Zend Server User Guide > Tasks > Working with the Debugger

Working with the Debugger

The Debugger API that is included in Zend Server for IBMi is a remote debugging tool for developers who work with Zend StudioZend Studio is an integrated development environment (IDE) for PHP based on the PHP Development Tools (PDT) plugin for the Eclipse platform. Zend Studio is tightly integrated with Zend Server and Zend Framework..

Note:

To run remote debug sessions using Zend Studio, the Debugger component needs to be turned on. For more information, see Working with Components.

From the Zend Server for IBMi perspective, other than defining allowed hosts and denied hosts, no additional interaction is required.

Defining Allowed Hosts

The following procedure describes how to define allowed hosts for debugging. Users define allowed hosts to create a list of IP addresses (of computers that run Zend Studio) that have permission to debug the PHP code that runs on the server.

To define allowed hosts for debugging:

In the UI, go to Configurations | Components.
From the Components list, select the Zend Debugger.
The component directives are displayed in the Expanded View.
Locate the zend_debugger.allow_hosts directive, and enter a valid IP address or enter a range by entering the beginning of an IP address and adding '0' instead of the rest of the number.
In the Action bar, click .
In the toolbar, the restart icon lights up , indicating a restart is needed to apply changes. Click to restart server and apply changes.
For information on restarting in Zend Server, see Server Restart.

The IP or range of IPs is allowed to connect to the server to debug PHP code with Zend Studio.

Important Note:

If your machine has several IP addresses (for example if you are using a wireless network connection on a laptop) verify that you have defined all the possible IP addresses as allowed hosts for debugging, or that the IP you want to use is first in the list of IPs in Zend Studio (In Window | Preferences | PHP | Debug | Installed Debuggers, verify that Zend Debugger is selected and click Configure in the Client Host/IP field.)

Important:

Do not add the same IP address to both the Allowed and Denied host lists. Pay attention when you specify a range of IP addresses: If you deny a range of addresses that includes an IP that was specified in the Allowed hosts, the host is not allowed to create a debug session.

Wildcards (Net Mask)

Wildcards use the asterisk (*) to define a string of IP addresses and to specify a range of IPs that are either allowed or denied hosts. This option makes it possible to specify a range of IPs from 0-255, according to the selected number of wildcards. For example, if you use the Net Mask option to deny the IPs 10.1.3. *, all the IP addresses beginning with 10.1.3. are denied access to the Studio Server (i.e., integration with Studio is not permitted for these IP addresses).

Remote Debugging Through a Firewall?

Remote debugging is the process of creating a connection between two machines: For example, the machine on which the Debugger (Zend Studio) resides and the machine on which the Zend Server for IBMi resides. When these machines are on the same local network or there are no security devices that limit remote connections, no additional action is required. However, if one or both of the machines are behind a firewall, the communication required to run the debug process is not allowed. To allow debugging and still maintain a secure environment, you need to use firewall tunneling. For more information on how to setup firewall tunneling, see Working with Firewall Tunneling.

Debug Mode

Debug Mode allows you to listen in on URL requests to a specific Zend Server, without initializing a debug session from a browser using the Zend Debugger Toolbar or from within Zend Studio. When Debug Mode is enabled for a server, all requests matching URL filters associated with a particular target trigger a debug session in Zend Studio. Debug Mode is especially useful when your circumstances do not allow you to set debug parameters in a request, for example, when using a mobile device.

For more information on using Debug Mode, see the Zend Studio Online Help.