Coming soon Fx2 for Linux on Power Product Overview Fx2™ is the industry's most complete debugging solution for Fortran developers. It also works well for C/C++ and assembler. Fx2™ is the industry's only cost effective, commercial debugger which properly supports Fortran and C/C++ compilers from Absoft, GNU, IBM, Intel, PathScale, and PGI and the only debugger available from any vendor which provides proper support for IBM XL Fortran on 64-bit Power/Linux systems. If you use multiple compilers, Fx2™ is very cost effective because a single copy of Fx2 can work with compilers from multiple vendors. More...

Table of Contents
Product information - Key Benefits - Key Features - Product Description - Special Features - What's New - in this release - Ease of Use - Availability Date - System Requirements license	Related information - Cluster Options - Compatibility & Companion Products - Documentation - Terms and Conditions

 

Key Benefits

The Fx2™ Fortran/C/C++ Debugger allows programmers to: Debug Fortran, C, and C++ programs generated by compilers from multiple vendors (Identify problem areas in programs quickly) Detect, diagnose and repair bugs more easily Verify logic without time-consuming output constructions Stop and restart programs dynamically Change variable values interactively Debug Fortran, C/C++ and assembler code all from the same tool Back to top

The first computer ·bug· was a real moth found trapped in the Mark II Aiken Relay Calculator in 1945. Operators taped the moth to the computer log, with the entry: "First actual case of bug being found." They informed others they had "debugged" the machine, introducing the term "debugging a computer." Read more...

Key Features

• Best debugging tool available for combined Fortran, C, C++ & assembler development, featuring:
  - Adjustable arrays
  - Complex variables
  - Command playback
  - Software watch-points, hardware breakpoints, etc.
  - Support for multi-threaded code (MPI)
  - Support for DWARF, DWARF2, stabs, and xstabs debug formats
  - Support for ELF, Mach-O, Coff, xCoff, PEF object file formats
• Supports AMD/IA32/Linux, AMD64/Linux, Windows, Macintosh OS X (includes support of Pro Fortran for OS X, XL Fortran and XL C/C++), other platforms coming soon
• Compatible with other compilers from Absoft, GNU, IBM, Intel, PathScale, and PGI
• Supports IBM XL Fortran on 64-bit Power/Linux sytems
• Redirect Input/Output to/from any file
• Perform proper array indexing for Fortran and C/C++
• Handle Fortran and C quoted strings

Product Description

Fx2™ is a powerful, fully-featured source-level debugging solution. The standard Fx2™ debugging solution is configured as a scalar (single process) debugger and is compatible with 32-bit, 64-bit Linux distributions, Windows and Macintosh OS X. Fx2's intuitive graphical interface is designed to meet the requirements of novice and experienced programmers. There is no better tool to help developers quickly identify and repair program trouble spots in the shortest time possible. Fx2 is included at no charge with all Absoft products for 32-bit Linux, 64-bit Linux, Windows and Macintosh OS X.

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What's New

Fx2™ Debugger vs GNUs free gdb debugger - Comparison chart

Absoft's Fx2™ Debugger was originally designed to support Fortran. As a result, the Fx2™ Debugger is more powerful and flexible than generic debuggers derived from gdb, as it handles constructs that are not supported by C-based debuggers (such as gdb). IBM includes gdb as the standard debugger for XL Fortran for OSX. A variety of compiler vendors for Linux offer debuggers based on gdb. Debuggers provided with many other vendors' compilers are also derivatives of gdb.

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Special Features

Fx2™ Debugger Cross-platform support for Fortran, C, C++, Assembler

• Cross-platform portable & supports:
  • Windows, Linux, OSX, OS9, AIX, SVR4 os's
  • x86,x86-64,PowerPC (also, 88k & MIPS) chips
  • Dwarf1, Dwarf2, Stabs, Codeview debug formats
  • Elf, Mach-O, Coff, Xcoff, PEF object file formats
  • Ptrace, Procfs, Win32 debug APIs
  • 32-bit and 64-bit platforms
  • C/C++/Assembly/Fortran 77/90/95
  • Multiprocessing / multi-threading

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Fx2™ Standard Debugging Features

• Source and assembly level stepping
• Breakpoints:
  • Conditional
  • Hardware
  • Command Execution
• Stack trace back
• Function evaluation
• Signal handling

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Fx2™ Extensible Debugging Features

• Control language interpreter
• Support for multiple interfaces:
  • Callbacks for integrated interface (i.e. GUI)
• Multiple command output formats
• Standard Fx format
• GNU gdb format
• Straightforward to add other/custom formats

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Fx2™ Fortran 95/90 Debugging Support

• Modules
• Common blocks
• Allocatable pointers
• User-defined types
• Array syntax
• Expression syntax

