numerous tests fail in "make check" stage of gdb-8.0.1 on Debian 8.8 powerpc64

[Dennis Clarke <dclarke at blastwave dot org>]

This is a Debian 8.8 system on a PowerMac G5 with dual PowerPC 970
processors.

The output from config.guess looks to be reasonable and the configure 
stage went along nicely with an odd warning :


deb8_ppc64$ ../gdb-8.0.1/config.guess
powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu

deb8_ppc64$ ../gdb-8.0.1/configure --host=powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu \
> --target=powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu --with-expat=/usr/local \
> --with-gdb-datadir=/usr/local/share/gdb --without-libunwind-ia64 \
> --without-lzma --with-separate-debug-dir=/usr/local/lib/debug \
> --with-system-gdbinit=/etc/opt/gdb/gdbinit --with-zlib \
> --without-babeltrace
configure: WARNING: If you wanted to set the --build type, don't use --host.
    If a cross compiler is detected then cross compile mode will be used.
checking build system type... powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu
checking host system type... powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu
checking target system type... powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu
checking for a BSD-compatible install... /usr/bin/install -c
checking whether ln works... yes
checking whether ln -s works... yes
checking for a sed that does not truncate output... /bin/sed
checking for gawk... no
checking for mawk... mawk
checking for powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu-gcc... no
checking for gcc... gcc
checking for C compiler default output file name... a.out
checking whether the C compiler works... yes
checking whether we are cross compiling... no
checking for suffix of executables...
checking for suffix of object files... o
checking whether we are using the GNU C compiler... yes
checking whether gcc accepts -g... yes
checking for gcc option to accept ISO C89... none needed
checking for powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu-g++... no
checking for powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu-c++... no
checking for powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu-gpp... no
checking for powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu-aCC... no
checking for powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu-CC... no
checking for powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu-cxx... no
checking for powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu-cc++... no
checking for powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu-cl.exe... no
checking for powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu-FCC... no
checking for powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu-KCC... no
checking for powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu-RCC... no
checking for powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu-xlC_r... no
checking for powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu-xlC... no
checking for g++... g++
checking whether we are using the GNU C++ compiler... yes
checking whether g++ accepts -g... yes
checking whether g++ accepts -static-libstdc++ -static-libgcc... yes
checking for powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu-gnatbind... no
checking for gnatbind... gnatbind
checking for powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu-gnatmake... no
checking for gnatmake... gnatmake
checking whether compiler driver understands Ada... yes
checking how to compare bootstrapped objects... cmp --ignore-initial=16 
$$f1 $$f2
checking for objdir... .libs
checking for isl 0.16, 0.15, or deprecated 0.14... yes
checking for isl 0.16 or 0.15... yes
checking for default BUILD_CONFIG...
checking for --enable-vtable-verify... no
checking for bison... bison -y
checking for bison... bison
checking for gm4... no
checking for gnum4... no
checking for m4... m4
checking for flex... flex
checking for flex... flex
checking for makeinfo... makeinfo
checking for expect... expect
checking for runtest... runtest
checking for powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu-ar... no
checking for ar... ar
checking for powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu-as... no
checking for as... as
checking for powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu-dlltool... no
checking for dlltool... no
checking for powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu-ld... no
checking for ld... ld
checking for powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu-lipo... no
checking for lipo... no
checking for powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu-nm... no
checking for nm... nm
checking for powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu-ranlib... no
checking for ranlib... ranlib
checking for powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu-strip... no
checking for strip... strip
checking for powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu-windres... no
checking for windres... no
checking for powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu-windmc... no
checking for windmc... no
checking for powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu-objcopy... no
checking for objcopy... objcopy
checking for powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu-objdump... no
checking for objdump... objdump
checking for powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu-readelf... no
checking for readelf... readelf
checking for powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu-cc... no
checking for cc... cc
checking for powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu-c++... no
checking for c++... c++
checking for powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu-gcc... no
checking for gcc... gcc
checking for powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu-gfortran... no
checking for gfortran... gfortran
checking for powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu-gccgo... no
checking for gccgo... no
checking for powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu-ar... no
checking for ar... ar
checking for powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu-as... no
checking for as... as
checking for powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu-dlltool... no
checking for dlltool... no
checking for powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu-ld... no
checking for ld... ld
checking for powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu-lipo... no
checking for lipo... no
checking for powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu-nm... no
checking for nm... nm
checking for powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu-objcopy... no
checking for objcopy... objcopy
checking for powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu-objdump... no
checking for objdump... objdump
checking for powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu-ranlib... no
checking for ranlib... ranlib
checking for powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu-readelf... no
checking for readelf... readelf
checking for powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu-strip... no
checking for strip... strip
checking for powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu-windres... no
checking for windres... no
checking for powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu-windmc... no
checking for windmc... no
checking where to find the target ar... host tool
checking where to find the target as... host tool
checking where to find the target cc... host tool
checking where to find the target c++... host tool
checking where to find the target c++ for libstdc++... host tool
checking where to find the target dlltool... host tool
checking where to find the target gcc... host tool
checking where to find the target gfortran... host tool
checking where to find the target gccgo... host tool
checking where to find the target ld... host tool
checking where to find the target lipo... host tool
checking where to find the target nm... host tool
checking where to find the target objcopy... host tool
checking where to find the target objdump... host tool
checking where to find the target ranlib... host tool
checking where to find the target readelf... host tool
checking where to find the target strip... host tool
checking where to find the target windres... host tool
checking where to find the target windmc... host tool
checking whether to enable maintainer-specific portions of Makefiles... no
configure: creating ./config.status
config.status: creating Makefile
deb8_ppc64$

The compile went along fine and am running tests now but seeing a number 
of "FAIL" messages :


FAIL: gdb.base/dup-sect.exp: split
FAIL: gdb.base/dup-sect.exp: var1 after strip
FAIL: gdb.base/dup-sect.exp: var2 after strip
.
.
.
FAIL: gdb.base/ending-run.exp: step out of main
FAIL: gdb.base/ending-run.exp: step to end of run
.
.
.
FAIL: gdb.base/examine-backward.exp: char-width=1, print-max=20: take 6 
strings backward (pattern 1)
FAIL: gdb.base/examine-backward.exp: char-width=1, print-max=20: take 1 
string backward (6/6)
Running 
/usr/local/build/gdb-8.0.1_linux_3.16.0-4-powerpc64.001/gdb/testsuite/../../../gdb-8.0.1/gdb/testsuite/gdb.base/exe-lock.exp 
...

etc etc etc

It is difficult to know if the entire gdb build should be tossed away or 
is this normal behavior ?

Dennis