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Date:      Thu, 17 Sep 1998 09:32:08 -0700
From:      John Polstra <jdp@polstra.com>
To:        bwithrow@BayNetworks.COM
Cc:        hackers@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: GDB modifies shared libraries?
Message-ID:  <199809171632.JAA11090@austin.polstra.com>
In-Reply-To: <199809171409.KAA02717@tuva.engeast.baynetworks.com>
References:  <199809171409.KAA02717@tuva.engeast.baynetworks.com>

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In article <199809171409.KAA02717@tuva.engeast.baynetworks.com>,
Robert Withrow  <bwithrow@BayNetworks.COM> wrote:
> I was debugging a (large) program using GDB on an xterm (which
> prevented me from getting the exact text, as you will see).  This
> is on 2.2.6-RELEASE on a P6-200 with 128M ram.  I was running as
> a normal user, not root.
> 
> I issued the "run" command and GDB said that /usr/lib/libc.so.3.1
> had changed and it was re-loading it.  That was followed immediately
> by X freezing, and then a spontaneous re-boot.  
> 
> After the system re-booted, sure enough the date on /usr/lib/libc.so.3.1
> had been changed!
> 
> Now, with this program, GDB generally says that the *program* has changed
> *every* time I issue the "run" command, but I thought that was just a
> GDB problem.  But I don't understand how GDB can override protections
> on /usr/lib/libc.so.3.1 in order to change its date.  This seems like
> an OS bug.

Yes, it is a kernel bug.  As far as I know, it doesn't actually modify
the file -- it just "updates" it with its original contents, changing
the timestamp.

The problem is believed to be solved in -current (and hence in 3.0).
At least, I haven't heard it reported there for a good long time.
However, I don't think anybody (except possibly John Dyson) knows
exactly what "the" fix was.
--
   John Polstra                                       jdp@polstra.com
   John D. Polstra & Co., Inc.                Seattle, Washington USA
   "Self-knowledge is always bad news."                 -- John Barth

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