• Native Fortran data types
• Adjustable arrays
• Full Fortran string support
• Expression syntax
• VAX structures and unions
• Cray pointers

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Fx2™ C/C++ Debugging Support

• C/C++ data types
• Expressions
• Structures/classes/unions
• Multiple C++ name de-mangling schemes
• Access to C++ class information

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Fx2™ Debugging Features

• Elf object file and core file support
• Shared object support
• Process attach and detach
• Multi-process debugging
• Thread debugging using libthreaddb

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Fx2™ x86-64 Debugging Support

• 64-bit symbolic disassembly
• Extended register support
• SIMD floating point registers
• Hardware breakpoints

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Fx2™ is Compiler Neutral

• Fx2™ supports Fortran compilers and C/C++ compilers from many vendors:
  • Absoft's Fortran and C/C++ compilers
  • IBM'S XL Fortran and XL C/C++
  • Intel's Fortran and C/C++ compilers
  • PGI's Fortran and C/C++ compilers
  • GNU's Fortran and C/C++ compilers
  • PathScale Fortran and C/C++ compilers

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Absoft's Fx2™ Comparison to GNU's gdb (and derivative debuggers)

• Fx2™ Fortran support:
  • Full Fortran 9x,77 support
  • Single code base
  • Commercially supported
  • Commitment to future support

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Under Development for Fx2™

• Enhancements:
  • C/C++ support
  • Command language/scripting
  • MPI and OpenMP support
• Integration with:
  • Other debugging tools (i.e. valgrind)
• Fortran 2000/2003 support
  

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Graphical capabilities:

• Interactive inspectors provide fast access to functions and data
• Display local, file static, or global variables
• Type panes display fundamental types, array dimensions, enumeration constants, structure and union definitions
• Scrollable output pane displays variable values

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Process control:

• Automatic return from procedures
• Single step machine instructions
• Single step source statements
• Step over or into procedure calls
• Restart program execution with same or different arguments
• Resume program execution with optional temporary breakpoint
• Break at source line, procedure entry, or symbolic address
• Specify commands to be executed for each breakpoint
• Out-of-sequence procedure execution with symbolic arguments
• Monitor symbols for change in value (or conditionally against specific values)
• Stack trace shows execution chain with procedure and filename

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Information Presentation:

• Graphical or full screen character display interfaces
• Command and expression evaluation based on active procedure
• Program code displayed as source or machine code disassembly
• Show registers, variables, structures, procedures, breakpoints, file access
• Select symbols based on storage attributes, scope, symbol representation, recursive name location
• Display process symbols, debugger defined variables, F77 floating point intrinsics, recursive local variable specification, C operators
• Arrays and array sections by row or column major order

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Ease of Use

Fx2™ is easy to use, flexible, and dynamic

Easy to use - Fx2™ allows you to focus on quickly identifying problem areas in programs. The Fx2™ Debugger comes with a graphical user interface (GUI) with point and click ease of use. This GUI is complete with tabbed source code and assembly views, toolbars, and dock-able stack, console, symbol, and register windows. Dynamically updating windows and visual indicators help developers readily see the changing state of a program.

Automatic source code "tool tips" and color syntax also make it easy to obtain the current state of programs at a glance. Setting breakpoints and controlling program execution is also a snap. The "save" feature allows developers to easily save and restore information about a program's debug session, such as breakpoints, source paths, program arguments, console and symbol window history, active symbol window variables, and the working directory.

The symbols window is easily navigated with either a mouse or keyboard accelerators. The graphical user interface can be customized for each individual's work flow. Automatic keyword completion saves keystrokes. Browser bar pull-down menus allow easy navigation of program source files and functions.

Flexible - Advanced Fx2™ users can enter any command line debugger commands via the console window, or configure the debugger interface to their individual taste via the preference dialog, and dock-able windows and toolbars.

Dynamic - Fx2™ tracks the current state of your program and provides dynamic feedback by automatically tracking and updating the current stack frame, instruction pointer, local, static, and global variables, the current register state and program status. View windows can be docked, floating or closed allowing the debugger to be configured for a developer's typical workflow

Key interface features:

Source Code View

• Visual source stepping indicator
• Point and click breakpoint and code execution control
• Search text and goto line functionality
• Automatic tool tips displays current program variable state at a glance
• Color syntax makes your Fortran and C/C++ code easier to read and navigate
  

Assembly View

• Visual stepping indicators
• View mixed source and assembly at once
• Point and click breakpoint and code execution control
• Search text and goto address functionality
• Dynamically updates assembly for current stack frame
  

Symbols View

• Enter any variable or expression for evaluation by debugger Fortran or C/C++ expression analyzers
• Dynamically displays program state for any local, static, or global variables
• Easily keep track of vital variables and expressions by adding them to a User "scratch" view.
• Can be customized to display symbol types
• Allows user to either keep a static snapshot of program state or to dynamically update values
• Navigate easily using the mouse or keyboard
• Edit values inline by double-clicking values or pressing tab key on selected variable
• Expand and collapse complex variables
• Optional array dialog can be used to display the values of a range of array elements

Stack View

• Automatically track current stack frame.
• Easily navigate up and down the program's stack frames.

