You use the SOS debugger extension’s !U command.
Yeah, that’s not very helpful. Here’s how to get from that terse description to something useful.
As an example, let’s use the following trivial program:
using System;
public class Simple
{
public static int Main()
{
Console.WriteLine( "Hello World!" );
Console.ReadLine();
return 0;
}
}
Dump this snippet into Notepad, save as simple.cs file and compile it. We want to see what it’ll be like when the user runs it, so we’ll do a release build. From the VS2005 Command Prompt, run csc /debug:pdbonly /o+ simple.cs. (I find it’s quicker to do command-line compiles for simple test programs than firing up Visual Studio. It’s not as if we’re designing a Form.) If you’re doing this on a 64–bit computer, like me, add /platform:x86 so we get consistent output across platforms. (Marking as x86 means that the executable headers are set to indicate a 32–bit program. The IL is the same whatever you set here, but if you leave it as anycpu, the default, the .NET Framework will create a 64–bit process which obviously gives different output.)
Why call Console.ReadLine? Well, the JIT compiler is helpful (or at least it thinks it is). If you start a program under the debugger, it will generate less optimized code because it thinks you want to debug it, but that changes the code from what the user will see. So I want to add a stop point in the program so I can attach the debugger after the process has started.
The next thing you’ll need is the Debugging Tools for Windows kit. Grab the 32–bit kit – the 64–bit kit can debug 32–bit processes, but SOS (the debugger extension DLL which implements the commands we’re going to use) doesn’t appear to work. We’re going to use WinDBG, which is slightly friendlier than the other debuggers although not a lot!
Open WinDBG. Run simple.exe and, when it’s waiting for input, go to File/Attach to a Process in WinDBG. You’ll see a list of other processes (and if running Windows Vista with UAC enabled, or on XP as a standard user, a load of access denied errors). Select simple.exe from the list and hit OK. WinDBG automatically stops once you’ve attached to a process so you can start manipulating the program straight away. This is the output I got:
Microsoft (R) Windows Debugger Version 6.8.0004.0 X86
Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
*** wait with pending attach
Symbol search path is: C:\Windows;C:\Windows\System32;C:\Windows\SysWOW64;SRV*C:\WebSymbols*http://msdl.microsoft.com/download/symbols
Executable search path is:
ModLoad: 008c0000 008c8000 C:\Users\Mike\Documents\Programming\simple.exe
ModLoad: 776a0000 77800000 C:\Windows\SysWOW64\ntdll.dll
ModLoad: 79000000 79046000 C:\Windows\system32\mscoree.dll
ModLoad: 75b70000 75c80000 C:\Windows\syswow64\KERNEL32.dll
ModLoad: 76ce0000 76da6000 C:\Windows\syswow64\ADVAPI32.dll
ModLoad: 76e10000 76f00000 C:\Windows\syswow64\RPCRT4.dll
ModLoad: 75850000 758b0000 C:\Windows\syswow64\Secur32.dll
ModLoad: 75a80000 75ad8000 C:\Windows\syswow64\SHLWAPI.dll
ModLoad: 77110000 771a0000 C:\Windows\syswow64\GDI32.dll
ModLoad: 77040000 77110000 C:\Windows\syswow64\USER32.dll
ModLoad: 76c30000 76cda000 C:\Windows\syswow64\msvcrt.dll
ModLoad: 75d00000 75d60000 C:\Windows\system32\IMM32.DLL
ModLoad: 76940000 76a08000 C:\Windows\syswow64\MSCTF.dll
ModLoad: 75a70000 75a79000 C:\Windows\syswow64\LPK.DLL
ModLoad: 759c0000 75a3d000 C:\Windows\syswow64\USP10.dll
ModLoad: 746c0000 7485e000 C:\Windows\WinSxS\x86_microsoft.windows.common-controls_6595b64144ccf1df_6.0.6001.18000_none_5cdbaa5a083979cc\comctl32.dll
ModLoad: 79e70000 7a3ff000 C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\mscorwks.dll
ModLoad: 75390000 7542b000 C:\Windows\WinSxS\x86_microsoft.vc80.crt_1fc8b3b9a1e18e3b_8.0.50727.1434_none_d08b6002442c891f\MSVCR80.dll
ModLoad: 75e30000 7693f000 C:\Windows\syswow64\shell32.dll
ModLoad: 771b0000 772f4000 C:\Windows\syswow64\ole32.dll
