When debugging Linux kernel problems, being able to trace the kernel execution and examine its memory and data structures can be extremely useful. KDB, the Linux kernel debugger, is essentially a patch to the kernel code that provides access to kernel memory and data structures, without requiring an additional machine for debugging — that is, you can debug the kernel that you are running on. Setting up a machine for KDB requires a little work in that the kernel needs to be patched and recompiled.

This technical article from IBM's developerWorks website introduces KDB and explains how to obtain, compile, install, set up, and use it on a Linux machine, including a review of some of KDB's frequently-used commands.

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