Annotation of www/report.html, Revision 1.41
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1.5 deraadt 13: <p>
1.18 jufi 14: <h2><font color="#e00000">How to report a Problem</font></h2>
15: <hr>
1.5 deraadt 16:
1.18 jufi 17: <h3><font color="#0000e0">Released versions problem reports</font></h3>
1.4 deraadt 18:
1.40 tj 19: Before reporting bugs/problems with released versions, go through this
20: checklist:
21:
1.4 deraadt 22: <ol>
1.40 tj 23: <li>First, check for <a href="errata.html">patches and notes regarding the
24: release</a>.
25: <li>Next, find out if there is a <a href="orders.html">newer release</a>
26: available.
27: <li>Finally, check for <a href="plus.html">changes made between OpenBSD
28: versions</a>.
1.4 deraadt 29: </ol>
1.40 tj 30:
1.4 deraadt 31: <p>
1.9 chris 32: If nothing looks like it addresses your problem, then please become acquainted
1.41 ! beck 33: with <a href="http://man.openbsd.org?query=sendbug">
1.40 tj 34: sendbug(1)</a> before submitting a bug report.
1.4 deraadt 35:
1.18 jufi 36: <h3><font color="#0000e0">Current version problem reports</font></h3>
1.9 chris 37:
1.40 tj 38: If your problem is with the <i>-current</i> source tree rather than
39: <i>-release</i> or <i>-stable</i>,
1.5 deraadt 40:
1.4 deraadt 41: <ol>
1.40 tj 42: <li>Test the problem at least twice, with source updated a few days apart.
43: <li>Do not report source tree compilation problems, unless they persist.
44: They are almost always your mistake, or they are being worked on as you
45: encounter them.
46: People working on the project are doing <a href="faq/faq5.html">
47: make build</a> at least once per day, and usually several times
48: per day with different architectures.
49: <li>Remember that the <a href="anoncvs.html">AnonCVS</a> servers are
50: updated a few hours behind the actual working source tree.
51: <li>Check for <a href="plus.html">changes made between OpenBSD versions</a>
52: to see if the problem has been addressed.
53: <li>Much care is made in creating snapshots.
54: Sometimes mistakes are made, and our apologies are extended.
55: Reading or writing to the mailing lists is more appropriate than sending
56: in a bug report.
1.4 deraadt 57: </ol>
1.5 deraadt 58:
1.18 jufi 59: <h3><font color="#0000e0">How to create a problem report</font></h3>
1.8 chris 60:
61: <b>Always provide as much information as possible</b>.
1.40 tj 62: Try to pinpoint the exact problem.
1.34 lum 63: Give clear instructions on how to reproduce the problem.
1.40 tj 64: Try to describe it with as much accuracy and non-confusing terminology
65: as possible, especially if it is not easy to reproduce.
66: Describing problems by saying "it crashes" or "I get strange interrupt issues
67: on this one box that I built" are of no use.
68: Communicate with others (on the mailing lists or any other forum where
69: knowledgeable users congregate) to confirm that the problem is new and
70: preferably repeatable.
71: Please try to make sure it is not a local problem created by using broken
72: or unsupported hardware, or by using unsupported build options or software.
73:
74: <p>
75: Please don't start fixing problems that require significant work until you
76: are sure you understand them, especially during our release periods when we
77: must not change major sections of code.
78: If you are going to write significant amounts of code, mention it on the
79: mailing lists to make sure no one else is already working on the problem
1.9 chris 80: (saving duplication of effort).
1.40 tj 81:
1.25 david 82: <p>
1.8 chris 83: The following items should be contained in every bug report:
1.40 tj 84:
1.8 chris 85: <ol>
1.40 tj 86: <li>The exact sequence of steps from startup necessary to reproduce
87: the problem.
88: This should be self-contained; it is not enough to send in a bare
89: command without the arguments and other data you supplied to it.
1.8 chris 90: If a bug requires a particular sequence of events, please list those.
91: You are encouraged to minimize the size of your example, but this is
1.40 tj 92: not absolutely necessary.
93: If the bug is reproducible, we'll find it either way.
1.8 chris 94: <p>
1.40 tj 95: <li>The output you got.
96: Please do not just say that it "didn't work" or "failed."
