IBM extensions to libdwarf

The libdwarf library contains interfaces to create and query DWARF debug objects.

libdwarf is a C library developed by Silicon Graphics Inc. (SGI). It provides:
  • A consumer library interface to DWARF, which provides access to the DWARF debugging information
  • A producer library interface to DWARF, which supports the creation of DWARF debugging information records
  • Extensions to support SGI's MIPS processors
IBM® has extended the libdwarf C/C++ library to support the z/OS® operating system. The libdwarf library that is packaged with z/OS is available in 3 different forms:
  • the 31-bit XPLINK version
  • the 31-bit NOXPLINK version
  • the 64-bit version

The CDA libraries provide a set of APIs to access DWARF debugging information. These APIs support the development of debuggers and other program analysis applications for z/OS.

IBM's extensions to libdwarf focus on:
  • Improved speed and memory utilization
  • z/OS XL C/C++ Support for the languages
  • Enterprise COBOL support
  • z/OS future support for languages such as FORTRAN, HLASM, PL/I,