Is it possible to stop a single thread during debug in Linux?

Question

What I'd like to know is if it is possible, inside a debugging session in Linux, (read: gdb :)) to stop the execution of a single thread, leaving the other threads to run.

If someone is curious to know why keep reading: I wrote a software watchdog C++ class (using Qt). I tested it with a simple multithreaded program, but I'd like to test the code once I integrate it inside the real application as well. If I could stop a thread from the debugger, that will simplify this testing phase. :)

Cheers Sergio

Answer 1

Use this sequence of commands before you run or attach to your program:

• Enable the async interface:
  set target-async 1

• If using the CLI, pagination breaks non-stop:
  set pagination off

• Turn it on:
  set non-stop on

Use these commands to manipulate the non-stop mode setting:

• Enable selection of non-stop mode:
  set non-stop on

• Disable selection of non-stop mode:
  set non-stop off

• Show the current non-stop enabled setting:
  show non-stop

References:
http://sourceware.org/gdb/onlinedocs/gdb/Non_002dStop-Mode.html#Non_002dStop-Mode