation Google Summer of Code 2019 projects:

• Akul Abhilash Pillai - Adapting TriforceAFL for NetBSD kernel fuzzing
• Manikishan Ghantasala - Add KNF (NetBSD style) clang-format configuration
• Siddharth Muralee - Enhancing Syzkaller support for NetBSD
• Surya P - Implementation of COMPAT_LINUX and COMPAT_NETBSD32 DRM ioctls support for NetBSD kernel
• Jason High - Incorporation of Argon2 Password Hashing Algorithm into NetBSD
• Saurav Prakash - Porting NetBSD to HummingBoard Pulse
• Naveen Narayanan - Porting WINE to amd64 architecture on NetBSD

The communiting bonding period - where students get in touch with mentors and community - started yesterday. The coding period will start from May 27 until August 19.

Please welcome all our students and a big good luck to students and mentors!

A big thank to Google and The NetBSD Foundation organization mentors and administrators!

Looking forward to a great Google Summer of Code!

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LLDB: extending CPU register inspection support

Upstream describes LLDB as a next generation, high-performance debugger. It is built on top of LLVM/Clang toolchain, and features great integration with it. At the moment, it primarily supports debugging C, C++ and ObjC code, and there is interest in extending it to more languages.

In February, I have started working on LLDB, as contracted by the NetBSD Foundation. So far I've been working on reenabling continuous integration, squashing bugs, improving NetBSD core file support and updating NetBSD distribution to LLVM 8 (which is still stalled by unresolved regressions in inline assembly syntax). You can read more about that in my Mar 2019 report.

In April, my main focus was on fixing and enhancing the support for reading and writing CPU registers. In this report, I'd like to shortly summarize what I have done, what I have learned in the process and what I still need to do.

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From Zero to NVMM

It will bring you good fortune, good luck, good health, and strength

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Continuation of signal semantics improvements

Over the past month I've finally managed to correct masking semantics of crash signals (SIGSEGV, SIGTRAP, SIGILL, SIGFPE, SIGBUS). Additionally I've fixed masking semantics in forks(2) and vforks(2) (they trigger a crash signal SIGTRAP). There is remaining work in signal semantics for other types of events (mainly thread related). The coverage of signal code in ptrace(2) regression tests keeps continuously incrementing.[Read More] [0 comments]

 

LLDB/LLVM report for March 2019

Upstream describes LLDB as a next generation, high-performance debugger. It is built on top of LLVM/Clang toolchain, and features great integration with it. At the moment, it primarily supports debugging C, C++ and ObjC code, and there is interest in extending it to more languages.

Originally, LLDB was ported to NetBSD by Kamil Rytarowski. However, multiple upstream changes and lack of continuous testing have resulted in decline of support. So far we haven't been able to restore the previous state.

In February, I have started working on LLDB, as contracted by the NetBSD Foundation. My initial effort was focused on restoring continuous integration via buildbot and restoring core file support. You can read more about that in my Feb 2019 report.

In March, I have been continuing this work and this report aims to summarize what I have done and what challenges still lie ahead of me.

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Increasing coverage of signal semantics in regression tests

Kernel signal code is a complex maze, it's very difficult to introduce non-trivial changes without regressions. Over the past month I worked on covering missing elementary scenarios involving the ptrace(2) API. Part of the new tests were marked as expected to success, however a number of them are expected to fail.[Read More] [0 comments]

 

LLDB from trunk is running on NetBSD once again!

Upstream describes LLDB as a next generation, high-performance debugger. It is built on top of LLVM/Clang toolchain, and features great integration with it. At the moment, it primarily supports debugging C, C++ and ObjC code, and there is interest in extending it to more languages.

Originally, LLDB was ported to NetBSD by Kamil Rytarowski. However, multiple upstream changes and lack of continuous testing have resulted in decline of support. So far we haven't been able to restore the previous state.

In February, I have started working on LLDB, as contracted by the NetBSD Foundation. LLDB used to work on NetBSD before but the support recently regressed. Therefore, my four first goals as detailed in the previous report were:

1. Restore tracing in LLDB for NetBSD (i386/amd64/aarch64) for single-threaded applications.

2. Restore execution of LLDB regression tests, unless there is need for a significant LLDB or kernel work, mark detected bugs as failing or unsupported ones.

3. Enable execution of LLDB regression tests on the buildbot in order to catch regressions.

4. Upstream NetBSD (i386/amd64) core(5) support. Develop LLDB regression tests (and the testing framework enhancement) as requested by upstream.

Of those tasks, I consider running regression tests on the buildbot the highest priority. Bisecting regressions post-factum is hard due to long build times, and having continuous integration working is going to be very helpful to maintaining the code long-term.

In this report, I'd like to summarize what I achieved and what technical difficulties I met.

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The NetBSD Foundation participating in Google Summer of Code 2019

For the 4th year in a row and for the 13th time The NetBSD Foundation will participate in Google Summer of Code 2019!

If you are a student and would like to learn more about Google Summer of Code please go to the Google Summer of Code homepage.

You can find a list of projects in Google Summer of Code project proposals in the wiki.

Do not hesitate to get in touch with us via #netbsd-code IRC channel on Freenode and via NetBSD mailing lists!

Looking forward to have a great summer!

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