97: If there is an error message, show it, even if you don't understand it.
98: If OpenBSD panics with a particular error, say which.
99: If nothing at all happens, say so.
100: Even if the result of your test case is a program crash or otherwise
101: obvious, it might not happen in our testing.
102: The easiest thing is to copy the output from the terminal, if possible.
103: <p>
104: Note: In case of fatal errors, the error message provided might not
105: contain all the information available.
106: In that case, also look at the output in the system log files, such
107: as those stored in /var/log.
108: Also, if you are dealing with an application that has its own log files,
109: such as httpd, check for errors where it keeps its logs.
110: <p>
111: <li>The OpenBSD kernel output.
112: You can get this with the dmesg command, but it is possible that your
113: dmesg output does not contain all the information that is captured in
114: <tt>/var/run/dmesg.boot</tt>.
115: If this is the case, include information from both.
116: <b>Please include this in all bug reports.</b>
117: <p>
118: <li>If you run third party software which has to do with your bug, say so,
119: including what version.
120: If you are talking about a snapshot, mention that, including its date
121: and time.
122: <p>
123: <li>A traceback from your kernel panic.
124: If your kernel panicked and you are at a
1.41 ! beck 125: <a href="http://man.openbsd.org?query=ddb">ddb</a>
1.40 tj 126: prompt, please provide the panic message, as well as the output of
127: the <tt>trace</tt> and <tt>ps</tt> commands in your bug report as
128: advised.
129: If the machine hangs, try enabling <tt>sysctl ddb.console=1</tt>
130: prior to the hang and getting in DDB via Ctl+Alt+Esc on the keyboard
131: (must be outside of X), or sending BREAK if using a serial console.
132: If, for some reason, the panic message is not visible, you can get it
133: again with the <tt>show panic</tt> command.
134: <b>This is essential whenever possible.
135: Panic reports without the panic message, traceback and ps output are
136: useless</b>.
137: The output of <tt>show registers</tt> might be of interest as well.
138: You might then want to reboot with <tt>boot dump</tt> so that a kernel
139: image could be saved by
1.41 ! beck 140: <a href="http://man.openbsd.org?query=savecore">
1.40 tj 141: savecore(8)</a> for further post-mortem debugging, as described in the
1.41 ! beck 142: <a href="http://man.openbsd.org?query=crash">crash(8)</a>
1.40 tj 143: man page.
1.20 matthieu 144: <p>
1.40 tj 145: <li>If you're reporting a problem with the X Window System on an
1.30 matthieu 146: architecture that uses the X.Org server, please include the full
147: <tt>/var/log/Xorg.0.log</tt> file in your report in addition
1.40 tj 148: to the <tt>dmesg.boot</tt> information.
149: </ol>
1.20 matthieu 150:
1.8 chris 151: <p>
1.40 tj 152: Do not be afraid if your bug report becomes rather lengthy.
153: That is a fact of life.
154: It's better to report everything the first time than us having to squeeze
155: the facts out of you.
156: On the other hand, if your input files are huge, it is fair to ask first
157: whether somebody is interested in looking into it.
1.8 chris 158:
1.10 jufi 159: <a name="bugtypes"></a>
1.18 jufi 160: <h3><font color="#0000e0">Sending in bug reports</font></h3>
1.40 tj 161:
162: If possible, use the
1.41 ! beck 163: <a href="http://man.openbsd.org?query=sendbug">sendbug(1)</a>
1.40 tj 164: command to help generate your bug report.
165: It will automatically include some useful information about your hardware
166: that helps diagnose many issues.
167: This tool requires that your system can properly send email.
168: If you cannot use sendbug on a functional OpenBSD machine, please send your
169: bug report to <a href="mailto:bugs@openbsd.org">bugs@openbsd.org</a>.
170:
1.25 david 171: <p>
1.9 chris 172: Perhaps what you are sending in is a feature request, not necessarily a bug.
1.40 tj 173: New features are accepted, especially with code that implements your suggested
174: new feature.
1.1 deraadt 175:
1.4 deraadt 176: <p>
1.40 tj 177: For debugging some problems, we must have the hardware that has the problem.
178: Please remember that the OpenBSD project's resources are limited.
179: You could <a href="want.html">donate some hardware</a>.
1.1 deraadt 180:
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