GDB Debugger

NetBurner GDB Demo Application

Overview

This is a simple demonstration application designed to run on NetBurner network-enabled hardware platforms. The application serves as a basic example for testing and using the GDB debugger with NetBurner devices.

Debugging can be done two ways:

1. NBEclipse: Debugging is done through the graphical IDE
2. Command Line: Debugging is done from a command prompt using commandline GDP on port 2159

Application Description

The GDB Demo application provides a minimal but functional embedded program that:

• Initializes the NetBurner network stack
• Starts a web server on the default port (80)
• Waits for network connectivity through DHCP
• Continuously displays runtime statistics to the serial console

Features

• Network Initialization: Automatically configures network settings
• Web Server: Built-in HTTP server for web-based interaction
• System Diagnostics: Enabled for debugging purposes
• Runtime Monitoring: Displays uptime information every 250ms
• Serial Output: Provides real-time feedback via default serial port

Hardware Requirements

• NetBurner network-enabled hardware platform
• Serial connection for console output
• Network connection (Ethernet)

Software Requirements

• NetBurner development environment
• GDB debugger support
• Compatible toolchain for NetBurner platforms

Application Behavior

Upon startup, the application will:

1. Initialize the network stack
2. Enable system diagnostics
3. Start the HTTP web server
4. Wait up to 5 seconds for network connectivity
5. Display "GDB Demo Application started" message
6. Enter main loop displaying runtime statistics

Console Output

The application continuously outputs the following information:

GDB Demo Application started
Seconds since boot: X, Ticks since boot: Y

Where:

• X represents the number of seconds since the application started
• Y represents the system tick count since boot

Usage

This application is primarily intended for:

• Debugging Practice: Learning to use GDB with NetBurner hardware
• System Testing: Verifying basic network and system functionality
• Development Reference: Example of minimal NetBurner application structure

Development Notes

• System diagnostics are enabled for debugging purposes
• Consider disabling diagnostics for production deployment
• The application runs in an infinite loop for continuous monitoring
• Output update rate is 4 times per second (250ms intervals)

File Structure

• main.cpp - Main application source code
• ReadMe.txt - Original documentation (Doxygen format)

Building and Deployment

Follow standard NetBurner development procedures to build and deploy this application to your target hardware platform.