BUGS 0.INTRODUCTION The FreeRADIUS web site is at , and most information referenced in this document can be found there. This is primarily for non-developers of the FreeRADIUS server. If you are able to patch the code to work correctly, then we invite you to join the development list to discuss it. If you're the type who know little about how to code, then this is the place for you! 1.YOU FOUND A BUG So you think you've found a bug in the FreeRADIUS server? You should first discuss it on the users list, to see if anyone can reproduce it. Often there's a simple explanation of why the server behaves as it does, and it's not necessarily a bug in the code, so browse the lists' archives of the last two months, and if you don't see messages about it, ask! If the behavior is correct but confusing, we think that's a bug too, and you should file a bug against our documentation. For more information about the users list, the lists' archives and the faq, please visit http://www.freeradius.org/list/users.html Please make sure to READ and RESPECT the house-rules. You will get much better response and much faster if you do! 2.CORE DUMPS If the server, or one of the accompyaning programs core dumps, then you should rebuild the server as follows: $ ./configure --enable-developer $ make $ make install and then run the program again. You may have to to enable core dumps, via: $ ulimit -c unlimited When it core dumps, do: $ gdb /path/to/executable /path/to/core/file Enable logging in gdb via the following commands: (gdb) set logging file gdb-radiusd.log (gdb) set logging on and follow the instructions in section 4, below. 3. DEBUGGING A LIVE SERVER If you can't get a core dump, or the problem doesn't result in a core dump, you may have to run the server under gdb. To do this, ensure that you have symbols in the binaries (i.e. a non-stripped binary) by re-building the server as described in the previous section. Then, run the server under gdb as follows: $ gdb radiusd Enable logging in gdb via the following commands: (gdb) set logging file gdb-radiusd.log (gdb) set logging on Tell gdb to pass any necessary command-line arguments to the server: (gdb) set args ... Where the "..." are the command-line arguments you normally pass to radiusd. If you don't normally pass command-line arguments, this line is not necessary. Then, do: (gdb) run When something interesting happens, you can hit CTRL-C in the window, and you should be back at the gdb prompt: (gdb) And follow the instructions in section 4, below. 4. OBTAINING USEFUL INFORMATION If the server was built with threads, you can do: (gdb) info threads Which will give you information about the threads. If the server isn't threaded, that command-line will print a message saying so. Then, do: (gdb) thread apply all bt full If the server isn't threaded, the "thread apply" section isn't necessary The output should be printed to the screen, and also sent to the gdb-radiusd.log file. Copy the log gile and mail it to the list, or put it on a web page if it's too large. Include the name of the operating system. Without this information, it's impossible for anyone to know why the program core dumped. You can also submit the information to the bug database at: http://bugs.freeradius.org/ Submitting it to the bug database ensures that the bug report won't get forgotten, and that someone will eventually respond to it. 5. VALGRIND On Linux systems, "valgrind" is a useful tool that can catch certain classes of bugs. To use it, run the server voa: $ valgrind --tool=memcheck --leak-check=full radiusd -Xm It will print out certain kinds of errors to the screen. There may be a number of errors related to OpenSSL, dlopen(), or libtldl. We cannot do anything about those problems. However, any errors that are inside of the FreeRADIUS source should be brought to our attention. -- FreeRADIUS Project, copyright 2008 $Id$