comparison DOCS/bugreports.html @ 5237:99aee378e507

wording patch by Diego & Egger

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<P><B><A NAME=C>Appendix C - How to report bugs</A></B></P>

<P><B>How to report bugs?</B></P>

<P>First, try the latest CVS, maybe your bug is already fixed. CVS download
instructions (easy) can be found on our homepage.</P>

<P>If it didn't help: read <A HREF="documentation.html#D">Appendix D</A>, and other docs. If your problem isn't
known or isn't solved by our instructions, then report the bug:</P>

<P><B>Where?</B></P>

<P>Subscribe to the mplayer-users mailing list:<BR>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<A HREF="http://mplayerhq.hu/mailman/listinfo/mplayer-users">http://mplayerhq.hu/mailman/listinfo/mplayer-users</A><BR>
and send your bugreport to:<BR>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<A HREF="mailto:[e-mail]">[e-mail]</A><BR>
We won't CC: so please subscribe!!!</P>

<P>Don't send bugreports private, directly to author's address!!!
We are working together on code, so everyone is interested in it.
BTW many times other users know the solution (system config probs,
bad drivers etc), even when we think it's a bug in our code.
The language of this list is ENGLISH!</P>

<P>Please describe your problem in details, examples etc, and don't
forget to include these:</P>

<P><B>What?</B></P>

<P><B><I>1. The system info what we always want:</I></B></P>

<UL>
<LI>linux distribution<BR>
examples:<UL>
    <LI>RedHat 7.1
    <LI>Slackware 7.0 + devel packs from 7.1 ...</UL>
<LI>kernel version:<BR>
    <CODE>uname -a</CODE>
<LI>libc version:<BR>
    <CODE>ls -l /lib/libc[.-]*</CODE>
<LI>X version:<BR>
    <CODE>X -version</CODE>
<LI>gcc and ld version:<BR>
    <CODE>gcc -v<BR>
    ld -v</CODE>
<LI>binutils version:<BR>
    <CODE>as --version</CODE>
</UL>

<P><B><I>2. Hardware & drivers:</I></B></P>

<UL>
<LI>CPU info:<BR>
    <CODE>cat /proc/cpuinfo</CODE>
<LI>video card manufacturer and model<BR>
    examples:<BR><UL>
    <LI>ASUS V3800U chip: nVidia TNT2 Ultra pro 32MB SDRAM
    <LI>Matrox G400 DH 32MB SGRAM</UL>
<LI>video driver type&version<BR>
    examples:<UL>
    <LI>X built-in driver
    <LI>nvidia 0.9.623
    <LI>Utah-GLX CVS 2001-02-17
    <LI>DRI from X 4.0.3</UL>
<LI>sound card type & driver<BR>
    examples:<BR><UL>
    <LI>Creative SBLive! Gold with OSS driver from oss.creative.com
    <LI>Creative SB16 with OSS drivers of kernel
    <LI>GUS PnP with ALSA OSS emulation</UL>
<LI>if you are unsure, attach output of lspci -v
</UL>

<P><B>For compiling problems/errors</B></P>

<P><B><I>3. these files:</I></B></P>
<UL><LI>configure.log
<LI>config.h
<LI>config.mak
<LI>libvo/config.mak
</UL>

<P><B>For playback problems:</B></P>

<P><B><I>3. Output of mplayer at verbose level 1 (-v)</I></B></P>
<P><CODE>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;mplayer -v [options] filename &amp;&gt; mplayer.log</CODE></P>
  
<P><B><I>4. If the problem is specific to one or a few files,
  then please upload that file to:</I></B></P>
<P><CODE>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;ftp://mplayerhq.hu/MPlayer/incoming/</CODE></P>
  Also upload a small .txt file with the same name as your file (+ .txt extension),
  containing problem description, mplayer -v file output, and your email address!<BR>
  Usually first 1-5 MB of the file is enough to reproduce
  the problem, but first you should try it:
<P><CODE>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;dd if=yourfile of=smallfile bs=1024k count=5</CODE></P>
  (it will cut first 5 MB of 'yourfile' and save to 'smallfile')
  Then try again on this small file, and if bug still exists
  then it's enough to upload this small file.<BR>
  NEVER send such files via mail! Upload it, and send only
  the path/filename of the file on the FTP.
  If the file is accessible on the net, then sending the
  _exact_ URL is enough!

