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 - <a name="Static-Probe-Points"></a>
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 - <p>
 - Next: <a href="Error-in-Breakpoints.html#Error-in-Breakpoints" accesskey="n" rel="next">Error in Breakpoints</a>, Previous: <a href="Save-Breakpoints.html#Save-Breakpoints" accesskey="p" rel="prev">Save Breakpoints</a>, Up: <a href="Breakpoints.html#Breakpoints" accesskey="u" rel="up">Breakpoints</a>   [<a href="index.html#SEC_Contents" title="Table of contents" rel="contents">Contents</a>][<a href="Concept-Index.html#Concept-Index" title="Index" rel="index">Index</a>]</p>
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 - <hr>
 - <a name="Static-Probe-Points-1"></a>
 - <h4 class="subsection">5.1.10 Static Probe Points</h4>
 - 
 - <a name="index-static-probe-point_002c-SystemTap"></a>
 - <a name="index-static-probe-point_002c-DTrace"></a>
 - <p><small>GDB</small> supports <em>SDT</em> probes in the code.  <acronym>SDT</acronym> stands
 - for Statically Defined Tracing, and the probes are designed to have a tiny
 - runtime code and data footprint, and no dynamic relocations.
 - </p>
 - <p>Currently, the following types of probes are supported on
 - ELF-compatible systems:
 - </p>
 - <ul>
 - <li> <code>SystemTap</code> (<a href="http://sourceware.org/systemtap/">http://sourceware.org/systemtap/</a>)
 - <acronym>SDT</acronym> probes<a name="DOCF5" href="#FOOT5"><sup>5</sup></a>.  <code>SystemTap</code> probes are usable
 - from assembly, C and C<tt>++</tt> languages<a name="DOCF6" href="#FOOT6"><sup>6</sup></a>.  
 - 
 - </li><li> <code>DTrace</code> (<a href="http://oss.oracle.com/projects/DTrace">http://oss.oracle.com/projects/DTrace</a>)
 - <acronym>USDT</acronym> probes.  <code>DTrace</code> probes are usable from C and
 - C<tt>++</tt> languages.
 - </li></ul>
 - 
 - <a name="index-semaphores-on-static-probe-points"></a>
 - <p>Some <code>SystemTap</code> probes have an associated semaphore variable;
 - for instance, this happens automatically if you defined your probe
 - using a DTrace-style <samp>.d</samp> file.  If your probe has a semaphore,
 - <small>GDB</small> will automatically enable it when you specify a
 - breakpoint using the ‘<samp>-probe-stap</samp>’ notation.  But, if you put a
 - breakpoint at a probe’s location by some other method (e.g.,
 - <code>break file:line</code>), then <small>GDB</small> will not automatically set
 - the semaphore.  <code>DTrace</code> probes do not support semaphores.
 - </p>
 - <p>You can examine the available static static probes using <code>info
 - probes</code>, with optional arguments:
 - </p>
 - <dl compact="compact">
 - <dd><a name="index-info-probes"></a>
 - </dd>
 - <dt><code>info probes <span class="roman">[</span><var>type</var><span class="roman">]</span> <span class="roman">[</span><var>provider</var> <span class="roman">[</span><var>name</var> <span class="roman">[</span><var>objfile</var><span class="roman">]</span><span class="roman">]</span><span class="roman">]</span></code></dt>
 - <dd><p>If given, <var>type</var> is either <code>stap</code> for listing
 - <code>SystemTap</code> probes or <code>dtrace</code> for listing <code>DTrace</code>
 - probes.  If omitted all probes are listed regardless of their types.
 - </p>
 - <p>If given, <var>provider</var> is a regular expression used to match against provider
 - names when selecting which probes to list.  If omitted, probes by all
 - probes from all providers are listed.
 - </p>
 - <p>If given, <var>name</var> is a regular expression to match against probe names
 - when selecting which probes to list.  If omitted, probe names are not
 - considered when deciding whether to display them.
 - </p>
 - <p>If given, <var>objfile</var> is a regular expression used to select which
 - object files (executable or shared libraries) to examine.  If not
 - given, all object files are considered.
 - </p>
 - </dd>
 - <dt><code>info probes all</code></dt>
 - <dd><p>List the available static probes, from all types.
