---
name: "pmdbg"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "pcp"
version: "7.2.2-2"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/pmdbg"
---

# pmdbg(1)

report Performance Co-Pilot debug options

## NAME

**pmdbg** - report Performance Co-Pilot debug options

## SYNOPSIS

**pmdbg** \[**-l**\]

## DESCRIPTION

The components of the Performance Co-Pilot (PCP) use a global mechanism to control diagnostic and debug output.

**pmdbg** prints out all the available debug options with the name of the option and some descriptive text.

The **-l** option does nothing, but is included for backwards compatibility with older versions of **pmdbg**.

Most applications using the facilities of the PCP support a **-D** *name*\[,*name* ...\] command-line syntax to enable debug control using the name(s) of the desired debug options.

Alternatively the initial value of the debug control flags may be set to a comma-separated list if option name(s) using the environment variable **$PCP\_DEBUG**, provided the applications use [**pmGetOptions**(3)](/pmGetOptions/3.md) to process command line options and arguments. If both mechanisms are used the effect is additive, so the resultant flags are those set via **$PCP\_DEBUG** combined with those set via any **-D** command line options.

## PCP ENVIRONMENT

Environment variables with the prefix **PCP\_** are used to parameterize the file and directory names used by PCP. On each installation, the file */etc/pcp.conf* contains the local values for these variables. The **$PCP\_CONF** variable may be used to specify an alternative configuration file, as described in [**pcp.conf**(5)](/pcp.conf/5.md).

## COMPATIBILITY

Prior to PCP 7.0 debug options were maintained in a dual state with an old-style binary encoded integer (plus macro name for programmers), and a new-style character string name for each debug option.

In PCP 7.0 support for the the old-style was dropped.

The table below documents the equivalence for those debugging options that appeared in both the the old and the new styles.

| | | | |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Old Style |
| Symbolic Name | Mask | Value | Name |
| DBG\_TRACE\_PDU | 0x00000001 | 1 | pdu |
| DBG\_TRACE\_FETCH | 0x00000002 | 2 | fetch |
| DBG\_TRACE\_PROFILE | 0x00000004 | 4 | profile |
| DBG\_TRACE\_VALUE | 0x00000008 | 8 | value |
| DBG\_TRACE\_CONTEXT | 0x00000010 | 16 | context |
| DBG\_TRACE\_INDOM | 0x00000020 | 32 | indom |
| DBG\_TRACE\_PDUBUF | 0x00000040 | 64 | pdubuf |
| DBG\_TRACE\_LOG | 0x00000080 | 128 | log |
| DBG\_TRACE\_LOGMETA | 0x00000100 | 256 | logmeta |
| DBG\_TRACE\_OPTFETCH | 0x00000200 | 512 | optfetch |
| DBG\_TRACE\_AF | 0x00000400 | 1024 | af |
| DBG\_TRACE\_APPL0 | 0x00000800 | 2048 | appl0 |
| DBG\_TRACE\_APPL1 | 0x00001000 | 4096 | appl1 |
| DBG\_TRACE\_APPL2 | 0x00002000 | 8192 | appl2 |
| DBG\_TRACE\_PMNS | 0x00004000 | 16384 | pmns |
| DBG\_TRACE\_LIBPMDA | 0x00008000 | 32768 | libpmda |
| DBG\_TRACE\_TIMECONTROL | 0x00001000 | 65536 | timecontrol |
| DBG\_TRACE\_PMC | 0x00002000 | 131072 | pmc |
| DBG\_TRACE\_DERIVE | 0x00004000 | 262144 | derive |
| DBG\_TRACE\_LOCK | 0x00008000 | 524288 | lock |
| DBG\_TRACE\_INTERP | 0x00010000 | 1048576 | interp |
| DBG\_TRACE\_CONFIG | 0x00020000 | 2097152 | config |
| DBG\_TRACE\_PMAPI | 0x00040000 | 4194304 | pmapi |
| DBG\_TRACE\_FAULT | 0x00080000 | 8388608 | fault |
| DBG\_TRACE\_AUTH | 0x00100000 | 16777216 | auth |
| DBG\_TRACE\_DISCOVERY | 0x00200000 | 33554432 | discovery |
| DBG\_TRACE\_ATTR | 0x00400000 | 67108864 | attr |
| DBG\_TRACE\_HTTP | 0x00800000 | 134217728 | http |
| DBG\_TRACE\_DESPERATE | 0x04000000 | 1073741824 | desperate |

## SEE ALSO

[**PCPIntro**(1)](/PCPIntro/1.md), [**PMAPI**(3)](/PMAPI/3.md), [**pmClearDebug**(3)](/pmClearDebug/3.md), [**pmGetDebug**(3)](/pmGetDebug/3.md), [**pmGetOptions**(3)](/pmGetOptions/3.md), [**pmSetDebug**(3)](/pmSetDebug/3.md), [**pcp.conf**(5)](/pcp.conf/5.md) and [**pcp.env**(5)](/pcp.env/5.md).