Re: malloc and maximum size

From	Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org>
Newsgroups	comp.lang.c
Subject	Re: malloc and maximum size
Date	2011-10-14 12:03 -0700
Organization	None to speak of
Message-ID	<lnmxd3s8e2.fsf@nuthaus.mib.org> (permalink)
References	<dc9e20a5-6a6b-4a1c-b2d2-5c8bcc50c812@a12g2000vbz.googlegroups.com> <j79vs9$euv$1@dont-email.me>

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Stephen Sprunk <stephen@sprunk.org> writes:
> On 14-Oct-11 08:31, V.Subramanian, India wrote:
[...]
>> Here is the complete program max_size_to_malloc.c
>> ...
>> This program compiles fine with gcc 3.4.3 as
>> gcc -std=c99 -pedantic -Wall -Wextra max_size_to_malloc.c
>> 
>> and produces the following output(after quite some time):
>> 4294967295 - 1365266451 : Allocated 2929700844 bytes of memory
>> 
>> What is the reason for allocating this much less memory while the
>> parameter type of malloc is size_t ?
>
> Maybe your system didn't have any contiguous blocks of memory larger
> than 2,929,700,844 bytes available at the time of your test.

And quite possibly it didn't have that much.  On Linux systems,
a malloc() call can appear to succeed, but not actually allocate
memory, just address space.  Things can go bad later when you try
to access the apparently allocated memory.

-- 
Keith Thompson (The_Other_Keith) kst-u@mib.org  <http://www.ghoti.net/~kst>
"We must do something.  This is something.  Therefore, we must do this."
    -- Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn, "Yes Minister"

Thread

malloc and maximum size "V.Subramanian, India" <subramanian100in@yahoo.com> - 2011-10-14 06:31 -0700
  Re: malloc and maximum size gordonb.pey1d@burditt.org (Gordon Burditt) - 2011-10-14 09:45 -0500
    Re: malloc and maximum size Lowell Gilbert <lgusenet@be-well.ilk.org> - 2011-10-14 11:10 -0400
      Re: malloc and maximum size James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2011-10-14 11:40 -0400
        Re: malloc and maximum size Lowell Gilbert <lgusenet@be-well.ilk.org> - 2011-10-14 15:00 -0400
          Re: malloc and maximum size James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2011-10-14 15:17 -0400
            Re: malloc and maximum size Lowell Gilbert <lgusenet@be-well.ilk.org> - 2011-10-14 15:46 -0400
              Re: malloc and maximum size James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2011-10-14 16:38 -0400
                Re: malloc and maximum size Ike Naar <ike@iceland.freeshell.org> - 2011-10-14 21:59 +0000
                Re: malloc and maximum size James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2011-10-14 18:26 -0400
                Re: malloc and maximum size Lowell Gilbert <lgusenet@be-well.ilk.org> - 2011-10-14 18:42 -0400
                Re: malloc and maximum size Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2011-10-14 16:27 -0700
                Re: malloc and maximum size Richard Damon <news.x.richarddamon@xoxy.net> - 2011-10-14 20:41 -0400
                Re: malloc and maximum size Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2011-10-14 18:31 -0700
                Re: malloc and maximum size Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2011-10-15 02:58 +0100
                Re: malloc and maximum size Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2011-10-14 22:11 -0700
                Re: malloc and maximum size James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2011-10-14 22:59 -0400
                Re: malloc and maximum size Richard Damon <news.x.richarddamon@xoxy.net> - 2011-10-14 23:44 -0400
                Re: malloc and maximum size Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2011-10-14 22:56 -0700
                Re: malloc and maximum size James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2011-10-15 07:52 -0400
                Re: malloc and maximum size Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2012-01-24 16:54 -0800
                Re: malloc and maximum size Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2012-01-24 16:51 -0800
                Re: malloc and maximum size James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2011-10-14 22:51 -0400
                Re: malloc and maximum size Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2011-10-14 22:48 -0700
                Re: malloc and maximum size James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2011-10-15 07:54 -0400
                Re: malloc and maximum size Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2011-10-15 11:25 -0700
                Re: malloc and maximum size James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2011-10-15 21:21 -0400
                Re: malloc and maximum size Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2012-01-24 17:41 -0800
                Re: malloc and maximum size Kaz Kylheku <kaz@kylheku.com> - 2012-01-25 02:11 +0000
                Re: malloc and maximum size Richard Damon <news.x.richarddamon@xoxy.net> - 2011-10-15 11:50 -0400
                Re: malloc and maximum size James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2011-10-15 21:38 -0400
                Re: malloc and maximum size Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2012-01-24 17:33 -0800
                Re: malloc and maximum size Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2012-01-24 17:06 -0800
                Re: malloc and maximum size Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2012-01-24 16:58 -0800
                Re: malloc and maximum size Kaz Kylheku <kaz@kylheku.com> - 2012-01-25 01:23 +0000
                Re: malloc and maximum size Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2012-01-31 16:31 -0800
                Re: malloc and maximum size James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2011-10-14 22:20 -0400
                Re: malloc and maximum size Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2011-10-14 16:03 -0700
                Re: malloc and maximum size James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2011-10-14 23:01 -0400
                Re: malloc and maximum size Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2012-01-24 17:35 -0800
                Re: malloc and maximum size Kaz Kylheku <kaz@kylheku.com> - 2012-01-25 02:33 +0000
                Re: malloc and maximum size Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2012-01-31 17:14 -0800
              Re: malloc and maximum size Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2012-01-24 16:45 -0800
            Re: malloc and maximum size Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2012-01-24 16:32 -0800
              Re: malloc and maximum size Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2012-01-25 02:40 -0800
                Re: malloc and maximum size Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2012-01-31 17:27 -0800
          Re: malloc and maximum size Richard Damon <news.x.richarddamon@xoxy.net> - 2011-10-14 16:17 -0400
            Re: malloc and maximum size James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2011-10-14 16:52 -0400
              Re: malloc and maximum size Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2011-10-14 16:12 -0700
                Re: malloc and maximum size James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2011-10-14 23:04 -0400
          Re: malloc and maximum size Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2012-01-24 16:36 -0800
    Re: malloc and maximum size Ike Naar <ike@iceland.freeshell.org> - 2011-10-14 16:49 +0000
  Re: malloc and maximum size James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2011-10-14 11:05 -0400
  Re: malloc and maximum size Nobody <nobody@nowhere.com> - 2011-10-14 16:11 +0100
  Re: malloc and maximum size Kenneth Brody <kenbrody@spamcop.net> - 2011-10-14 12:24 -0400
  Re: malloc and maximum size jt@toerring.de (Jens Thoms Toerring) - 2011-10-14 17:10 +0000
  Re: malloc and maximum size Stephen Sprunk <stephen@sprunk.org> - 2011-10-14 13:43 -0500
    Re: malloc and maximum size Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2011-10-14 12:03 -0700
      Re: malloc and maximum size jt@toerring.de (Jens Thoms Toerring) - 2011-10-14 20:36 +0000
    Re: malloc and maximum size Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2012-01-24 16:26 -0800
  Re: malloc and maximum size Seebs <usenet-nospam@seebs.net> - 2011-10-17 17:21 +0000
  Re: malloc and maximum size Shao Miller <sha0.miller@gmail.com> - 2012-01-24 23:49 -0500
    Re: malloc and maximum size Shao Miller <sha0.miller@gmail.com> - 2012-01-24 23:55 -0500

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