ModLoad: 790c0000 79bf6000 C:\Windows\assembly\NativeImages_v2.0.50727_32\mscorlib\5b3e3b0551bcaa722c27dbb089c431e4\mscorlib.ni.dll
ModLoad: 79060000 790b6000 C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\mscorjit.dll
(1dc.12b4): Break instruction exception - code 80000003 (first chance)
eax=7efaf000 ebx=00000000 ecx=00000000 edx=7770d2d4 esi=00000000 edi=00000000
eip=776b0004 esp=04c6fa00 ebp=04c6fa2c iopl=0 nv up ei pl zr na pe nc
cs=0023 ss=002b ds=002b es=002b fs=0053 gs=002b efl=00000246
ntdll!DbgBreakPoint:
776b0004 cc int 3
You enter your debugging commands in the edit box at the bottom, next to the prompt 0:003>. This means we’re debugging the 0th process we’re attached to, and our commands by default apply to thread number 3. Four threads? Well, thread 0 is our main thread, thread 1 was created by the CLR’s debugging support in case we attached a debugger, thread 2 is the finalizer thread, and thread 3 was just created by WinDBG so it could stop the process safely. (You can see this by running ~* k, although you’ll need to be set up to get debugging symbols from the symbol server to get good stack traces.) The Debugging Tools debuggers automatically stop the process when you attach, so that you can start manipulating the process straight away.
The first thing we need to do is ask WinDBG to load the SOS extension. This is installed with the CLR, so we ask it to load from the same folder that mscorwks.dll (the DLL which implements the virtual machine, effectively the guts of the CLR) lives in:
0:003> .loadby sos.dll mscorwks
Now we can see what state of the managed threads are in by running !threads. Any command beginning ! comes from a debugger extension DLL, and they can be disambiguated if necessary, but they’re searched in reverse order loaded (last loaded = first searched) so anything we want will be found in SOS anyway.
Right. To see what we can do, run !help.
0:003> !help
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SOS is a debugger extension DLL designed to aid in the debugging of managed
programs. Functions are listed by category, then roughly in order of
importance. Shortcut names for popular functions are listed in parenthesis.
Type "!help " for detailed info on that function.
Object Inspection Examining code and stacks
----------------------------- -----------------------------
DumpObj (do) Threads
DumpArray (da) CLRStack
DumpStackObjects (dso) IP2MD
DumpHeap U
DumpVC DumpStack
GCRoot EEStack
ObjSize GCInfo
FinalizeQueue EHInfo
PrintException (pe) COMState
TraverseHeap BPMD
Examining CLR data structures Diagnostic Utilities
----------------------------- -----------------------------
DumpDomain VerifyHeap
EEHeap DumpLog
Name2EE FindAppDomain
SyncBlk SaveModule
DumpMT GCHandles
DumpClass GCHandleLeaks
DumpMD VMMap
Token2EE VMStat
EEVersion ProcInfo
DumpModule StopOnException (soe)
ThreadPool MinidumpMode
DumpAssembly
DumpMethodSig Other
DumpRuntimeTypes -----------------------------
DumpSig FAQ
RCWCleanupList
DumpIL
To find out a little more about !U, let’s run !help U:
0:003> !help U
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
!U [-gcinfo] [-ehinfo] <MethodDesc address> | <Code address>
Presents an annotated disassembly of a managed method when given a MethodDesc
pointer for the method, or a code address within the method body. Unlike the
debugger "U" function, the entire method from start to finish is printed,
with annotations that convert metadata tokens to names.
...
03ef015d b901000000 mov ecx,0x1
03ef0162 ff156477a25b call dword ptr [mscorlib_dll+0x3c7764 (5ba27764)] (System.Console.InitializeStdOutError(Boolean), mdToken: 06000713)
03ef0168 a17c20a701 mov eax,[01a7207c] (Object: SyncTextWriter)
03ef016d 89442414 mov [esp+0x14],eax
If you pass the -gcinfo flag, you'll get inline display of the GCInfo for
the method. You can also obtain this information with the !GCInfo command.
If you pass the -ehinfo flag, you'll get inline display of exception info
for the method. (Beginning and end of try/finally/catch handlers, etc.).
