In order to interpret the binary image that a dump file contains, the Source Debugger requires information about the internal structure of the VTS engine (VTS.exe). As this changes from version to version of the engine, the Source Debugger uses a program database (.PDB) that is generated as part of the process of building VTS.exe.
How Does the Source Debugger Locate the Correct .PDB File?
The Symbol Server tab allows the Source Debugger to locate the correct .PDB file for the dump image being examined.
Note: The default setting for the Local Symbol Cache Path field (which is pointed to the DumpTools subdirectory within the VTS installation directory (e.g. C:\VTS\DumpTools) where the .PDB file is stored) should result in the correct .PDB file being located by the Source Debugger. The Symbol Server Location field is for internal use by Trihedral only, and as such does not require input.
(Trihedral only) The Source Debugger uses a two-phase process to locate the correct .PDB file:
• The Local Symbol Cache Path is examined for the .PDB file.
• If the correct .PDB file is not located in the DumpTools directory, the Source Debugger will search a symbol server (Microsoft terminology) for the correct .PDB file. A symbol server can hold many versions of .PDB (one for each version of VTS that is released). Internally, this is normally a network share (e.g. \\<trihedralserver>\VTSSymbols), but can be a URL (e.g. http://<trihedralservername>.trihedral.com/VTSSymbols).
Both fields do not have to be filled in. If only the Local Symbol Cache Path field is filled in (as it is by default), the .PDB file is expected to be found there. If both fields are completed, the operation is as described as above, with PDBs fetched from the symbol server stored in the Local Symbol Cache Path, there by reducing network traffic for the remainder of this debugging session and for future sessions that require the same .PDB. The .PDB files cached locally can be manually deleted if no longer required.
If only the Symbol Server Location field is filled in, there is no local caching of the .PDB file, and all accesses to the desired .PDB file are done over the network. This is a slower process, but avoids storing a .PDB file on the local hard disk.