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! 15: <h2>
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! 17: <font color="#0000ff"><i>Open</i></font><font color="#000084">BSD</font></a>
! 18: <font color="#e00000">Problem Reports</font>
! 19: </h2>
! 20: <hr>
1.5 deraadt 21: <p>
22:
1.18 jufi 23: <h3><font color="#0000e0">Released versions problem reports</font></h3>
1.4 deraadt 24:
1.40 tj 25: Before reporting bugs/problems with released versions, go through this
26: checklist:
27:
1.4 deraadt 28: <ol>
1.40 tj 29: <li>First, check for <a href="errata.html">patches and notes regarding the
30: release</a>.
31: <li>Next, find out if there is a <a href="orders.html">newer release</a>
32: available.
33: <li>Finally, check for <a href="plus.html">changes made between OpenBSD
34: versions</a>.
1.4 deraadt 35: </ol>
1.40 tj 36:
1.4 deraadt 37: <p>
1.9 chris 38: If nothing looks like it addresses your problem, then please become acquainted
1.42 sthen 39: with <a href="http://man.openbsd.org/?query=sendbug">
1.40 tj 40: sendbug(1)</a> before submitting a bug report.
1.4 deraadt 41:
1.18 jufi 42: <h3><font color="#0000e0">Current version problem reports</font></h3>
1.9 chris 43:
1.40 tj 44: If your problem is with the <i>-current</i> source tree rather than
45: <i>-release</i> or <i>-stable</i>,
1.5 deraadt 46:
1.4 deraadt 47: <ol>
1.40 tj 48: <li>Test the problem at least twice, with source updated a few days apart.
49: <li>Do not report source tree compilation problems, unless they persist.
50: They are almost always your mistake, or they are being worked on as you
51: encounter them.
52: People working on the project are doing <a href="faq/faq5.html">
53: make build</a> at least once per day, and usually several times
54: per day with different architectures.
55: <li>Remember that the <a href="anoncvs.html">AnonCVS</a> servers are
56: updated a few hours behind the actual working source tree.
57: <li>Check for <a href="plus.html">changes made between OpenBSD versions</a>
58: to see if the problem has been addressed.
59: <li>Much care is made in creating snapshots.
60: Sometimes mistakes are made, and our apologies are extended.
61: Reading or writing to the mailing lists is more appropriate than sending
62: in a bug report.
1.4 deraadt 63: </ol>
1.5 deraadt 64:
1.18 jufi 65: <h3><font color="#0000e0">How to create a problem report</font></h3>
1.8 chris 66:
67: <b>Always provide as much information as possible</b>.
1.40 tj 68: Try to pinpoint the exact problem.
1.34 lum 69: Give clear instructions on how to reproduce the problem.
1.40 tj 70: Try to describe it with as much accuracy and non-confusing terminology
71: as possible, especially if it is not easy to reproduce.
72: Describing problems by saying "it crashes" or "I get strange interrupt issues
73: on this one box that I built" are of no use.
74: Communicate with others (on the mailing lists or any other forum where
75: knowledgeable users congregate) to confirm that the problem is new and
76: preferably repeatable.
77: Please try to make sure it is not a local problem created by using broken
78: or unsupported hardware, or by using unsupported build options or software.
79:
80: <p>
81: Please don't start fixing problems that require significant work until you
82: are sure you understand them, especially during our release periods when we
83: must not change major sections of code.
84: If you are going to write significant amounts of code, mention it on the
85: mailing lists to make sure no one else is already working on the problem
1.9 chris 86: (saving duplication of effort).
1.40 tj 87:
1.25 david 88: <p>
1.8 chris 89: The following items should be contained in every bug report:
1.40 tj 90:
1.8 chris 91: <ol>
1.40 tj 92: <li>The exact sequence of steps from startup necessary to reproduce
93: the problem.
94: This should be self-contained; it is not enough to send in a bare
95: command without the arguments and other data you supplied to it.
1.8 chris 96: If a bug requires a particular sequence of events, please list those.
97: You are encouraged to minimize the size of your example, but this is
1.40 tj 98: not absolutely necessary.
99: If the bug is reproducible, we'll find it either way.
1.8 chris 100: <p>
1.40 tj 101: <li>The output you got.
102: Please do not just say that it "didn't work" or "failed."
