Debugging using a software-based GDB flow is fully supported during hardware emulation. Because the Vitis debugger maps the RTL code back to the original C/C++ source code, there is no difference in using GDB for debugging in hardware emulation. However, mapping the code limits the breakpoints and observability of the variables in some cases, because during the RTL generation by Vitis HLS, some variables and loops from the kernel source might have been dissolved, or optimized away.
Using GDB for debugging the host and kernel code in hardware emulation uses the same three-terminal process described for software emulation. Refer to the instructions in Command Line Debug Flow for details of running this flow.