WebSphere Developer Debugger for System z

• IBM WebSphere Developer Debugger for System z is a low-cost subset of Rational Developer for System z functions providing a workstation graphical interface to IBM Debug Tool for z/OS and IBM Debug Tool Utilities and Advanced Functions.
• WebSphere Developer Debugger for System z V7.0, integrated with IBM Debug Tool for z/OS V7.1 and IBM Debug Tool Utilities and Advanced Functions for z/OS V7.1, provides Eclipse based interactive source-level debugging capabilities for debugging compiled System z applications. Its program debugging, testing, and analysis capabilities include the ability to let developers examine, monitor, and control the execution of application programs written in COBOL, PL/I, C, C++, and Assembler on a z/OS system.
• WebSphere Developer Debugger, integrated with IBM Debug Tool and IBM Debug Tool Advanced Utilities, supports debugging of application programs that run in the following environments:
  • CICS
  • IMS
  • DB2
  • WebSphere
  • TSO
  • JES/batch
  • UNIX System Services
• New features in V7.0 build on an already comprehensive set of features. They include new functions supporting:
  • Users can now view memory addresses using offsets.
  • Supporting internationalized applications, sort orders will now correctly sort accented characters.
  • Eclipse V3.2 support for a more responsive, attractive, and customizable user interface that increases developer productivity.
  • Improved error handling is available with regard to con- nection issues.
• Highlights
• WebSphere Developer Debugger for System z integrates with IBM Debug Tool for z/OS V7.1 and IBM Debug Tool Utilities And Advanced Functions V7.1 to help examine, monitor, and control the execution of application programs by enabling you to:
  • Interactively debug an application as it runs
  • Perform seamless debugging of mixed-language applications
  • Make adjustments to your application while debugging
  • Display programs with color-coded highlighting of syntax
  • Display, monitor, and alter program variables
• It also supports many programming languages and numerous execution environments.
• Description
• WebSphere Developer Debugger for System z can be used to provide a powerful, easy-to-use workstation interface with unique function provided by IBM Debug Tool or IBM Debug Tool Utilities and Advanced Functions. Developers can execute a broad range of capabilities needed for debugging, including enabling developers to step, debug, detect, and diagnose errors in programs that are running remotely. With the debugger's distributed design, users can debug programs running remotely on other systems available with TCP/IP access from or to a developer's workstation.
• With this debugger, developers can control the execution of programs by setting compiled language-specific breakpoints, suspending execution, stepping through code, and examining and changing the contents of variables. The debugger operates from a perspective in the Eclipse workbench and contains views and functionality specific to debugging compiled language applications. With the Eclipse-based views, developers can monitor variables, expressions, registers, memory, and application modules. Functionality that is geared specifically to debugging compiled language applications includes:
  • Viewing source in the editor
  • Choosing from multiple breakpoint types, such as line, entry, address, watch, and load
  • Specifying exception types at which the debugger will stop program execution, such as run, and step into and over a procedure
  • Monitoring and updating storage, memory maps, registers, variables, and expressions
• Note: Support for compiled language debug functionality varies depending on the language, environment, and platform on which you are debugging.

To run WDDz on the workstation, you need the following:

• One of the following workstation operating systems
  • Microsoft Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2, or later
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional or Server or Advanced Server with Service Pack 4, or later
  • Microsoft Server 2003 Standard or Enterprise with Service Pack 1, or later
• TCP/IP installed and configured
• One of the following Web browsers
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer V6.0 with Service Pack 1
  • Firefox 1.5 or 2.0

There is also a co-requisite mainframe based product as listed below. It is the Debug Tool or Debug Tool Utilities and Advanced Functions product.

Co-requisites

The following products and other stated software are required to support specific features of WebSphere Developer Debugger. The workstation client can be successfully installed without these requisites; however, a stated requisite must be installed and operational at run time for the corresponding feature to work as designed.

• Debug tool - One of the following must be installed on the host to support remote debugging of programs from WebSphere Developer Debugger:
  • IBM Debug Tool for z/OS V7.1 (5655-R44), or later, plus PTFs
  • IBM Debug Tool Utilities and Advanced Functions for z/OS V7.1 (5655-R45), or later, plus PTFs

IBM Debug Tool Utilities and Advanced Functions for z/OS V7.1, or later, plus PTFs, is required for assembler support, loading and clearing of specific load modules, describing load module contents, automonitor support and displaying the source for a compile unit prior to the application's loading of the load module containing the compile unit and/or prior to the execution of the compile unit for COBOL.