Mantis Bug Tracker
Main | My View | View Issues | Change Log | Roadmap
  

View Issue Details [ Jump to Notes ] [ Issue History ] [ Print ]
IDProjectCategoryView StatusDate SubmittedLast Update
0005842OCamlOCaml runtime systempublic2012-12-04 07:332013-01-15 14:03
Reportermarkghayden 
Assigned Tofrisch 
PriorityhighSeveritymajorReproducibilityalways
StatusresolvedResolutionno change required 
PlatformOSOS Version
Product Version4.00.1 
Target VersionFixed in Version 
Summary0005842: GC Compaction is only partial
DescriptionWhen I call Gc.compact do not appear to release all unused spaced on the heap. Our software does make use of weak references and finalizers. It uses a large number of 3rd party libraries and external C code. Calling Gc.full_major and/or Gc.compact multiple times does not seem to affect the situation significantly. This appears to happen reliably in my app.

My Ocaml software (www.seaiq.com) runs on devices (Apple iPads and iPhones) with limited memory and often receives memory warnings from the operating system. In such situations, a failure to release sufficient memory can cause the app to be killed. The fact that compaction appears to only release part of the free memory and often leaves as much or more free memory chunks as live memory is quite problematic.

Are there known situations where free space is not released as part of a compaction? Please let me know if I'm misinterpreting the purpose of Gc.compact or if there is something else my app needs to do in order to actually release all free memory.

Thanks!
Steps To ReproduceThis happens reliably in my app. I don't have a small test program at this point. I'd like to know this is not a known issue or expected behavior before spending the time to generate one.
Additional InformationDec 4 10:19:32 unknown SEAiq[4570] <Warning>: PLOTTER_GEN:memory_warning:begin
Dec 4 10:19:32 unknown SEAiq[4570] <Warning>: minor_words=98085359
Dec 4 10:19:32 unknown SEAiq[4570] <Warning>: promoted_words=4635560
Dec 4 10:19:32 unknown SEAiq[4570] <Warning>: major_words=20002328
Dec 4 10:19:32 unknown SEAiq[4570] <Warning>: minor_collections=418
Dec 4 10:19:32 unknown SEAiq[4570] <Warning>: major_collections=33
Dec 4 10:19:32 unknown SEAiq[4570] <Warning>: heap_words=4527104
Dec 4 10:19:32 unknown SEAiq[4570] <Warning>: heap_chunks=28
Dec 4 10:19:32 unknown SEAiq[4570] <Warning>: live_words=4041179
Dec 4 10:19:32 unknown SEAiq[4570] <Warning>: live_blocks=563299
Dec 4 10:19:32 unknown SEAiq[4570] <Warning>: free_words=485914
Dec 4 10:19:32 unknown SEAiq[4570] <Warning>: free_blocks=24829
Dec 4 10:19:32 unknown SEAiq[4570] <Warning>: largest_free=61444
Dec 4 10:19:32 unknown SEAiq[4570] <Warning>: fragments=11
Dec 4 10:19:32 unknown SEAiq[4570] <Warning>: compactions=7
Dec 4 10:19:32 unknown SEAiq[4570] <Warning>: top_heap_words=7720960
Dec 4 10:19:32 unknown SEAiq[4570] <Warning>: PLOTTER_GEN:compacting:begin
Dec 4 10:19:32 unknown SEAiq[4570] <Warning>: PLOTTER_GEN:compacting:end
Dec 4 10:19:32 unknown SEAiq[4570] <Warning>: minor_words=98093975
Dec 4 10:19:32 unknown SEAiq[4570] <Warning>: promoted_words=4635560
Dec 4 10:19:32 unknown SEAiq[4570] <Warning>: major_words=20002781
Dec 4 10:19:32 unknown SEAiq[4570] <Warning>: minor_collections=418
Dec 4 10:19:32 unknown SEAiq[4570] <Warning>: major_collections=35
Dec 4 10:19:32 unknown SEAiq[4570] <Warning>: heap_words=1142784
Dec 4 10:19:32 unknown SEAiq[4570] <Warning>: heap_chunks=9
Dec 4 10:19:32 unknown SEAiq[4570] <Warning>: live_words=611600
Dec 4 10:19:32 unknown SEAiq[4570] <Warning>: live_blocks=85487
Dec 4 10:19:32 unknown SEAiq[4570] <Warning>: free_words=531182
Dec 4 10:19:32 unknown SEAiq[4570] <Warning>: free_blocks=6
Dec 4 10:19:32 unknown SEAiq[4570] <Warning>: largest_free=126976
Dec 4 10:19:32 unknown SEAiq[4570] <Warning>: fragments=2
Dec 4 10:19:32 unknown SEAiq[4570] <Warning>: compactions=8
Dec 4 10:19:32 unknown SEAiq[4570] <Warning>: top_heap_words=7720960
Dec 4 10:19:32 unknown SEAiq[4570] <Warning>: PLOTTER_GEN:memory_warning:end
TagsNo tags attached.
Attached Files

- Relationships

-  Notes
(0008558)
doligez (manager)
2012-12-04 11:17
edited on: 2012-12-04 11:18

 Unless you have changed the space_overhead setting from its default value of 80, the GC (including the compactor) tries to maintain the heap_words/live_words ratio at 1.8 (= 1 + space_overhead/100).
In your sample, the ratio is 1.87, pretty close to the target.

You can set space_overhead lower, but this is a space/time trade-off: the lower the overhead, the more time you will spend in the GC.
(0008571)
markghayden (reporter)
2012-12-05 18:24

 Thanks for the explanation. When I use the following code, I get the desired results (almost all free memory is released). It might help to clarify the behavior in the documentation for the function.

From my perspective this is resolved.

thanks! Mark


let do_gc_compact () =
  let control = Gc.get () in
  let overhead = control.Gc.space_overhead in
  control.Gc.space_overhead <- 1 ;
  Gc.set control ;
  Gc.compact () ;
  control.Gc.space_overhead <- overhead ;
  Gc.set control ;
;;

- Issue History
Date Modified Username Field Change
2012-12-04 07:33 markghayden New Issue
2012-12-04 11:17 doligez Note Added: 0008558
2012-12-04 11:17 doligez Status new => feedback
2012-12-04 11:18 doligez Note Edited: 0008558 View Revisions
2012-12-05 18:24 markghayden Note Added: 0008571
2012-12-05 18:24 markghayden Status feedback => new
2013-01-15 14:03 frisch Status new => resolved
2013-01-15 14:03 frisch Resolution open => no change required
2013-01-15 14:03 frisch Assigned To => frisch

Copyright © 2000 - 2011 MantisBT Group
Powered by Mantis Bugtracker