17. Porting GDB

Most of the work in making GDB compile on a new machine is in specifying the configuration of the machine. Porting a new architecture to GDB can be broken into a number of steps.

• Ensure a BFD exists for executables of the target architecture in the `bfd' directory. If one does not exist, create one by modifying an existing similar one.

• Implement a disassembler for the target architecture in the `opcodes' directory.

• Define the target architecture in the `gdb' directory (see section Adding a New Target). Add the pattern for the new target to `configure.tgt' with the names of the files that contain the code. By convention the target architecture definition for an architecture arch is placed in `arch-tdep.c'.

  Within `arch-tdep.c' define the function _initialize_arch_tdep which calls gdbarch_register to create the new struct gdbarch for the architecture.

• If a new remote target is needed, consider adding a new remote target by defining a function _initialize_remote_arch. However if at all possible use the GDB Remote Serial Protocol for this and implement the server side protocol independently with the target.

• If desired implement a simulator in the `sim' directory. This should create the library `libsim.a' implementing the interface in `remote-sim.h' (found in the `include' directory).

• Build and test. If desired, lobby the GDB steering group to have the new port included in the main distribution!

• Add a description of the new architecture to the main GDB user guide (see section `Configuration Specific Information' in Debugging with GDB).