Setting Platform Breaks

The new Intel(R) System Debugger allows you to intercept system-level events, namely platform breaks. This type of breaks include events like system reset and start or end of the System Management Mode. To set a platform breakpoint:

1. Halt the target by pressing the Suspend button.

2. In the upper-right corner of the Breakpoints view, click Add Breakpoint.

   Alternatively, click View Menu and select Add System Debug Breakpoint.

3. In the Add Breakpoint dialog, select the Platform Break radio button.

4. In the Platform Type drop-down menu, select the break condition:

   

   • To capture the system reset, select Reset.

   • To capture the entry to the System Management Mode, select SmmEntry.

   • To capture the exit from the System Management Mode, select SmmExit.

   • To capture Virtual Machine Extensions (VMX) related events select:

     • VMClear to capture the event of clearing Intel(R) Virtual Machine Control Structure Shadowing (Intel(R) VMCS Shadowing)

     • VMExit to capture the exit from the virtual machine

     • VMLaunch to capture the virtual machine launch.

5. Click OK.

Now you can resume you target and see how the specified event is caught.

When the event is hit, the target is halted and the intercepted event is shown in parenthesis next to the corresponding hardware thread in Debug view.