# Scenario 5: Debug Symbols - The Missing Map

## Learning Objectives
- Understand what debug symbols are and why they matter
- Compare profiling output with and without symbols
- Use `perf annotate` to see source-level hotspots
- Understand the trade-offs of shipping debug symbols

## Background

When you compile C code, the compiler translates your source into machine code.
By default, the connection between source lines and machine instructions is lost.

**Debug symbols** (enabled with `-g`) preserve this mapping:
- Function names
- Source file names and line numbers
- Variable names and types
- Inline function information

## Files
- `program.c` - A program with nested function calls
- `Makefile` - Builds `nodebug` and `withdebug` versions

## Exercise 1: Build Both Versions

```bash
make all
```

Compare file sizes:
```bash
make sizes
```

The `withdebug` binary is larger due to DWARF debug sections.

## Exercise 2: Profile Without Debug Symbols

```bash
perf record ./nodebug 500 5000
perf report
```

You'll see something like:
```
  45.23%  nodebug  nodebug    [.] 0x0000000000001234
  32.11%  nodebug  nodebug    [.] 0x0000000000001456
  12.45%  nodebug  libm.so    [.] __sin_fma
```

The hex addresses (`0x...`) tell you nothing useful!

## Exercise 3: Profile With Debug Symbols

```bash
perf record ./withdebug 500 5000
perf report
```

Now you see:
```
  45.23%  withdebug  withdebug  [.] compute_inner
  32.11%  withdebug  withdebug  [.] compute_middle
  12.45%  withdebug  libm.so    [.] __sin_fma
```

Much better! You can see which functions are hot.

## Exercise 4: Source-Level Annotation

With debug symbols, you can see exactly which lines are hot:

```bash
perf record ./withdebug 500 5000
perf annotate compute_inner
```

This shows the source code with cycle counts per line!

```
       │    double compute_inner(double x, int iterations) {
       │        double result = x;
  1.23 │        for (int i = 0; i < iterations; i++) {
 45.67 │            result = sin(result) * cos(result) + sqrt(fabs(result));
 23.45 │            result = result * 1.0001 + 0.0001;
       │        }
       │        return result;
       │    }
```

## Exercise 5: Understanding Symbol Tables

```bash
# Show symbols in each binary
make symbols

# Or manually:
nm nodebug | head -20
nm withdebug | head -20

# Show more detail about sections
readelf -S withdebug | grep debug
```

Debug sections you might see:
- `.debug_info` - Type information
- `.debug_line` - Line number tables
- `.debug_str` - String table
- `.debug_abbrev` - Abbreviation tables

## Exercise 6: Stripping Symbols

Production binaries are often "stripped" to reduce size:

```bash
make stripped
ls -l withdebug stripped

# Try to profile the stripped binary
perf record ./stripped 500 5000
perf report
```

The stripped binary loses symbol information too!

## Exercise 7: Separate Debug Files

In production, you can ship stripped binaries but keep debug info separate:

```bash
# Extract debug info to separate file
objcopy --only-keep-debug withdebug withdebug.debug

# Strip the binary
strip withdebug -o withdebug.stripped

# Add a link to the debug file
objcopy --add-gnu-debuglink=withdebug.debug withdebug.stripped

# Now perf can find the debug info
perf record ./withdebug.stripped 500 5000
perf report
```

This is how Linux distros provide `-dbg` or `-debuginfo` packages.

## Discussion Questions

1. **Why don't we always compile with `-g`?**
   - Binary size (can be 2-10x larger)
   - Exposes source structure (security/IP concerns)
   - Some optimizations may be affected (though `-O2 -g` works well)

2. **Does `-g` affect performance?**
   - Generally no: debug info is stored in separate sections
   - Not loaded unless a debugger attaches
   - Some edge cases with frame pointers

3. **What about release vs debug builds?**
   - Debug build: `-O0 -g` (no optimization, full debug)
   - Release build: `-O2 -g` (optimized, with symbols)
   - Stripped release: `-O2` then `strip`

## Key Takeaways

1. **Always compile with `-g` during development**
2. **Debug symbols don't meaningfully affect runtime performance**
3. **Without symbols, profilers show useless hex addresses**
4. **Production: ship stripped binaries, keep debug files for crash analysis**

## Bonus: Flamegraph Generation

```bash
# Record with call graph
perf record -g ./withdebug 500 5000

# Generate flamegraph (requires FlameGraph scripts)
perf script | /path/to/FlameGraph/stackcollapse-perf.pl | /path/to/FlameGraph/flamegraph.pl > profile.svg
```
