Re: [Valgrind-users] valgrind, static linking and embedded environments

[Nicholas N. <nj...@cs...>]

On Fri, 9 Nov 2007, Y Giridhar Appaji Nag wrote:

> What are my options if I wanted to use valgrind in a static linking
> environment (say, something like busybox).  I searched for documents and
> list archives and this is a summary of what I discovered:
>
> [1] http://article.gmane.org/gmane.comp.debugging.valgrind/3
>
> Based on the above, it is probably possible to link coregrind and
> memcheck object files statically and generate a binary that runs under
> valgrind's control.  I tried this (used vg 3.2.3) and failed.  I
>
>  - Added VEX/libvex_x86_linux.a to the list of libs to be linked in
>  - removed one of coregrind/libcoregrind_x86_linux_a-m_debuglog.o
>    coregrind/valgrind-m_debuglog.o because they were the same file.
>  - moved coregrind/valgrind-launcher.o out of the way because it did
>    not do much for my purpose.
>
> After that I did not understand how I should be avoiding the
> re-definition of main (my own and coregrind/m_main.c) and _start (crt1.o
> and coregrind/m_main.c).  Is it possible that I call my own main
> sometime in coregrind/m_main.c:main()?  What do I do with _start?  I
> used collect2 directly (instead of ld) and avoided linking in crt1.o but
> I could not make much headway after that.
>
> I came across this:
>
> [2] http://article.gmane.org/gmane.comp.debugging.valgrind/1230
>
> Which indicates that things have changed from 2.1.0 to 2.1.1 and the
> earlier thread that I found was from pre-2.1.0 era.
>
> [3] http://article.gmane.org/gmane.comp.debugging.valgrind/4906
>
> What does "visible symbol table entry for the function to be
> intercepted" mean?  From this thread also, it looks like linking
> valgrind code statically to other code is not easy.
>
> Is it possible to use valgrind the way I am trying to?

There have been three distinct start-up approaches.  With an earlier version 
I did do what you are trying to do.  But that might have been when Valgrind 
used LD_PRELOAD to gain control, which was the first start-up mechanism.

For current Valgrinds (3.0 and later) the Valgrind core and tool are 
statically linked, and they load the client program.  I'm not sure how you 
could do what you want.  You seem to understand what's involved reasonably 
well, you probably have as much idea as anyone else about how best to do 
this...

Nick