<P><B><I>5. For crashes (segfault, SIGILL, signal 4 etc):</I></B></P>

<P><I>If you have coredump of the crash, see 5.a, else see 5.b:</I></P>

<P><B><I>5.a: Please print us coredump (if it was created).</I></B></P>

<P>Howto:
please create following command file:</P>

<P><CODE>disass $eip-32 $eip+32<BR>
printf "eax=%08lX\n",$eax<BR>
printf "ebx=%08lX\n",$ebx<BR>
printf "ecx=%08lX\n",$ecx<BR>

printf "ebp=%08lX\n",$ebp<BR>
printf "edi=%08lX\n",$edi<BR>
printf "esi=%08lX\n",$esi<BR>
</CODE></P>

<P>Then simply execute following command line:</P>
<P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<CODE>gdb mplayer --core=core -batch --command=command_file >mplayer.bug</CODE></P>

<P><B><I>5.b.: run MPlayer in gdb:</I></B></P>
<P>Re-compile mplayer with debugging code enabled:<BR>
./configure --enable-debug<BR>
make
</P>
<P>[at root/user shell prompt:]<BR>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<CODE># gdb mplayer</CODE><BR>
[at gdb prompt:]<BR>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<CODE>&gt; run -v [options-to-mplayer] filename</CODE><BR>
  ... (wait until it will crash)<BR>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<CODE>&gt; bt</CODE><BR>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<CODE>&gt; disass $eip-32 $eip+32</CODE><BR>
Send us the full output of the above things!
</P>

<P><B>In general:</B></P>

<P>If something is big (logs etc) then it's better to upload to the ftp
(gzipped), and include only path/filename in the bugreport!</P>

<P><B>I know what am I doing...</B></P>

<P>If you created a proper bugreport following the above steps, and you are
sure it's mplayer bug, not compiler's problem or broken file, you've already
readed through docs and you didn't find the solution, your sound drivers are ok,
then you may want to subscribe to the mplayer-advusers list and send your
bugreport there to get better and faster answer. But BE WARNED: if you post
newbie or rtfm-type questions there, you'll be immediatelly banned, instead or
getting answered!!! So don't flame us, subscribe -advusers only if you really
know what are you doing and you feel you as advanced mplayer user or developer.
(and about how to subscribe: find it out! if you're really an advanced user,
it shouldn't be a problem for you...)
</P>

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<P><B><A NAME=C>Appendix C - How to report bugs</A></B></P>

<P><B>How to report bugs?</B></P>

<P>First of all please try the latest CVS version of mplayer as your bug might
already be fixed there. CVS instructions can be found at the bottom of
<A HREF="http://www.mplayerhq.hu/homepage/dload.html">this page</A>.</P>

<P>If this did not help please refer to <A HREF="documentation.html#D">Appendix D</A>
and the rest of the documentation. If your problem is not known or not solvable by
our instructions, then please report the bug.</P>

<P><B>Where to report bugs?</B></P>

<P>Subscribe to the mplayer-users mailing list:<BR>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<A HREF="http://mplayerhq.hu/mailman/listinfo/mplayer-users">http://mplayerhq.hu/mailman/listinfo/mplayer-users</A><BR>
and send your bug report to:<BR>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<A HREF="mailto:[e-mail]">[e-mail]</A><BR>
Please note that we will not individually CC (carbon-copy) people so it is a good
idea to subscribe to actually receive your answer.</P>

<P>Please do not send bug reports privately to individual developers.  This is
community work and thus there might be several people interested in it.
Also sometimes other users already experienced your troubles and have a
solution in hand how to circumvent a problem even if it is a bug in mplayer
code.<BR>
The language of this list is <strong>English</strong>.</P>

<P>Please describe your problem as detailed as possible with examples etc.
and do not forget to include this valuable information:</P>

<P><B>What to report?</B></P>

<P><B><I>System Information</I></B></P>

<UL>
<LI>Your Linux distribution or operating system e.g.:
    <UL>
        <LI>Red Hat 7.1
        <LI>Slackware 7.0 + devel packs from 7.1 ...
    </UL>
<LI>kernel version:<BR>
    <CODE>uname -a</CODE>
<LI>libc version:<BR>
    <CODE>ls -l /lib/libc[.-]*</CODE>
<LI>X version:<BR>
    <CODE>X -version</CODE>
<LI>gcc and ld versions:<BR>
    <CODE>gcc -v<BR>
    ld -v</CODE>
<LI>binutils version:<BR>
    <CODE>as --version</CODE>
</UL>

