Why core dump analysis require a program name?
 

To analyse a coredump, I need to specify program name/path in GDB/KDevelop. Since the program name along with arguments is also within a core dump, I wonder if it doesn't keep the proper path of program that crashed and so asks for it?

Thanks

Because you'll often have different VERSIONS of a given executable, and it's important to be able to specify exactly WHICH version the core dump corresponds to.

It's also a very effective way to prevent you from getting too lazy by having the machine do everything for you ;) Builds character ;)

Thanks for the reply paulsm4. Different versions of an executable means different executables but with same name and present at different paths on the machine. So, this seems to confirm my belief that the core file doesn't record the path of program. Is that correct?

Hi -

Yes, it records the path of the executable AT THE TIME OF THE CORE DUMP.

If you're in a development environment (aren't we all ;)?), then the actual executable that happens to exist at that location is likely to change over time (i.e. change between compiles ;))

'Hope that helps .. PSM