You can also obtain this information with the !EHInfo command.
Right, so we need the address of a MethodDesc structure, or the address of the code itself. How can we get one of these? There’s a command called DumpMD…
0:003> !help dumpmd
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
!DumpMD
This command lists information about a MethodDesc. You can use !IP2MD to turn
a code address in a managed function into a MethodDesc:
0:000> !dumpmd 902f40
Method Name: Mainy.Main()
Class: 03ee1424
MethodTable: 009032d8
mdToken: 0600000d
Module: 001caa78
IsJitted: yes
m_CodeOrIL: 03ef00b8
If IsJitted is "yes," you can run !U on the m_CodeOrIL pointer to see a
disassembly of the JITTED code. You can also call !DumpClass, !DumpMT,
!DumpModule on the Class, MethodTable and Module fields above.
We’re getting a bit closer. Let’s try DumpModule…
0:003> !help DumpModule
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
!DumpModule [-mt]
You can get a Module address from !DumpDomain, !DumpAssembly and other
functions. Here is sample output:
0:000> !dumpmodule 1caa50
Name: C:\pub\unittest.exe
Attributes: PEFile
Assembly: 001ca248
LoaderHeap: 001cab3c
TypeDefToMethodTableMap: 03ec0010
TypeRefToMethodTableMap: 03ec0024
MethodDefToDescMap: 03ec0064
FieldDefToDescMap: 03ec00a4
MemberRefToDescMap: 03ec00e8
FileReferencesMap: 03ec0128
AssemblyReferencesMap: 03ec012c
MetaData start address: 00402230 (1888 bytes)
The Maps listed map metadata tokens to CLR data structures. Without going into
too much detail, you can examine memory at those addresses to find the
appropriate structures. For example, the TypeDefToMethodTableMap above can be
examined:
0:000> dd 3ec0010
03ec0010 00000000 00000000 0090320c 0090375c
03ec0020 009038ec ...
This means TypeDef token 2 maps to a MethodTable with the value 0090320c. You
can run !DumpMT to verify that. The MethodDefToDescMap takes a MethodDef token
and maps it to a MethodDesc, which can be passed to !DumpMD.
There is a new option "-mt", which will display the types defined in a module,
and the types referenced by the module. For example:
0:000> !dumpmodule -mt 1aa580
Name: C:\pub\unittest.exe
......
MetaData start address: 0040220c (1696 bytes)
Types defined in this module
MT TypeDef Name
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
030d115c 0x02000002 Funny
030d1228 0x02000003 Mainy
Types referenced in this module
MT TypeRef Name
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
030b6420 0x01000001 System.ValueType
030b5cb0 0x01000002 System.Object
030fceb4 0x01000003 System.Exception
0334e374 0x0100000c System.Console
03167a50 0x0100000e System.Runtime.InteropServices.GCHandle
0336a048 0x0100000f System.GC
We still need a Module to pass to this command, but we’re getting there. Maybe DumpDomain can help us? I’ll skip the help text this time.
0:003> !DumpDomain
--------------------------------------
System Domain: 7a3bc8b8
LowFrequencyHeap: 7a3bc8dc
HighFrequencyHeap: 7a3bc934
StubHeap: 7a3bc98c
Stage: OPEN
Name: None
--------------------------------------
Shared Domain: 7a3bc560
LowFrequencyHeap: 7a3bc584
HighFrequencyHeap: 7a3bc5dc
StubHeap: 7a3bc634
Stage: OPEN
Name: None
Assembly: 0052f848
--------------------------------------
Domain 1: 00516800
LowFrequencyHeap: 00516824
HighFrequencyHeap: 0051687c
StubHeap: 005168d4
Stage: OPEN
SecurityDescriptor: 00517d30
Name: simple.exe
Assembly: 0052f848 [C:\Windows\assembly\GAC_32\mscorlib\2.0.0.0__b77a5c561934e089\mscorlib.dll]
ClassLoader: 0050e470
SecurityDescriptor: 0051f5d0
Module Name
790c2000 C:\Windows\assembly\GAC_32\mscorlib\2.0.0.0__b77a5c561934e089\mscorlib.dll
Assembly: 00535ac0 [C:\Users\Mike\Documents\Programming\simple.exe]
ClassLoader: 0050e630
SecurityDescriptor: 00535a38
Module Name
000f2c3c C:\Users\Mike\Documents\Programming\simple.exe
At last, we have the address of something we can use. Let’s get the module information for simple.exe. For that we need the address next to it in the module list for the simple.exe assembly.
