CentOS - Sep 2006 - NPTL problem on Centos 4.4

Not sure where to ask this, I've been googling and not finding much that
is helpful.

At work I've got a multi-threaded program targeted at Linux. It compiles
on RHEL 2.1 and 3, and is targeted at 2.1, 3, and 4. UP until today, the
binary built on 3 has worked fine on 4.

But on RHEL4 update 4 it dies a horrible death in pthread_create. I have
reproduced the problem on Centos 4.4, where I am tyring to debug it.

I thought it might be some newly-introduced binary incompatibility in
the U4 update, so I recompiled it on Centos 4.4, and it does the same
thing.

This code has been running for 5 years both in-house and at dozens of
customers, on versions of RH linux ranging from 6.2, and 7.x, as well
as RHEL 2.1 and 3, so I'm leaning toward something that is not a blatant
bug in the code.

Anyway, on the either the 2nd or the 3rd (doesn't seem to be consistently
one or the other) call to pthread_create we get a SIGSEGV, and looking
at a stack backtrace the stack appears to be trashed, or at least
the backtrace does not reflect reality. Single-stepping into the call
doesn't get you anywhere except a sigsegv. I'm about to delve into it
at the instruction level, but I must admit I'm not very knowledeable
about 32-bit intel assembly language.

Needless to say I've read and re-read and re-re-read the man page for
pthread_create(), and have been tweaking the calling sequence in subtle
ways to see if I can change the behavior, but so far to no avail.

Has anyone here any knowledge of possible problems or incompatibilities
in the NPTL implementation in 4.4?

Thanks!
-- 
---- Fred Smith -- fredex at fcshome.stoneham.ma.us
-----------------------------
                        The Lord is like a strong tower. 
             Those who do what is right can run to him for safety.
--------------------------- Proverbs 18:10 (niv) -----------------------------
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fredex wrote:
> Not sure where to ask this, I've been googling and not finding much
that
> is helpful.
> 
> At work I've got a multi-threaded program targeted at Linux. It
compiles
> on RHEL 2.1 and 3, and is targeted at 2.1, 3, and 4. UP until today, the
> binary built on 3 has worked fine on 4.
> 
> But on RHEL4 update 4 it dies a horrible death in pthread_create. I have
> reproduced the problem on Centos 4.4, where I am tyring to debug it.
This sounds the sort of thing that's likely to be outside the experties 
available here, particularly in any quantity.

Have you had a chat with your RHEL support contact? Even if they can't 
help directly, they might be able to call on someone or point you to a 
better forum, possibly one frequented by some folk who write/maintain gcc.


-- 

Cheers
John

-- spambait
1aaaaaaa at coco.merseine.nu  Z1aaaaaaa at coco.merseine.nu
Tourist pics http://portgeographe.environmentaldisasters.cds.merseine.nu/

Please do not reply off-list

fredex wrote:
> At work I've got a multi-threaded program targeted at Linux. It
compiles
> on RHEL 2.1 and 3, and is targeted at 2.1, 3, and 4. UP until today, the
> binary built on 3 has worked fine on 4.
> 
> But on RHEL4 update 4 it dies a horrible death in pthread_create. I have
> reproduced the problem on Centos 4.4, where I am tyring to debug it.
Do you think this is in any way related to the libstdc++ issue I 
mentioned here a few days ago (without any replies, unfortunately :( )?

http://lists.centos.org/pipermail/centos/2006-September/069496.html

Tim