get_kernel_syms - Linux
Overview
The get_kernel_syms
command is a Linux utility used to extract kernel symbols and their corresponding addresses from the kernel address space. It is primarily used in debugging, kernel analysis, and custom kernel module development.
Syntax
get_kernel_syms [options] <filename>
Options/Flags
-a
or--all
: Dump all symbols, including non-exported ones.-e
or--export-only
: Only dump exported symbols.-m
or--module
: Only dump symbols for specified kernel modules.-n
or--numeric
: Dump the symbols alongside their numeric addresses.-s
or--symbol
: Search for specific symbols in the kernel symbol table.
Examples
Extract all symbols from the kernel:
get_kernel_syms
Dump only exported symbols:
get_kernel_syms -e
Extract symbols for specific kernel modules:
get_kernel_syms -m mymodule1 mymodule2
Search for a specific symbol:
get_kernel_syms -s symbolname
Common Issues
- Missing symbols: If a symbol is not found, it may not be exported or may not exist in the kernel.
- "No such device or address" error: This can occur if the kernel image file specified is not valid or accessible.
Integration
get_kernel_syms
can be combined with other tools like gdb
for debugging, kallsyms
for symbol table manipulation, and readelf
for examining symbol information in executables.
Related Commands
kallsyms
: Kernel symbol table manipulation tool.readelf
: Program file dumper.gdb
: GNU debugger.