0:003> !dumpmodule -mt f2c3c
Name: C:\Users\Mike\Documents\Programming\simple.exe
Attributes: PEFile
Assembly: 00535ac0
LoaderHeap: 00000000
TypeDefToMethodTableMap: 000f0038
TypeRefToMethodTableMap: 000f0040
MethodDefToDescMap: 000f005c
FieldDefToDescMap: 000f0068
MemberRefToDescMap: 000f006c
FileReferencesMap: 000f0088
AssemblyReferencesMap: 000f008c
MetaData start address: 008c206c (740 bytes)
Types defined in this module
MT TypeDef Name
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
000f3030 0x02000002 Simple
Types referenced in this module
MT TypeRef Name
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
790fd0f0 0x01000001 System.Object
79101118 0x01000006 System.Console
Now we can get the MethodTable for the Simple class:
0:003> !dumpmt -md f3030
EEClass: 000f1174
Module: 000f2c3c
Name: Simple
mdToken: 02000002 (C:\Users\Mike\Documents\Programming\simple.exe)
BaseSize: 0xc
ComponentSize: 0x0
Number of IFaces in IFaceMap: 0
Slots in VTable: 6
--------------------------------------
MethodDesc Table
Entry MethodDesc JIT Name
79371278 7914b928 PreJIT System.Object.ToString()
7936b3b0 7914b930 PreJIT System.Object.Equals(System.Object)
7936b3d0 7914b948 PreJIT System.Object.GetHashCode()
793624d0 7914b950 PreJIT System.Object.Finalize()
00310070 000f3020 JIT Simple.Main()
000fc01c 000f3028 NONE Simple..ctor()
Finally we have something we can pass to !U. Note the JIT column. Here, PreJIT means that the code has come from a native image generated by ngen, JIT means that the JIT compiler in this process has generated the code, and NONE means that the method hasn’t been compiled yet. We didn’t override any of System.Object’s virtual methods, so they occupy the first four places in our MethodTable.
I placed the call to Console.ReadLine at the end of the program so everything has already been compiled – remember, the JIT compiles code on-demand, one method at a time, when that method is called (barring very simple methods which might be inlined into their callers). Let’s just get on and show the code for Main.
0:003> !U f3020
Normal JIT generated code
Simple.Main()
Begin 00310070, size 36
00310070 833d8c10920300 cmp dword ptr ds:[392108Ch],0
00310077 750a jne 00310083
00310079 b901000000 mov ecx,1
0031007e e8e1580579 call mscorlib_ni+0x2a5964 (79365964) (System.Console.InitializeStdOutError(Boolean), mdToken: 06000770)
00310083 8b0d8c109203 mov ecx,dword ptr ds:[392108Ch] (Object: System.IO.TextWriter+SyncTextWriter)
00310089 8b153c309203 mov edx,dword ptr ds:[392303Ch] ("Hello World!")
0031008f 8b01 mov eax,dword ptr [ecx]
00310091 ff90d8000000 call dword ptr [eax+0D8h]
00310097 e84c750d79 call mscorlib_ni+0x3275e8 (793e75e8) (System.Console.get_In(), mdToken: 0600076e)
0031009c 8bc8 mov ecx,eax
0031009e 8b01 mov eax,dword ptr [ecx]
003100a0 ff5064 call dword ptr [eax+64h]
003100a3 33c0 xor eax,eax
003100a5 c3 ret
Interesting. The JIT clearly sees Console.WriteLine(string) and Console.ReadLine as trivial and has inlined the calls. In turn it’s inlined Console.get_Out. The reference to SyncTextWriter isn’t the JIT being clever – it’s SOS telling us that the address 0x0392108C is the base of SyncTextWriter’s vtable, as this call to TextWriter.WriteLine(string) is virtual.
I realise, and hope, that this isn’t everyday usage. More often than not you’ll have crashed somewhere and want to find out where (for which see !IP2MD). But it can be useful to see just how your C# code turns into machine instructions.
