[Kern Meetup Blr] [CFP] : Talk Proposal: Insights into interactive debugging of Linux block device drivers
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AKHILESH PATIL
Nov 25, 2025, 8:14:01 AM (4 days ago) Nov 25
to Kernel Meetup Bangalore, AKHILESH PATIL
Hi all,
Please find my talk proposal for kernel meetup Blr December 2025.
Title: Insights into interactive debugging of Linux block device drivers.
Please find my talk proposal for kernel meetup Blr December 2025.
Title: Insights into interactive debugging of Linux block device drivers.
Preferred Format: Lightning talk
Abstract:
After 4+ years of bare-metal firmware development, I recently moved to linux device drivers development. On my first day, I hooked up the JTAG debugger and stopped the kernel, oops ! I got a crash !!! only to realize that things are not so straightforward here !!
In this lightning talk, I would like to tell a story about challenges I faced and techniques I came across to debug Linux MMC block device drivers interactively using tools such as T32/GDB debuggers on embedded systems. I will briefly cover eMMC driver integration with block layer and key golden functions to put breakpoints on for eMMC bus debugging. I will also discuss tools and techniques to take full control of eMMC block drivers, generating IO requests as per your wish, setting up triggers and probing signals on an oscilloscope for detailed debugging. Although this talk will be going over specific eMMC drivers, concepts discussed here will be equally applicable to other block device drivers as well.
After 4+ years of bare-metal firmware development, I recently moved to linux device drivers development. On my first day, I hooked up the JTAG debugger and stopped the kernel, oops ! I got a crash !!! only to realize that things are not so straightforward here !!
In this lightning talk, I would like to tell a story about challenges I faced and techniques I came across to debug Linux MMC block device drivers interactively using tools such as T32/GDB debuggers on embedded systems. I will briefly cover eMMC driver integration with block layer and key golden functions to put breakpoints on for eMMC bus debugging. I will also discuss tools and techniques to take full control of eMMC block drivers, generating IO requests as per your wish, setting up triggers and probing signals on an oscilloscope for detailed debugging. Although this talk will be going over specific eMMC drivers, concepts discussed here will be equally applicable to other block device drivers as well.
Agenda:
- Setting up embedded linux for interactive debug - single CPU, KASLR, WDT, ramfs, RCU, softlocks.
- Identifying golden breakpoints to stop and observe eMMC controller (sdhci) state.
- Setting up GPIO based trigger events to capture eMMC signals on an oscilloscope.
- Setting up embedded linux for interactive debug - single CPU, KASLR, WDT, ramfs, RCU, softlocks.
- Identifying golden breakpoints to stop and observe eMMC controller (sdhci) state.
- Setting up GPIO based trigger events to capture eMMC signals on an oscilloscope.
- Taking full control of eMMC while dealing with filesystem mounts on it.
- Leveraging kunit test mmc_test to generate controlled eMMC transactions to debug.
- Leveraging kunit test mmc_test to generate controlled eMMC transactions to debug.
Bio:
Akhilesh is an embedded software engineer at Amazon working with the devices kernel team. He is working on various BSP packages including linux drivers, runtime firmware and bootloaders. He has a background of Electrical and Electronics Engineering and is passionate about embedded systems and their applications in day-to-day life.
Akhilesh is an embedded software engineer at Amazon working with the devices kernel team. He is working on various BSP packages including linux drivers, runtime firmware and bootloaders. He has a background of Electrical and Electronics Engineering and is passionate about embedded systems and their applications in day-to-day life.
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Regards
Akhilesh Patil
Regards
Akhilesh Patil
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