VSMonoDebugger

Use at your own risk!

VSMonoDebugger

Enables Visual Studio 2017 and 2019 to deploy and debug a .Net application on a remote Linux machine with mono or dotnet core installed over SSH. Local debugging on Windows with installed mono is also supported.

For bugs with the latest version, an older version can be found here: MarketplaceReleases

Usage

Visual Studio 2019 Support

In Visual Studio 2019, extension menus are handled differently. "Mono" can now be found in the "Extensions" menu.

.Net core Support

Since Version 1.2.0 you can deploy, run and debug .Net core applications on a remote linux machine with the help from vsdbg.

Prerequisite

You have to install/copy dotnet core runtime download and vsdbg (GetClrDbg) to the remote machine.

Don't forget to set the paths of dotnet and vsdbg in launch.json setting page!

Attach/Detach mode without deployment is possible see: debugging-net-core-on-unix-over-ssh. My problem: the remote machine have to have internet connection to download vsdbg otherwise the debugging process aborts.

Settings (Linux over SSH)

You have to save a valid SSH connection first!

Menu "Mono"/"Settings..."

[1] Selects the connection to use for deploying and debugging
[2] You can create a additional setting
[3] You can remove a setting (The last connection can not be deleted)
[4] Enter a description (Useful to distinguish different settings with the same IP.)
[5] If disabled SSH remote (Linux) deployment is used. If enabled local (Windows) deployment is used.
[6] Enter the remote SSH IP or host name
[7] Enter the SSH port
[8] Enter the SSH username
[9] Enter the SSH password or private key file passphrase (if there is no password => leave the field empty)
[10] Enter/set the filepath to a private key file (if there is no ssh private key authentication => leave the field empty)
[11] This is where the project output is deployed
[12] If enabled you can create a JSON config file to overwrite the 'Remote Deploy Path'. (see below)
[13] Mono debugger tries to connect to the mono process via this port.
[14] Connection attempts to a running / waiting mono process (useful for attach mode)
[15] Time (ms) between two connection attempts
[16] Console outputs can be output in the Visual Studio Output window
[17] All changes are saved and dialog is closed if you click on "Save"
[18] All changes are discarded and dialog is closed if you click on "Cancel"
[19] Save all settings to a external json file via "Save to file ..."
[20] Load all settings from a external json file via "Load from file ..."
[21] Change the default debugging scripts on tab "Debug scripts". (ex.: to add sudo)

[1] Change the Pre-Debug script to kill old mono debug sessions. Not necessary, if you make sure that all old mono debug process have been terminated.
[2] The default Pre-Debug script is loaded if you click on "Set default Pre-Debug script"
[3] Change the Debug script to start a mono debug session or a embedded mono application
[4] The default Debug script is loaded if you click on "Set default Debug script"
[5] For further script information click on "Script information"

[1] Information about all supported parameters

Use dotnet instead of mono

[1] If enabled the dotnet core runtime and vsdbg is used (Debug/Deploy on local Windows will be diabled)
[2] Set the paths of dotnet and vsdbg in launch.json (Important!)

[1] You can change the content of launch.json
[2] Please set the path to vsdbg
[3] Please set the path to dotnet runtime
[4] The default launch.json is loaded if you click on "Set default launch.json"
[5] For further information click on "Script information"

[1] Information about all supported parameters

Debugging (Linux over SSH)

Deploy

You can deploy your "Startup project" output to the remote machine via SSH configured under "Settings".

Menu "Mono"/"Deploy only (SSH)"

Notice

To speed up deployment via SSH, SshFileSync is used.

To upload only changed files, an additional cache file '.uploadCache.cache' is stored in the destination folder. Don't delete this cache file unless the deployment does not transfer all files.

Debug

You can start a debug session in Visual Studio on the remote machine without deployment. Three steps are executed

[1] The Pre-Debug script is called on the remote host to terminate old mono debug processes
[2] The Debug script is called on the remote host to start a new mono debug process
[3] VSMonoDebugger tries to attach itself via the mono debug port using tcp

Menu "Mono"/"Debug only (SSH)"

Deploy and Debug

You can run both commands in one step.

Menu "Mono"/"Deploy and Debug (SSH)"

Settings (Windows local machine)

Menu "Mono"/"Settings..."

[5] If enabled local (Windows) deployment is used. If disabled SSH remote (Linux) deployment is used.
[2] This is where the project output is deployed on the local windows machine.
[3] If enabled you can create a JSON config file to overwrite the 'Remote Deploy Path'. (see below)

Note: Scripts for Windows are running in a PowerShell environment!

[1] Change the Pre-Debug script to kill all mono processes. Not necessary, if you make sure that all old mono debug process have been terminated.
[2] The default Pre-Debug script is loaded if you click on "Set default Pre-Debug script"
[3] Change the Debug script to start a mono debug session or a embedded mono application
[4] The default Debug script is loaded if you click on "Set default Debug script"
[5] For further script information click on "Script information"