Debugging Windows IoT Devices

Essential tools and techniques for troubleshooting your IoT solutions.

MSDN Community > Topics > Windows > Windows IoT > Documentation > Debugging

Introduction to Debugging

Debugging is a critical part of developing and maintaining any software, and Windows IoT devices are no exception. This guide provides an overview of the tools, techniques, and best practices for debugging your Windows IoT applications and systems.

Common Debugging Scenarios

  • Application crashes or unexpected behavior.
  • Connectivity issues (network, peripheral).
  • Performance bottlenecks.
  • Startup failures.
  • Sensor or hardware interaction problems.

Debugging Tools

Windows IoT offers a range of powerful debugging tools accessible through Visual Studio and other system utilities.

Visual Studio Debugger

Visual Studio provides the most comprehensive debugging experience for Windows IoT applications. You can attach to a running process on your IoT device, set breakpoints, inspect variables, step through code, and analyze call stacks.

  • Remote Debugging: Essential for debugging applications running on devices that are not directly connected to your development machine.
  • Just-In-Time (JIT) Debugging: Allows you to attach the debugger to a process that has already encountered an unhandled exception.
  • Memory and Performance Profiling: Tools within Visual Studio can help identify memory leaks and performance issues.

To enable remote debugging, ensure the Remote Tools for Visual Studio are installed on your IoT device and that your development machine and device are on the same network.

Event Viewer

The Event Viewer on your Windows IoT device is invaluable for capturing system and application logs. This can provide insights into errors, warnings, and informational messages that occur during operation.

  • Access through the Windows Runtime (WinRT) API or by directly connecting to the device's desktop interface.
  • Filter logs by source, event ID, and severity to pinpoint issues.

PowerShell and Command Line Tools

Leverage PowerShell or command-line utilities for remote management and diagnostics.

  • ping: Test network connectivity.
  • tracert: Trace network routes.
  • ipconfig: View network configuration.
  • Get-NetAdapter: Get network adapter details.
  • Custom scripts for monitoring device health and resource utilization.
Tip: Regularly review system logs in Event Viewer, especially after deploying new software or making configuration changes.

Device Portal

The Windows Device Portal (WDP) provides a web-based interface for managing and debugging your IoT device remotely. It offers:

  • Access to running processes and performance metrics.
  • Ability to view and download logs.
  • Remote desktop functionality.
  • Network diagnostics.
  • Startup app management.

Debugging Strategies

Logging

Implement comprehensive logging within your application. Use categories and different log levels (e.g., Debug, Info, Warning, Error) to organize your log messages.


using System.Diagnostics.Tracing;

[EventSource(Name = "MyIoTApp")]
public sealed class AppEventSource : EventSource
{
    public static AppEventSource Log = new AppEventSource();

    [Event(1, Message = "Application started.", Level = EventLevel.Informational)]
    public void AppStart() { WriteEvent(1); }

    [Event(2, Message = "Error processing data: {0}", Level = EventLevel.Error)]
    public void ProcessingError(string errorMessage) { WriteEvent(2, errorMessage); }
}

// In your application code:
// AppEventSource.Log.AppStart();
// AppEventSource.Log.ProcessingError("Failed to read sensor data.");

Breakpoints and Stepping

When using Visual Studio, strategically place breakpoints to halt execution at critical points. Use the step-over, step-into, and step-out commands to follow the flow of your program.

Unit and Integration Testing

Write automated tests to catch bugs early in the development cycle. This is particularly important for testing specific modules or interactions between components.

Remote Protocol Debugging

If your application communicates over protocols like MQTT, HTTP, or custom serial protocols, consider using network sniffers or protocol analyzers to inspect the data being exchanged.

Best Practices

  • Keep your development tools and SDKs up to date.
  • Document your debugging process and findings.
  • Reproduce the issue consistently before attempting to fix it.
  • Isolate the problem to the smallest possible code segment.
  • Test your fix thoroughly.