 - </p></dd>
 - </dl>
 - 
 - <a name="index-enabling-and-disabling-probes"></a>
 - <p>Some probe points can be enabled and/or disabled.  The effect of
 - enabling or disabling a probe depends on the type of probe being
 - handled.  Some <code>DTrace</code> probes can be enabled or
 - disabled, but <code>SystemTap</code> probes cannot be disabled.
 - </p>
 - <p>You can enable (or disable) one or more probes using the following
 - commands, with optional arguments:
 - </p>
 - <dl compact="compact">
 - <dd><a name="index-enable-probes"></a>
 - </dd>
 - <dt><code>enable probes <span class="roman">[</span><var>provider</var> <span class="roman">[</span><var>name</var> <span class="roman">[</span><var>objfile</var><span class="roman">]</span><span class="roman">]</span><span class="roman">]</span></code></dt>
 - <dd><p>If given, <var>provider</var> is a regular expression used to match against
 - provider names when selecting which probes to enable.  If omitted,
 - all probes from all providers are enabled.
 - </p>
 - <p>If given, <var>name</var> is a regular expression to match against probe
 - names when selecting which probes to enable.  If omitted, probe names
 - are not considered when deciding whether to enable them.
 - </p>
 - <p>If given, <var>objfile</var> is a regular expression used to select which
 - object files (executable or shared libraries) to examine.  If not
 - given, all object files are considered.
 - </p>
 - <a name="index-disable-probes"></a>
 - </dd>
 - <dt><code>disable probes <span class="roman">[</span><var>provider</var> <span class="roman">[</span><var>name</var> <span class="roman">[</span><var>objfile</var><span class="roman">]</span><span class="roman">]</span><span class="roman">]</span></code></dt>
 - <dd><p>See the <code>enable probes</code> command above for a description of the
 - optional arguments accepted by this command.
 - </p></dd>
 - </dl>
 - 
 - <a name="index-_0024_005fprobe_005farg_002c-convenience-variable"></a>
 - <p>A probe may specify up to twelve arguments.  These are available at the
 - point at which the probe is defined—that is, when the current PC is
 - at the probe’s location.  The arguments are available using the
 - convenience variables (see <a href="Convenience-Vars.html#Convenience-Vars">Convenience Vars</a>)
 - <code>$_probe_arg0</code>…<code>$_probe_arg11</code>.  In <code>SystemTap</code>
 - probes each probe argument is an integer of the appropriate size;
 - types are not preserved.  In <code>DTrace</code> probes types are preserved
 - provided that they are recognized as such by <small>GDB</small>; otherwise
 - the value of the probe argument will be a long integer.  The
 - convenience variable <code>$_probe_argc</code> holds the number of arguments
 - at the current probe point.
 - </p>
 - <p>These variables are always available, but attempts to access them at
 - any location other than a probe point will cause <small>GDB</small> to give
 - an error message.
 - </p>
 - 
 - <div class="footnote">
 - <hr>
 - <h4 class="footnotes-heading">Footnotes</h4>
 - 
 - <h3><a name="FOOT5" href="#DOCF5">(5)</a></h3>
 - <p>See
 - <a href="http://sourceware.org/systemtap/wiki/AddingUserSpaceProbingToApps">http://sourceware.org/systemtap/wiki/AddingUserSpaceProbingToApps</a>
 - for more information on how to add <code>SystemTap</code> <acronym>SDT</acronym>
 - probes in your applications.</p>
 - <h3><a name="FOOT6" href="#DOCF6">(6)</a></h3>
 - <p>See
 - <a href="http://sourceware.org/systemtap/wiki/UserSpaceProbeImplementation">http://sourceware.org/systemtap/wiki/UserSpaceProbeImplementation</a>
 - for a good reference on how the <acronym>SDT</acronym> probes are implemented.</p>
 - </div>
 - <hr>
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 - Next: <a href="Error-in-Breakpoints.html#Error-in-Breakpoints" accesskey="n" rel="next">Error in Breakpoints</a>, Previous: <a href="Save-Breakpoints.html#Save-Breakpoints" accesskey="p" rel="prev">Save Breakpoints</a>, Up: <a href="Breakpoints.html#Breakpoints" accesskey="u" rel="up">Breakpoints</a>   [<a href="index.html#SEC_Contents" title="Table of contents" rel="contents">Contents</a>][<a href="Concept-Index.html#Concept-Index" title="Index" rel="index">Index</a>]</p>
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