[Android] Debugging with gdb.sh

[Andrey Gursky]

I've been debugging VLC-Android on February 2016 last time.
Now gdb.sh does not work anymore for me.

I've added --verbose to NDK_GDB_ARGS and tried with both NDK r10e and r11c.

* NDK r10e:

$ PATH=$PATH:/ABS-PATH-TO-android-sdk-linux/platform-tools ANDROID_SDK=/ABS-PATH-TO-android-sdk-linux ANDROID_NDK=/ABS-PATH-TO-android-ndk-r10e ./gdb.sh 
Android NDK installation path: /ABS-PATH-TO-android-ndk-r10e
Using default adb command: /ABS-PATH-TO-android-sdk-linux/platform-tools/adb
ADB version found: Android Debug Bridge version 1.0.32
Revision 09a0d98bebce-android
Using ADB flags: 
Using JDB command: /usr/bin/jdb
Using auto-detected project path: .
Found package name: org.videolan.vlc.debug
ABIs targetted by application: arm64-v8a armeabi armeabi-v7a armeabi-v7a mips mips64 x86 x86_64
Device API Level: 19
Device CPU ABIs: armeabi-v7a armeabi
Compatible device ABI: 
Using gdb setup init: ./libs/armeabi/gdb.setup
Using toolchain prefix: /ABS-PATH-TO-android-ndk-r10e/toolchains/arm-linux-androideabi-4.8/prebuilt/linux-x86_64/bin/arm-linux-androideabi-
Using app out directory: ./obj/local/armeabi
Found debuggable flag: false
ERROR: Package org.videolan.vlc.debug is not debuggable ! You can fix that in two ways:

  - Rebuilt with the NDK_DEBUG=1 option when calling 'ndk-build'.

  - Modify your manifest to set android:debuggable attribute to "true",
    then rebuild normally.

After one of these, re-install to the device!
$

-----------------

* NDK r11c:

PATH=$PATH:/ABS-PATH-TO-android-sdk-linux/platform-tools ANDROID_SDK=/ABS-PATH-TO-android-sdk-linux ANDROID_NDK=/ABS-PATH-TO-android-ndk-r11c ./gdb.sh 
ADB command used: 'adb -s 4100ee82e443a17b'
ADB version: Android Debug Bridge version 1.0.32 Revision 09a0d98bebce-android
Using project directory: /ABS-PATH-TO-vlc-android.git/.gdb 
Found package name: org.videolan.vlc.debug
Attaching to existing application process.
Application ABIs: arm64-v8a, armeabi, armeabi-v7a, armeabi-v7a-hard, mips, mips64, x86, x86_64
Device ABIs: armeabi-v7a, armeabi
Selecting ABI: armeabi-v7a
Detected pretty printer: none
Found application data directory: /data/data/org.videolan.vlc.debug
App gdbserver not found at /data/data/org.videolan.vlc.debug/lib/gdbserver, uploading.
Uploaded gdbserver to /data/local/tmp/arm-gdbserver
Pulling '/system/bin/linker' to '/ABS-PATH-TO-vlc-android.git/.gdb/obj/local/armeabi-v7a/system/bin/linker'
Pulling '/system/lib/libc.so' to '/ABS-PATH-TO-vlc-android.git/.gdb/obj/local/armeabi-v7a/system/lib/libc.so'
Pulling '/system/lib/libm.so' to '/ABS-PATH-TO-vlc-android.git/.gdb/obj/local/armeabi-v7a/system/lib/libm.so'
Pulling '/system/lib/libdl.so' to '/ABS-PATH-TO-vlc-android.git/.gdb/obj/local/armeabi-v7a/system/lib/libdl.so'
Starting gdbserver...
Redirecting gdbserver output to /tmp/gdbclient.log
GNU gdb (GDB) 7.10
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Error: unable to connect to device.
Remote communication error.  Target disconnected.: Connection reset by peer.
(gdb)

-----

/tmp/gdbclient.log:
run-as: exec failed for /data/local/tmp/arm-gdbserver Error:Permission denied

adb shell:
ls -l /data/local/tmp/                                          
-rwxrwxrwx shell    shell      579940 2016-03-30 09:57 arm-gdbserver

---------------------------------------------------------

Summary:
- r10e: doesn't recognize a debug build of VLC-Android at all.
- r11c: can't run gdbserver from non-app path /data/local/tmp
        (on Android 4.4.4).

I believe removing gdb.setup and gdbserver (git 6ae7318b58b) from .apk
causes both failures (directly or indirectly).

Regards,
Andrey