[Dwarf-discuss] new libdwarf/dwarfdump

[David Anderson]

A new release of libdwarf/dwarfdump is now
at http://reality.sgiweb.org/davea/dwarf.html
	libdwarf-20060418.tar.gz
The changes are significant, but only apply to frame information
retrieval.

A dwarfdump.conf configuration file containing as little as:

beginabi: x86
frame_interface: 3
initial_reg_value: 1035  # DW_FRAME_SAME_VAL
reg_table_size: 66  # more than large enough, hopefully.
cfa_reg: 1036  # DW_FRAME_CFA_COL3
reg: eax 0
reg: ecx 1
reg: edx 2
reg: ebx 3
reg: esp 4
reg: ebp 5
reg: esi 6
reg: edi 7
reg: eip 8
endabi: x86

suffices to let dwarfdump print x86 .debug_frame and .eh_frame registers
sensibly.

A dwarfdump.conf with this and more is in the distribution.
(Comments in that file explain the format).

A new interface in libdwarf makes it possible to correctly
retrieve all of the DWARF3 (and DWARF2) frame information (the
earlier interfaces really only were correct for MIPS because
they assumed the CFA was 'in the rules table' -- the new
interface no longer makes that unnecessary  and incorrect
assumption).  See the libdwarf2.1.ps documentation.
The older interfaces are still supported, but folks
would be well advised to switch to the new frame consumer
interface because the old one cannot handle all of DWARF3
and was sort of broken conceptually[in folding CFA into 
the rules table].

I think the consumer interfaces now handle all DWARF2/3 
completely and correctly (there could be bugs...). I think.

The producer interfaces are still incomplete for DWARF3.

Enjoy!
David Anderson