[opensource-dev] Debugging Snowstorm under Linux x64 with GDB locks the whole X session

[Nicky D.]

>
> That is not normal... My X display did lock up too.. until I replaced
> my videocard ;)

I know :) And I even had those 'nice' GFX card problems once on another PC. But
those are a lot nastier :D

> If you just let it run, then there is no reason for it to hang X imho :/.
> But if it only happens when you run gdb and not otherwise... I don't know.
> Sounds like a software problem then though.

Yeah.

I investigated this further. My suspicion that it has to do with
threads seem to be correct. If
I forcefully stop gdb from using libthread_db to debug threads all will be good.

If gdb hooks threads, it seems to muck in a way with them that seems
to cause freezes from
time to time.

I am not sure if this is a very strange bug in SL, a bug in
gdb/libthread_db, or a combination
of the two+ati driver.

We might never find out, as for obvious reasons I cannot debug it :/

Hopefully this will help someone else having the same problem: Just
prevent threads from
being debugged.

Cheers,
   Nicky