<P><B><I>Hardware &amp; drivers</I></B></P>

<UL>
<LI>CPU info (this works on Linux only):<BR>
    <CODE>cat /proc/cpuinfo</CODE>
<LI>Video card manufacturer and model, e.g.:<BR>
    <UL>
        <LI>ASUS V3800U chip: nVidia TNT2 Ultra pro 32MB SDRAM
        <LI>Matrox G400 DH 32MB SGRAM
    </UL>
<LI>Video driver type &amp; version, e.g.:<BR>
    <UL>
        <LI>X built-in driver
        <LI>nVidia 0.9.623
        <LI>Utah-GLX CVS 2001-02-17
        <LI>DRI from X 4.0.3
    </UL>
<LI>Sound card type &amp; driver, e.g.:<BR>
    <UL>
        <LI>Creative SBLive! Gold with OSS driver from oss.creative.com
        <LI>Creative SB16 with kernel OSS drivers
        <LI>GUS PnP with ALSA OSS emulation
    </UL>
<LI>if in doubt include <CODE>lspci -vv</CODE> output on Linux systems
</UL>

<P><B>For compilation problems/errors</B></P>

<P><B><I>Please include these files:</I></B></P>
<UL><LI>configure.log
<LI>config.h
<LI>config.mak
<LI>libvo/config.mak
</UL>

<P><B>For playback problems</B></P>

<P><B><I>Please include the output of mplayer at verbosity level 1</I></B></P>
<P><CODE>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;mplayer -v [options] filename &amp;&gt; mplayer.log</CODE></P>

<P>If your problem is specific to one or more files, then please upload the
offender(s) to:</P>

<P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<A HREF="ftp://mplayerhq.hu/MPlayer/incoming/">ftp://mplayerhq.hu/MPlayer/incoming/</A></P>

<P>Also upload a small text file having the same base name as your file
with a .txt extension. Describe the problem you are having with the
particular file there and include your email address as well as the output
of mplayer at verbosity level 1.<BR> 
Usually the first 1-5 MB of a file are enough to reproduce the problem,
but to be sure we ask you to:
<P><CODE>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;dd if=yourfile of=smallfile bs=1024k count=5</CODE></P>

<P>It will take the  first five megabytes of <STRONG>'your-file'</STRONG> and
write it to <STRONG>'small-file'</STRONG>.<BR>
Then try again on this small file and if the bug still shows up 
your sample is sufficient for us.<BR>
Please <STRONG>do not ever</STRONG> send such files via mail! Upload it,
and send only the path/filename of the file on the FTP-server.<BR>
If the file is accessible on the net, then sending the
<STRONG>exact</STRONG> URL is sufficient.</P>

<P><B><I>For crashes</I></B></P>

<P><I>If you have a core dump of the crash continue reading the next paragraph, otherwise skip it.</I></P>

<P><B><I>How to extract meaningful information from a core dump</I></B></P>

<P>Please create following command file:</P>

<P><CODE>disass $eip-32 $eip+32<BR>
printf "eax=%08lX\n",$eax<BR>
printf "ebx=%08lX\n",$ebx<BR>
printf "ecx=%08lX\n",$ecx<BR>

printf "ebp=%08lX\n",$ebp<BR>
printf "edi=%08lX\n",$edi<BR>
printf "esi=%08lX\n",$esi<BR>
</CODE></P>

<P>Then simply execute the following on your command line:</P>
<P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<CODE>gdb mplayer --core=core -batch --command=command_file &gt; mplayer.bug</CODE></P>

<P><B><I>How to conserve information about a reproducible crash</I></B></P>
<P>Re-compile mplayer with debugging code enabled:</P>
<P><CODE>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;./configure --enable-debug<BR>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;make</CODE></P>
and then run mplayer within gdb using:
<P><CODE>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;gdb mplayer</CODE></P>

<P>You are now within gdb. Type:</P>
<P><CODE>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;run -v [options-to-mplayer] filename</code></P>
and reproduce your crash. As soon as you did it, gdb will
return you to the command line prompt where you have to enter
<P><CODE>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;bt<BR>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;disass $eip-32 $eip+32</CODE></P>
and send the complete output to us.

<P><B>General note</B></P>

<P>If something is quite big (logs for instance) then it is better to upload
it to the FTP-server in a compressed format (gzip and bzip preferred) and
include only the path and filename in your bug report.</P>

<P><B>I know what I am doing...</B></P>

<P>If you created a proper bug report following the steps above and you are
confident it is a bug in mplayer, not a compiler problem or broken file,
you have already read the documentation and you could not find a solution,
your sound drivers are OK, then you might want to subscribe to the
mplayer-advusers list and send your bug report there to get a better and
faster answer.<BR><BR> 
Please be advised that if you post newbie questions or questions answered
in the manual there, you will be ignored or flamed instead of getting an
appropriate answer.<BR>
So do not flame us and  subscribe to -advusers only if you really know
what you are doing and feel like being an advanced mplayer user or
developer.  If you meet these criteria it should not be difficult to find
out how to subscribe...
</P>

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