Register View

• Dynamically display the contents of the general registers, floating point registers, or vector registers
• Edit general-purpose registers inline

Console View

• Supports auto-completion

Browser Bar

• Pull-down menus allow easy navigation of program source files and functions
• And much more…
  

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Availability Date

• Electronic Delivery full Media Documentation

December 31 2004

• Mail orders shipped

• Electronic Delivery full Media Documentation

May 31 2004

• Mail orders shipped

• Electronic Delivery full Media Documentation

March 31 2004

• Mail orders shipped

Fx2™ Debugger for Macintosh bundled with Pro Fortran Compiler Suite for Macintosh OS X, XL Fortran and XL C/C++:

August 16 2004

• Electronic Delivery full Media Documentation

August 31 2004

• Mail orders shipped

Fx2™ Debugger for Windows bundled with Pro Fortran Compiler Suite:

September 15 2004

• Electronic Delivery full Media Documentation

September 31 2004

• Mail orders shipped

Terms and Conditions

Absoft branded products include Premier Technical Support and Initial Software Maintenance at no additional charge from the time of purchase for as long as the purchased version remains the current release version.

Initial Software Maintenance (ISM)

Initial Software Maintenance includes free electronic downloads of all interim Service Packs and Quick Fixes from Absoft. Version upgrades require separate purchase but at discounted prices.

Continuing Software Maintenance (CSM)

At the conclusion of the Initial Software Maintenance term (i.e. when a new version of the purchased product is released) customers may either purchase a Product Upgrade or within 30 days of the new product release, purchase Continuing Software Maintenance (CSM) for an additional 12 month maintenance term. Continuing Software Maintenance includes all elements of Premier Technical support plus all Product Upgrades issued during the 12 month Continuing Software Maintenance term. Annual renewals of Software Maintenance will be made available at low-cost to customers who renew within their unexpired Maintenance term.

For users electing not to renew Continuing Software Maintenance and having expired maintenance terms but later wishing to rejoin CSM, Reinstatement Software Maintenance (RSM) terms may be purchased.

Third party products distributed by Absoft are subject to license terms and policies of their respective manufacturers.

Disclaimer: Premier Technical Support cannot be used as a tutorial to assist in the design and development of applications, use of programs in other than their specified operating environment, provide instructions on general system operation or explore failures caused by products for which Absoft is not responsible under this agreement.

MaxFlex· Flexible Licensing available: Not currently

Floating Network Licenses available: Not currently

Copy and use on home/portable computer: Yes

Absoft's no charge companion home license policy allows registered users to install the Fx2™ Debugger on their personal computer at no additional charge. 

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System Requirements

Fortran 95 for 32 Bit Linux:
Processor: an x586-class or above processor is required. This includes Intel Pentium I/II/III/IV, AMD K6/II/III, AMD Duron, AMD Athlon/XP/MP. SMP multi-processor machines are supported.
Memory: at least 64 MB memory required, 128 MB or more recommended
Hard disk: 15 MB free disk space
Graphics Support:
     An X-Windows capable graphics card is required to use the Fx2 GUI.

Fortran 95 for 64 Bit Linux:
Processor: an x86_64 class processor (Opteron, Athlon, EM64T) or above
Memory: at least 256 MB memory required, 512 MB or more recommended
Hard disk: 15 MB free disk space
Graphics Support:
     An X-Windows capable graphics card is required to use the Fx2 GUI.

Pro Fortran for Macintosh OS X:

* G5, G4, or G3 based system [G5 or G4 recommended]
* Macintosh OS X 10.2 or later
* 128 MB RAM
* 60 MB free disk space

XL Fortran for Macintosh OS X:

* Apple Power Macintosh G4 or G5
* 150 MB minimum free disk space
* Macintosh OS X 10.2 or later operating systems

XL C/C++ for Macintosh OS X:

Hardware requirements

* Apple Power Mac G5 or Power Mac G4
* Disk space, at least:
o 80 MB for product packages
o 512 MB for paging and temporary files. High levels of
optimization may require more space for paging and temporary
files.

Software requirements

* Mac OS X 10.2 or Mac OS X 10.3
* The Mac OS X Developer Tools package, which includes gcc V3.3
* Viewers to access and display the documentation such as:
o Frames-capable browser to access HTML-format online help
o A Portable Document Format (PDF) viewer to view PDF files

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Cluster Options

• Cluster Products from Absoft
  

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