Force loading of all symbols from the Symbol Server?

WINDBG
1

I’m going to be working on a machine that’s on a private network with no access to the Microsoft Symbol Server. So, I’d like to preload all possible symbols that I might need beforehand. I have a memory dump from the machine or I have an identical image to work from. I want not only the symbols for the normal .EXEs, but also .DLLs, .SYSs and so on. I suspect there’s some way to do that, but I’m not so great with WinDbg beyond the day-to-day stuff.

Can anyone offer suggestions? Thanks!

2

Load the dump file, then run !symfix and .reload /f, which will download a cache. Copy the cache somewhere into your private net using appropriate means. Point your windbg inside the private net at the copy of the cache.

From: xxxxx@lists.osr.com [mailto:xxxxx@lists.osr.com] On Behalf Of Taed Wynnell
Sent: Thursday, September 06, 2012 3:55 PM
To: Kernel Debugging Interest List
Subject: [windbg] Force loading of all symbols from the Symbol Server?

I’m going to be working on a machine that’s on a private network with no access to the Microsoft Symbol Server. So, I’d like to preload all possible symbols that I might need beforehand. I have a memory dump from the machine or I have an identical image to work from. I want not only the symbols for the normal .EXEs, but also .DLLs, .SYSs and so on. I suspect there’s some way to do that, but I’m not so great with WinDbg beyond the day-to-day stuff.

Can anyone offer suggestions? Thanks!

3

What I would try is to set up a local symbols directory on a machine that
has Internet access, point your version of WinDbg symbol path to it, and
examine the memory dump. Then see what symbols have appeared in the
symbols directory. I would then try to examine some modules to force
symbols that I would think I would need to be downloaded. I’d then copy
that directory over to the off-Internet machine. If I got a dump that
reported missing symbols, I’d examine that dump on the on-Internet
machine. A real pain, especially if the machines have significant
physical separation, but it would be my first attempt.

I hope there is a simpler mechanism.
joe

I’m going to be working on a machine that’s on a private network with no
access to the Microsoft Symbol Server. So, I’d like to preload all
possible symbols that I might need beforehand. I have a memory dump from
the machine or I have an identical image to work from. I want not only
the symbols for the normal .EXEs, but also .DLLs, .SYSs and so on. I
suspect there’s some way to do that, but I’m not so great with WinDbg
beyond the day-to-day stuff.

Can anyone offer suggestions? Thanks!

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4

symchk that comes with the debugging kit has a manifest file option
with which you can
retrieve all the symbols for an isolated app

search
for manifest symchk in windbg help file for syntax and example

On 9/7/12, xxxxx@flounder.com wrote:
> What I would try is to set up a local symbols directory on a machine that
> has Internet access, point your version of WinDbg symbol path to it, and
> examine the memory dump. Then see what symbols have appeared in the
> symbols directory. I would then try to examine some modules to force
> symbols that I would think I would need to be downloaded. I’d then copy
> that directory over to the off-Internet machine. If I got a dump that
> reported missing symbols, I’d examine that dump on the on-Internet
> machine. A real pain, especially if the machines have significant
> physical separation, but it would be my first attempt.
>
> I hope there is a simpler mechanism.
> joe
>
>> I’m going to be working on a machine that’s on a private network with no
>> access to the Microsoft Symbol Server. So, I’d like to preload all
>> possible symbols that I might need beforehand. I have a memory dump from
>> the machine or I have an identical image to work from. I want not only
>> the symbols for the normal .EXEs, but also .DLLs, .SYSs and so on. I
>> suspect there’s some way to do that, but I’m not so great with WinDbg
>> beyond the day-to-day stuff.
>>
>> Can anyone offer suggestions? Thanks!
>>
>>
>>
>> —
>> WINDBG is sponsored by OSR
>>
>> For our schedule of WDF, WDM, debugging and other seminars visit:
>> http://www.osr.com/seminars
>>
>> To unsubscribe, visit the List Server section of OSR Online at
>> http://www.osronline.com/page.cfm?name=ListServer
>
>
>
> —
> WINDBG is sponsored by OSR
>
> For our schedule of WDF, WDM, debugging and other seminars visit:
> http://www.osr.com/seminars
>
> To unsubscribe, visit the List Server section of OSR Online at
> http://www.osronline.com/page.cfm?name=ListServer
>

5

Definitely the way to go about it, imo.

Mm
On Sep 6, 2012 9:49 PM, “raj_r” wrote:

> symchk that comes with the debugging kit has a manifest file option
> with which you can
> retrieve all the symbols for an isolated app
>
> search
> for manifest symchk in windbg help file for syntax and example
>
> On 9/7/12, xxxxx@flounder.com wrote:
> > What I would try is to set up a local symbols directory on a machine that
> > has Internet access, point your version of WinDbg symbol path to it, and
> > examine the memory dump. Then see what symbols have appeared in the
> > symbols directory. I would then try to examine some modules to force
> > symbols that I would think I would need to be downloaded. I’d then copy
> > that directory over to the off-Internet machine. If I got a dump that
> > reported missing symbols, I’d examine that dump on the on-Internet
> > machine. A real pain, especially if the machines have significant
> > physical separation, but it would be my first attempt.
> >
> > I hope there is a simpler mechanism.
> > joe
> >
> >> I’m going to be working on a machine that’s on a private network with no
> >> access to the Microsoft Symbol Server. So, I’d like to preload all
> >> possible symbols that I might need beforehand. I have a memory dump
> from
> >> the machine or I have an identical image to work from. I want not only
> >> the symbols for the normal .EXEs, but also .DLLs, .SYSs and so on. I
> >> suspect there’s some way to do that, but I’m not so great with WinDbg
> >> beyond the day-to-day stuff.
> >>
> >> Can anyone offer suggestions? Thanks!
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> —
> >> WINDBG is sponsored by OSR
> >>
> >> For our schedule of WDF, WDM, debugging and other seminars visit:
> >> http://www.osr.com/seminars
> >>
> >> To unsubscribe, visit the List Server section of OSR Online at
> >> http://www.osronline.com/page.cfm?name=ListServer
> >
> >
> >
> > —
> > WINDBG is sponsored by OSR
> >
> > For our schedule of WDF, WDM, debugging and other seminars visit:
> > http://www.osr.com/seminars
> >
> > To unsubscribe, visit the List Server section of OSR Online at
> > http://www.osronline.com/page.cfm?name=ListServer
> >
>
> —
> WINDBG is sponsored by OSR
>
> For our schedule of WDF, WDM, debugging and other seminars visit:
> http://www.osr.com/seminars
>
> To unsubscribe, visit the List Server section of OSR Online at
> http://www.osronline.com/page.cfm?name=ListServer
>

6

Thanks, all. The command “.reload /f” is exactly what I was looking for.