Debugging with GDB

Node:MIPS, Previous:Alpha, Up:Architectures

#### MIPS

Alpha- and MIPS-based computers use an unusual stack frame, which sometimes requires GDB to search backward in the object code to find the beginning of a function.

To improve response time (especially for embedded applications, where GDB may be restricted to a slow serial line for this search) you may want to limit the size of this search, using one of these commands:

`set heuristic-fence-post` limit``
  Restrict GDB to examining at most limit bytes in its search for the beginning of a function. A value of 0 (the default) means there is no limit. However, except for 0, the larger the limit the more bytes `heuristic-fence-post` must search and therefore the longer it takes to run.
`show heuristic-fence-post`
  Display the current limit.

These commands are available only when GDB is configured for debugging programs on Alpha or MIPS processors.