IDA remote debug Linux Kernel

Hello,

I am using arm-gdb to debug kernel and user level code running under QEMU. QEMU has built in gdbserver that stops VM on power-up and waits for debugger connection. Is it possible to do the same with IDA? All I can find is debugging user processes with IDA, not kernel...

Thanks!

[mcp]

You can at least debug the windows kernel using IDA+GDB (if you enable the GDB debugging interface in VMWare, for instance). I haven't tried the same for Linux or QEMU, but I think it should work. You can even set the resp. options to debug real mode code in the debugger specific settings of the GDB module.
This might help:

http://www.hex-rays.com/products/ida/support/tutorials/debugging_gdb_windows_vmware.pdf

I was able to connect to gdbserver running in QEMU. Is there a way to load source files for known kernel modules? i.e. I can debug everything fine, but only with disassembly. Not sure if IDA can load source files from GNU debug symbols

[mcp]

Nope, source level debugging is not possible, yet. However, IDA 6.3 will have source level debugging, so you just have to wait a few weeks
The beta should start in a couple of days.