[Octave-patch-tracker] [patch #9924] Suggestion for a memory() function

[Lars Kindermann]

Follow-up Comment #23, patch #9924 (project octave):

I continued to work on the linux code and while testing I realized there is a
severe problem in providing the matlab-compatible function.

After allocating all of the memory the MemAvailableAllArrays or
MaxPossibleArrayBytes fields suggest, the system will be most probably dead. 

After executing


[usr, sys] = memory;
bytesfree=usr.MaxPossibleArrayBytes;
doublesfree=bytesfree/8;
matrix=full(zeros(1,doublesfree));


my system went (as expectd) into heavy swapping, but because really all memory
was used up, it became totally inaccessible. All attemps to kill octave
failed. And because the memory usage was still legit in theory, the OOM killer
did not step in. After two hours I forcefully powered down the system under
heavy disk load - with the result that the partition table was destroyed and I
lost my data.
 
We should at least place some warning into the documentation about this... 


    _______________________________________________________

Reply to this item at:

  <https://savannah.gnu.org/patch/?9924>

_______________________________________________
  Message sent via Savannah
  https://savannah.gnu.org/