gdb 5.1 dumped core on me [was: Emacs abort under gdb]

[Francesco Potorti`]

GNU gdb 5.1 configured as "i386-linux".

This is the stock GDB in the woody Debian distribution.  

I have files in ftp://fly.cnuce.cnr.it/pub/tmp/gdb-bug/.  They are the
core left by gdb, which is enormous but compressed very well, and the
whole Emacs src dir that I was debugging at the moment.  All in all,
about 30 MB to download, 200 on the disk.

I had run emacs under gdb using this script file:

===File ~/News/emacs.gdb====================================
#! /usr/bin/gdb -x

file /opt/e21/src/emacs
source /opt/e21/src/.gdbinit
r --funcall load-my-desktop
============================================================

when Emacs crashed.  I have some logs of the session, that I report
below.  The last log is when gdb crashed:

------------ Last log (gdb crash) ------------

(gdb) p/x current_buffer->auto_save_file_name
$59 = 0x1827b31c
(gdb) xstring
$60 = (struct Lisp_String *) 0x827b31c
Segmentation fault (core dumped)
---------- end of last log -------------------

In the middle, I had the problem that the x* commands defined in the
.gdbinit file in the emacs src dir did not work:

------------ Intermediate log (x* commands not working -----------

(gdb) p/x current_buffer->size
$46 = 0x2002006d
(gdb) xtype
Lisp_Misc
Argument to arithmetic operation not a number or boolean.
(gdb) p/x current_buffer->size
$48 = 0x2002006d
(gdb) xmisctype
Argument to arithmetic operation not a number or boolean.
--------------- end of intermidiate log --------------------------

This problem disappeared after I issued the xreload command, which too
is defined in the emacs .gdbinit.


----------- First log (beginning of session) -----------

Fatal error (6).
Program received signal SIGABRT, Aborted.
0x4031a911 in kill () from /lib/libc.so.6
(gdb) bt
#0  0x4031a911 in kill () from /lib/libc.so.6
#1  0x080ceb86 in fatal_error_signal (sig=6) at emacs.c:370
#2  0x4031a848 in sigaction () from /lib/libc.so.6
#3  0x080eef51 in buf_charpos_to_bytepos (b=0x8b867c8, charpos=16230496) at 
marker.c:141
#4  0x08103434 in scan_newline (start=16230496, start_byte=16230496, limit=1, 
limit_byte=1, count=-1, allow_quit=1)
    at search.c:761
#5  0x081000e0 in current_column_1 () at indent.c:516
#6  0x080ffd08 in current_column () at indent.c:377
#7  0x08065d50 in redisplay_internal (preserve_echo_area=1) at xdisp.c:8492
#8  0x08066b2a in redisplay_preserve_echo_area (from_where=2) at xdisp.c:9057
#9  0x08056852 in sit_for (sec=0, usec=125000, reading=0, display=1, 
initial_display=1) at dispnew.c:6185
#10 0x0805696d in Fsit_for (seconds=1747435148, milliseconds=405254940, 
nodisp=405254940) at dispnew.c:6234
#11 0x08126377 in Ffuncall (nargs=2, args=0xbfffe434) at eval.c:2720
#12 0x0814d20c in Fbyte_code (bytestr=944247468, vector=1212685872, maxdepth=7) 
at bytecode.c:709
#13 0x0812693b in funcall_lambda (fun=1212686208, nargs=0, 
arg_vector=0xbfffe5fc) at eval.c:2905
#14 0x081264a1 in Ffuncall (nargs=1, args=0xbfffe5f8) at eval.c:2770
#15 0x08125d4e in Fapply (nargs=2, args=0xbfffe5f8) at eval.c:2220
#16 0x081262c2 in Ffuncall (nargs=3, args=0xbfffe5f4) at eval.c:2694
#17 0x0814d20c in Fbyte_code (bytestr=941712480, vector=1210147972, maxdepth=4) 
at bytecode.c:709
#18 0x0812594a in Feval (form=1478583376) at eval.c:2069
#19 0x0812474b in Fcondition_case (args=1479058100) at eval.c:1258
#20 0x0814d6bc in Fbyte_code (bytestr=941712240, vector=1210147820, maxdepth=5) 
at bytecode.c:891
#21 0x0812693b in funcall_lambda (fun=1210147660, nargs=1, 
arg_vector=0xbfffe978) at eval.c:2905
#22 0x081264a1 in Ffuncall (nargs=2, args=0xbfffe974) at eval.c:2770
#23 0x081260af in call1 (fn=405309492, arg1=1210640616) at eval.c:2509
#24 0x080d512b in timer_check (do_it_now=1) at keyboard.c:4090
#25 0x080d415a in readable_events (do_timers_now=1) at keyboard.c:3168
#26 0x080d6dc7 in get_input_pending (addr=0x82737c4, do_timers_now=1) at 
keyboard.c:6058
#27 0x080db001 in detect_input_pending_run_timers (do_display=1) at 
keyboard.c:9477
#28 0x08151417 in wait_reading_process_input (time_limit=30, microsecs=0, 
read_kbd=268435455, do_display=1)
    at process.c:2686
#29 0x08056884 in sit_for (sec=30, usec=0, reading=1, display=1, 
initial_display=0) at dispnew.c:6195
#30 0x080d3116 in read_char (commandflag=1, nmaps=3, maps=0xbfffee04, 
prev_event=405254940,
    used_mouse_menu=0xbfffee58) at keyboard.c:2494
#31 0x080d91ad in read_key_sequence (keybuf=0xbfffef64, bufsize=30, 
prompt=405254940, dont_downcase_last=0,
    can_return_switch_frame=1, fix_current_buffer=1) at keyboard.c:8217
#32 0x080d1784 in command_loop_1 () at keyboard.c:1437
#33 0x08124835 in internal_condition_case (bfun=0x80d1490 <command_loop_1>, 
handlers=405351332,
    hfun=0x80d10c8 <cmd_error>) at eval.c:1314
#34 0x080d1368 in command_loop_2 () at keyboard.c:1243
#35 0x081243c1 in internal_catch (tag=405312684, func=0x80d1344 
<command_loop_2>, arg=405254940) at eval.c:1074
#36 0x080d1312 in command_loop () at keyboard.c:1222
#37 0x080d0e6d in recursive_edit_1 () at keyboard.c:948
#38 0x080d0fa0 in Frecursive_edit () at keyboard.c:1004
#39 0x080cfe27 in main (argc=3, argv=0xbffff524, envp=0xbffff534) at 
emacs.c:1601
#40 0x4030a65f in __libc_start_main () from /lib/libc.so.6
(gdb) xbacktrace
Argument to arithmetic operation not a number or boolean.
(gdb)
--------------------- end of first log ------------------