[Bionic][ARM64]Failure debugging linux kernel

Test package is available in PPA:
ppa:manjo/gdb-lp1830796

ubuntu@hotdog:~$ apt policy gdb
gdb:
  Installed: 8.1-0ubuntu4
  Candidate: 8.1-0ubuntu4
  Version table:
 *** 8.1-0ubuntu4 500
        500 http://ppa.launchpad.net/manjo/gdb-lp1830796/ubuntu bionic/main arm64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
     8.1-0ubuntu3 500
        500 http://ports.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-ports bionic/main arm64 Packages
ubuntu@hotdog:~$

root@hotdog:~# gdb /usr/lib/debug/boot/vmlinux-4.18.0-20-generic /proc/kcore
GNU gdb (Ubuntu 8.1-0ubuntu4) 8.1.0.20180409-git
Copyright (C) 2018 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later <http://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>
This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.
There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law. Type "show copying"
and "show warranty" for details.
This GDB was configured as "aarch64-linux-gnu".
Type "show configuration" for configuration details.
For bug reporting instructions, please see:
<http://www.gnu.org/software/gdb/bugs/>.
Find the GDB manual and other documentation resources online at:
<http://www.gnu.org/software/gdb/documentation/>.
For help, type "help".
Type "apropos word" to search for commands related to "word"...
Reading symbols from /usr/lib/debug/boot/vmlinux-4.18.0-20-generic...done.

warning: core file may not match specified executable file.
[New process 1]
Core was generated by `BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-4.18.0-20-generic root=UUID=edb5e5a7-8272-4e13-aa25-37'.
#0 0x0000000000000000 in ?? ()
(gdb) p jiffies_64
$1 = 4406710034
(gdb)

== Testing on PPC64EL ==

ubuntu@tiselius:~$ apt policy gdb
gdb:
  Installed: 8.1-0ubuntu4
  Candidate: 8.1-0ubuntu4
  Version table:
 *** 8.1-0ubuntu4 500
        500 http://ppa.launchpad.net/manjo/gdb-lp1830796/ubuntu bionic/main ppc64el Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
     8.1-0ubuntu3 500
        500 http://ports.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-ports bionic/main ppc64el Packages
ubuntu@tiselius:~$

root@hotdog:~# gdb /usr/lib/debug/boot/vmlinux-4.18.0-20-generic /proc/kcore
GNU gdb (Ubuntu 8.1-0ubuntu4) 8.1.0.20180409-git
Copyright (C) 2018 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later <http://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>
This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.
There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law. Type "show copying"
and "show warranty" for details.
This GDB was configured as "aarch64-linux-gnu".
Type "show configuration" for configuration details.
For bug reporting instructions, please see:
<http://www.gnu.org/software/gdb/bugs/>.
Find the GDB manual and other documentation resources online at:
<http://www.gnu.org/software/gdb/documentation/>.
For help, type "help".
Type "apropos word" to search for commands related to "word"...
Reading symbols from /usr/lib/debug/boot/vmlinux-4.18.0-20-generic...done.

warning: core file may not match specified executable file.
[New process 1]
Core was generated by `BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-4.18.0-20-generic root=UUID=edb5e5a7-8272-4e13-aa25-37'.
#0 0x0000000000000000 in ?? ()
(gdb) p jiffies_64
$1 = 4406710034
(gdb)

The attached debdiff to gdb fixes the issue. The patch was cleanly applied from the upstream GDB git repo, and test results are as posted to this bug report. No regression were found.

The attachment "Fix tagged pointer support." seems to be a debdiff. The ubuntu-sponsors team has been subscribed to the bug report so that they can review and hopefully sponsor the debdiff. If the attachment isn't a patch, please remove the "patch" flag from the attachment, remove the "patch" tag, and if you are member of the ~ubuntu-sponsors, unsubscribe the team.

[This is an automated message performed by a Launchpad user owned by ~brian-murray, for any issue please contact him.]

Next step is for this patch to go into the bionic gdb SRU queue.

I've uploaded this to the SRU queue for Ubuntu 18.04 so it can be reviewed by the SRU team.

Actually the version number used in the debdiff (8.1-0ubuntu4) had already been uploaded to the archive and so it was rejected. This is part of why https://wiki.ubuntu.com/SecurityTeam/UpdatePreparation#Update_the_packaging recommends appending a .1 to the package version number, which is what I did.

