4.3 Using a ROM monitor as a backend

GDB also can mimic a human user and use a ROM monitors normal debug commands as a backend. This consists mostly of sending and parsing ASCII strings. All the ROM monitor interfaces share a common set of routines in gdb/monitor.c. This supports adding new ROM monitor interfaces by filling in a structure with the common commands GDB needs. GDb already supports several command ROM monitors, including Motorola’s Bug monitor for their VME boards, and the Rom68k monitor by Integrated Systems, Inc. for various m68k based boards. GDB also supports the custom ROM monitors on the WinBond and Oki PA based targets. There is builtin support for loading files to ROM monitors specifically. GDB can convert a binary into an srecord and then load it as an ascii file, or using xmodem.