Conference hylndr::dclreview

768.0. "New qualifiers for DEBUG command" by DRINKS::NEWSTED () Mon Apr 07 1997 12:00

    Product:		OpenVMS Debug (VAX and ALPHA)

    Contact Name:	Gary Newsted
    E-Mail Address:	SSPADE::NEWSTED
    DTN:		381-1328

    Summary:

	This is request for new qualifiers to the existing DEBUG command.

	A future version of the OpenVMS Debugger will provide new 
	features which support Client/Server debugging in mixed platform 
	environments.  This is part of the "Affinity" program Wave 5.  To 
	support these features, we will need to extend our DCL Command 
	Table to include two new qualifiers as described below.  These 
	qualifiers have been privately tested and in daily use since 
	October 1995.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

	1) $ DEBUG/SERVER

	   Initializes the Debugger in "Debug Server Mode".  

	   In "Debug Server Mode", the debugger utilizes a DCE-RPC 
	   (Distributed Computing Environment - Remote Procedure Call) 
	   interface to allow debugging from distributed Debug Clients.  

	2) $ DEBUG/CLIENT

	   Initializes the OpenVMS Debugger's Motif Interface in 
	   "Debug Client Mode".  

	   In "Debug Client Mode", the debugger acts as a remote graphical
	   user interface to a Debug Server, using a DCE-RPC 
	   (Distributed Computing Environment - Remote Procedure Call) 
	   interface.

	   Debug Clients are available for Digital OpenVMS (VAX & Alpha),
	   Microsoft Windows NT (Alpha & Intel), and Microsoft Windows 95 
	   (Intel only).  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

!	X-12			Gary Newsted		10-Oct-1995
!		Add /CLIENT and /SERVER qualifiers to the DEBUG command.
!
define syntax debug_remote
	image rdbg$rdebug
	qualifier load_file, value(type=$file)
	qualifier go
	qualifier connect	
        parameter p1, prompt="Node", value(required)

define syntax debug_keep
        image sys$share:debugshr.exe
	parameter p1,value(type=$rest_of_line)

define syntax debug_server
        image sys$share:debugshr.exe
	parameter p1,value(type=$rest_of_line)

define syntax debug_client
        image sys$share:debuguishr.exe
	parameter p1,value(type=$rest_of_line)

define verb debug
        cliroutine debug
        qualifier remote,syntax=debug_remote
        qualifier keep,syntax=debug_keep,nonnegatable
        qualifier client,syntax=debug_client,nonnegatable
        qualifier server,syntax=debug_server,nonnegatable
        qualifier resume,default,nonnegatable
        disallow any2 (keep, remote, resume, server, client)

    How does /KEPT interact with these qualifiers?  Can you give an example
    where you use /SERVER or /CLIENT?
    
    				-John

	I presume you meant to say "/KEEP".  You will notice at the
	bottom of the base note that multiple qualifiers are not allowed,
	thus there is no interaction to speak of.  Conceptually the
	KEPT debugger and the SERVER-MODE debugger are very similar, in
	that they can both run programs without the need to exit the
	debug session between programs.  The difference is that when
	the /SERVER qualifier is used, the debugger does not initialize
	any of its user interfaces (CMD-MODE, SCREEN-MODE, or GUI-MODE)
	using instead, a new RPC API which can only communicate with
	a debugger running in CLIENT-MODE (started via $ DEBUG/CLIENT).

	Using these modes allows you to connect to one or more debug
	servers remotely, providing a powerful new set of development
	capabilities for client/server apps in mixed architecture
	environments.

	Regards,  Gary

    I don't have a problem with your DCL, but I do have some
    other conceptual questions like how does a client find the server?
    I suppose that isn't a question for here...
    
    				-John