== Regression test on PPC64EL ==

ubuntu@tiselius:~$ uname -a
Linux tiselius 4.15.0-20-generic #21-Ubuntu SMP Tue Apr 24 06:14:44 UTC 2018 ppc64le ppc64le ppc64le GNU/Linux
ubuntu@tiselius:~$

ubuntu@tiselius:~$ apt policy gdb
gdb:
  Installed: 8.1-0ubuntu4
  Candidate: 8.1-0ubuntu4
  Version table:
 *** 8.1-0ubuntu4 500
        500 http://ppa.launchpad.net/manjo/gdb-lp1830796/ubuntu bionic/main ppc64el Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
     8.1-0ubuntu3 500
        500 http://ports.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-ports bionic/main ppc64el Packages
ubuntu@tiselius:~$

root@tiselius:/home/ubuntu# gdb /usr/lib/debug/boot/vmlinux-4.15.0-20-generic /proc/kcore
GNU gdb (Ubuntu 8.1-0ubuntu4) 8.1.0.20180409-git
Copyright (C) 2018 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later <http://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>
This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.
There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law. Type "show copying"
and "show warranty" for details.
This GDB was configured as "powerpc64le-linux-gnu".
Type "show configuration" for configuration details.
For bug reporting instructions, please see:
<http://www.gnu.org/software/gdb/bugs/>.
Find the GDB manual and other documentation resources online at:
<http://www.gnu.org/software/gdb/documentation/>.
For help, type "help".
Type "apropos word" to search for commands related to "word"...
Reading symbols from /usr/lib/debug/boot/vmlinux-4.15.0-20-generic...done.

warning: core file may not match specified executable file.
[New process 1]
Core was generated by `root=UUID=295f571b-b731-4ebb-b752-60aadc80fc1b ro console=hvc0'.
#0 0x0000000000000000 in ?? ()
(gdb) p jiffies_64
$1 = 4294952364
(gdb)

Hello Manoj, or anyone else affected,

Accepted gdb into bionic-proposed. The package will build now and be available at https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gdb/8.1-0ubuntu3.1 in a few hours, and then in the -proposed repository.

Please help us by testing this new package. See https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing/EnableProposed for documentation on how to enable and use -proposed. Your feedback will aid us getting this update out to other Ubuntu users.

If this package fixes the bug for you, please add a comment to this bug, mentioning the version of the package you tested and change the tag from verification-needed-bionic to verification-done-bionic. If it does not fix the bug for you, please add a comment stating that, and change the tag to verification-failed-bionic. In either case, without details of your testing we will not be able to proceed.

Further information regarding the verification process can be found at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/QATeam/PerformingSRUVerification . Thank you in advance for helping!

N.B. The updated package will be released to -updates after the bug(s) fixed by this package have been verified and the package has been in -proposed for a minimum of 7 days.

All autopkgtests for the newly accepted gdb (8.1-0ubuntu3.1) for bionic have finished running.
The following regressions have been reported in tests triggered by the package:

apport/2.20.9-0ubuntu7.7 (amd64)
python3.6/3.6.8-1~18.04.1 (amd64)

Please visit the excuses page listed below and investigate the failures, proceeding afterwards as per the StableReleaseUpdates policy regarding autopkgtest regressions [1].

https://people.canonical.com/~ubuntu-archive/proposed-migration/bionic/update_excuses.html#gdb

[1] https://wiki.ubuntu.com/StableReleaseUpdates#Autopkgtest_Regressions

Thank you!

== Proposed testing results ==

ubuntu@recht:~$ apt policy gdb
gdb:
  Installed: 8.1-0ubuntu3.1
  Candidate: 8.1-0ubuntu3.1
  Version table:
 *** 8.1-0ubuntu3.1 500
        500 http://ports.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-ports bionic-proposed/main arm64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
     8.1-0ubuntu3 500
        500 http://ports.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-ports bionic/main arm64 Packages
ubuntu@recht:~$

ubuntu@recht:~$ sudo gdb /usr/lib/debug/boot/vmlinux-4.15.0-62-generic /proc/kcore
GNU gdb (Ubuntu 8.1-0ubuntu3.1) 8.1.0.20180409-git
Copyright (C) 2018 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later <http://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>
This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.
There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law. Type "show copying"
and "show warranty" for details.
This GDB was configured as "aarch64-linux-gnu".
Type "show configuration" for configuration details.
For bug reporting instructions, please see:
<http://www.gnu.org/software/gdb/bugs/>.
Find the GDB manual and other documentation resources online at:
<http://www.gnu.org/software/gdb/documentation/>.
For help, type "help".
Type "apropos word" to search for commands related to "word"...
Reading symbols from /usr/lib/debug/boot/vmlinux-4.15.0-62-generic...done.

warning: core file may not match specified executable file.
[New process 1]
Core was generated by `BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-4.15.0-62-generic root=UUID=4e57d549-7669-4f93-82d9-8c'.
#0 0x0000000000000000 in ?? ()
(gdb) p jiffies_64
$1 = 4295689599
(gdb)

I retried python3.6 and it passed, however apport failed again but that is due to a timeout when connecting to Lanchpad so we've bad-tested that failure.

This bug was fixed in the package gdb - 8.1-0ubuntu3.1

---------------
gdb (8.1-0ubuntu3.1) bionic; urgency=medium

  * Fix tagged pointer support. LP: #1830796

 -- Manoj Iyer <email address hidden> Fri, 28 Jun 2019 08:26:38 -0700

The verification of the Stable Release Update for gdb has completed successfully and the package has now been released to -updates. Subsequently, the Ubuntu Stable Release Updates Team is being unsubscribed and will not receive messages about this bug report. In the event that you encounter a regression using the package from -updates please report a new bug using ubuntu-bug and tag the bug report regression-update so we can easily find any regressions.