memory leak in the BEAM.

[Geoff Wong]

Hi all,

Not really a question; but posted for feedback.
I've discovered a memory leak in the BEAM engine.

Found it because some people pointed out Eddie was space
leaking, I traced the leak to what appeared to be the 
crypto_drv'er. But after trying to find something wrong
with that I traced it into the BEAM code.

Try this multiple times, if you have crypto, and check the
size of your BEAM process:

-module(leak).
-export([start/0]).

start() ->
    crypto:start(),
    X = list_to_binary("assadfhesragire9g84390534r134r"),
    loop(10000,X).

loop(0,X) ->
    done
    ;

loop(C,X) ->
    crypto:md5_final(crypto:md5_update(crypto:md5_init(), X)),
    loop(C-1,X)
    .


Anyway - here's the patch (it works for me), seems to be
a minor problem with the off heap list of memory chunks, feedback welcome :)

--- erts/emulator/beam/io.c.ORIG        Wed Aug  9 17:03:26 2000
+++ erts/emulator/beam/io.c     Thu Aug 10 14:17:47 2000
@@ -1446,7 +1446,7 @@
        pb->thing_word = make_thing(PROC_BIN_SIZE-1, REFC_BINARY_SUBTAG);
        pb->size = b->orig_size;
        pb->next = p->off_heap.mso;
-       p->off_heap.mso = pb->next;
+       p->off_heap.mso = pb;
        pb->val = DriverBinary2Binary(b);
        pb->bytes = b->orig_bytes;
        p->off_heap.overhead += b->orig_size / BINARY_OVERHEAD_FACTOR / sizeof(E
term);

I'll build a new RPM for Redhat and place it on the eddieware site
(in the next day or so) when I make sure this patch works correctly 
with Eddie.

Geoff