Unable to free heap with HeapMem_free()

Dominic Wu

Hi,

I have an intermittent problem with using the HeapMem_free() and have no idea how to solve it, any help will be greatly appreciated.

Here is the description of the system:

Processor: c6472

BIOS: 6.31.4.27

IPC : 1.22.3.23

XDC: 3.20.8.88

XDAIS : 6.23

CCS : 4.2.4.00033

Code

#define CFG_HEAP_SIZE 0x03FFFFFF

#pragma DATA_SECTION(gHeapMemMgr_Heap, ".ddr2")
Uint8 gHeapMemMgr_Heap[2][CFG_HEAP_SIZE];

HeapMem_Handle gHeapMemHandle;
HeapMem_Params heapMemParams;
int i = 0;
int numPackets =219136;
int packetSize = 512;
char *storagePtr = NULL;

    // Initialize the heap handles
    HeapMem_Params_init(&heapMemParams);
    heapMemParams.buf = (void*) &gHeapMemMgr_Heap[0][0];
    heapMemParams.size = CFG_HEAP_SIZE;
    gHeapMemHandle = HeapMem_create(&heapMemParams, NULL);

    // Assert if fail to create heapMem Obj
    assertFatal( (gHeapMemHandle != NULL), 12345, (Uint32)gHeapMemHandle);

    for( i = 0; i < 1000; i ++)
    {
   // Allocate memory
   storagePtr = HeapMem_alloc(gHeapMemHandle , (numPackets * packetSize), CACHELINE_SIZE, &errorBlock);

   // Assert if memory cannot be allocate
        assertFatal( (storagePtr != NULL), 12346, (Uint32)storagePtr);
        assertFatal( !Error_check(&errorBlock), 12347, Error_getCode(&errorBlock));

   // Free memory
   HeapMem_free(gHeapMemHandle, storagePtr, numPackets * packetSize );

    }

PROBLEM:

Often time, the HeapMem_free() will free the memory without any problem. However, every once in a while the HeapMem_free() will not be able to free the memory and causing the HeapMem_alloc() to fail. And when that happens, the content of the variable "i" is fairly random.

Thanks much,

Dominic

over 13 years ago

Dominic Wu over 13 years ago

Intellectual 515 points

Here's more information, I didn’t pay much attention to the error code that was return from the HeapMem_alloc(). Instead I added another call to HeapMem_getStats() after HeapMem_alloc() and HeapMem_free() to retrieve the memory status.

Often time, the memory status is as expected. However, when it doesn’t work, the PC will ended inside HeapMem_getStatus() infinitely and the totalFreeSize and largestFreeSize will keep changing for the gMemoryStatPre variable.

Expected results for memory status

gMemoryStatPost = {...}

totalSize = 67108856

totalFreeSize = 53240

largestFreeSize = 53240

gMemoryStatPre = {...}

totalSize = 67108856

totalFreeSize = 67108856

largestFreeSize = 67108856

Modified code Snippet

Memory_Stats gMemoryStatPre;

Memory_Stats gMemoryStatPost;

for( i = 0; i < 1000; i ++)
    {
   // Allocate memory
   storagePtr = HeapMem_alloc(gHeapMemHandle , (numPackets * packetSize), CACHELINE_SIZE, &errorBlock);
    HeapMem_getStats( gHeapMemHandle, & gMemoryStatPost);

   // Assert if memory cannot be allocate
        assertFatal( (storagePtr != NULL), 12346, (Uint32)storagePtr);
        assertFatal( !Error_check(&errorBlock), 12347, Error_getCode(&errorBlock));

   // Free memory
   HeapMem_free(gHeapMemHandle, storagePtr, numPackets * packetSize );
     HeapMem_getStats( gHeapMemHandle, & gMemoryStatPre);

}

Tom Kopriva over 13 years ago

TI__Mastermind 20480 points

Hi Dominic,

have you looked at what the ROV is showing as the time the error happens?

Are you using instrumented or non-instrumented BIOS libraries? The instrumented libs may catch something that we aren't aware of.

In the .cfg file:

BIOS.libType = BIOS.LibType_Instrumented;
BIOS.assertsEnabled = true;
BIOS.logsEnabled = true;

Could you please attach the .c and .cfg files? What exactly are you trying to do?

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Unable to free heap with HeapMem_free()