Xref: news2.mv.net comp.os.linux.development.apps:21344 comp.os.msdos.djgpp:7787
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.djgpp,comp.os.linux.development.apps
From: dolittle AT weniac DOT math DOT toronto DOT edu (Ed Doolittle)
Subject: Re: What is ElectricFence?
Message-ID: <slrn51ptcq.o70.dolittle@weniac.math.toronto.edu>
Sender: news AT weniac DOT math DOT toronto DOT edu (Netnews Administrator)
Reply-To: dolittle AT math DOT toronto DOT edu
Organization: The Information Backwoods Dirt Road
References: <321b938e DOT 0 AT cheese DOT pcug DOT org DOT au>
Date: Fri, 23 Aug 1996 00:04:45 GMT
Lines: 23
To: djgpp AT delorie DOT com
DJ-Gateway: from newsgroup comp.os.msdos.djgpp

On 21 Aug 96 22:54:06 GMT, root <root AT eyal DOT emu DOT id DOT au> wrote:

> What is the abovementioned ElectricFence? I assume it is a memory
> debugging library (or option?). Any references to it?

It's a debugging malloc library that works by setting up an inaccessible
memory page before and after every malloc'd region. Then when a
reference is made to an out-of-bounds region it causes a segmentation
fault right at the offending instruction, making it easier to find under
a debugger.

It uses the virtual memory capabilities of the operating system,
which makes it small and clean, but probably prevents it from
working under primitive operating systems like MS-DOS. I doubt it
would work under DOS/DJGPP, but I may be wrong. You can get it at
<ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/devel/c/>. There are also Red Hat rpms
if you're so inclined.

--
Ed Doolittle <dolittle AT math DOT toronto DOT edu>
 "Being on time is like being on fire."