[vox-tech] a "Bus Error" C++ issue, platform, compiler or STL?

[Bill Broadley]

On 08/23/2010 05:43 PM, Hai Yi wrote:
> Hello All:
>
> I'm on a C++ project and have been strugling with an "Bus Error" issue
> for a couple of weeks. I used dbx to debug the code and here is the
> stack:
> ...
> ficc_trade_leg::set_trailer1(const string&  arg)
> df_string_tuple::df_string_tuple(0x1ae5180, 0xffbea53c, 0xfd578ac0,
> 0x0, 0x18, 0x0)
> basic_string,allocator>::basic_string,allocator>(0x1ae518c,
> 0xfd578ac0, 0xffbea540, 0xff3de7a8, 0x0, 0x5)
> string_ref,allocator>::references(0xba7bfff, 0x0, 0x8, 0xfb9c1e54, 0x0, 0x0)
>
>
> set_trailer1 is creating an instance of df_string_tuple, whose
> constructor looks like
>
> df_string_tuple::df_string_tuple(const df_tag&  Tag, const string&
> Value): df_tuple(Tag), Value_(Value)
> {}
>
> It seems to me that debugger nailed down to the 2nd parameter of the
> above constructor. Isn't it more likely an issue of Solaris patch, C++
> compiler or STL lib rather than a coding issue?

Most of the bugs I've seen with STL code have been of the variety of 
assuming that when you resize something, say a vector, that the 
programmer assumes STL is doing the memory allocation for the new array, 
and the STL lib of course is assuming the programmer is doing the memory 
allocation.  Resulting in usually a segmentation fault.  It's been a 
very long time since I've tried anything on SunOS or the embarrassing 
excuse of a compiler that sun ships.  Most of the open source I played 
with back when 5.8 was somewhat new said something along the lines of:
* Do not use solaris tar it's buggy
* Do not use solaris make it's buggy
* Do not use solaris compiler it's buggy (here's binaries to bootstrap
   gcc).

Not sure if the solaris bus error is the equivalent of the linux segfault.

> My platform is SunOS 5.8, not sure about the STL lib or CC compiler.

If possible I'd recommend trying the same code in a standard linux 
environment.  The newer gcc compilers seem to have improvement C++ error 
messages quite a bit.

I suspect if you asked someone could set you up with a linux account if 
need be.