103: If there is an error message, show it, even if you don't understand it.
104: If OpenBSD panics with a particular error, say which.
105: If nothing at all happens, say so.
106: Even if the result of your test case is a program crash or otherwise
107: obvious, it might not happen in our testing.
108: The easiest thing is to copy the output from the terminal, if possible.
109: <p>
110: Note: In case of fatal errors, the error message provided might not
111: contain all the information available.
112: In that case, also look at the output in the system log files, such
113: as those stored in /var/log.
114: Also, if you are dealing with an application that has its own log files,
115: such as httpd, check for errors where it keeps its logs.
116: <p>
117: <li>The OpenBSD kernel output.
118: You can get this with the dmesg command, but it is possible that your
119: dmesg output does not contain all the information that is captured in
120: <tt>/var/run/dmesg.boot</tt>.
121: If this is the case, include information from both.
122: <b>Please include this in all bug reports.</b>
123: <p>
124: <li>If you run third party software which has to do with your bug, say so,
125: including what version.
126: If you are talking about a snapshot, mention that, including its date
127: and time.
128: <p>
129: <li>A traceback from your kernel panic.
130: If your kernel panicked and you are at a
1.42 sthen 131: <a href="http://man.openbsd.org/?query=ddb">ddb</a>
1.40 tj 132: prompt, please provide the panic message, as well as the output of
133: the <tt>trace</tt> and <tt>ps</tt> commands in your bug report as
134: advised.
135: If the machine hangs, try enabling <tt>sysctl ddb.console=1</tt>
136: prior to the hang and getting in DDB via Ctl+Alt+Esc on the keyboard
137: (must be outside of X), or sending BREAK if using a serial console.
138: If, for some reason, the panic message is not visible, you can get it
139: again with the <tt>show panic</tt> command.
140: <b>This is essential whenever possible.
141: Panic reports without the panic message, traceback and ps output are
142: useless</b>.
143: The output of <tt>show registers</tt> might be of interest as well.
144: You might then want to reboot with <tt>boot dump</tt> so that a kernel
145: image could be saved by
1.42 sthen 146: <a href="http://man.openbsd.org/?query=savecore">
1.40 tj 147: savecore(8)</a> for further post-mortem debugging, as described in the
1.42 sthen 148: <a href="http://man.openbsd.org/?query=crash">crash(8)</a>
1.40 tj 149: man page.
1.20 matthieu 150: <p>
1.40 tj 151: <li>If you're reporting a problem with the X Window System on an
1.30 matthieu 152: architecture that uses the X.Org server, please include the full
153: <tt>/var/log/Xorg.0.log</tt> file in your report in addition
1.40 tj 154: to the <tt>dmesg.boot</tt> information.
155: </ol>
1.20 matthieu 156:
1.8 chris 157: <p>
1.40 tj 158: Do not be afraid if your bug report becomes rather lengthy.
159: That is a fact of life.
160: It's better to report everything the first time than us having to squeeze
161: the facts out of you.
162: On the other hand, if your input files are huge, it is fair to ask first
163: whether somebody is interested in looking into it.
1.8 chris 164:
1.10 jufi 165: <a name="bugtypes"></a>
1.18 jufi 166: <h3><font color="#0000e0">Sending in bug reports</font></h3>
1.40 tj 167:
168: If possible, use the
1.42 sthen 169: <a href="http://man.openbsd.org/?query=sendbug">sendbug(1)</a>
1.40 tj 170: command to help generate your bug report.
171: It will automatically include some useful information about your hardware
172: that helps diagnose many issues.
173: This tool requires that your system can properly send email.
174: If you cannot use sendbug on a functional OpenBSD machine, please send your
175: bug report to <a href="mailto:bugs@openbsd.org">bugs@openbsd.org</a>.
176:
1.25 david 177: <p>
1.9 chris 178: Perhaps what you are sending in is a feature request, not necessarily a bug.
1.40 tj 179: New features are accepted, especially with code that implements your suggested
180: new feature.
1.1 deraadt 181:
1.4 deraadt 182: <p>
1.40 tj 183: For debugging some problems, we must have the hardware that has the problem.
184: Please remember that the OpenBSD project's resources are limited.
185: You could <a href="want.html">donate some hardware</a>.
1.1 deraadt 186:
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