Initiate array (size:20000001) inside main function throws SIGSEGV [duplicate] - c++

This question already has answers here:
Segmentation fault on large array sizes
(7 answers)
Closed 3 years ago.
Program with large global array:
int ar[2000000];
int main()
{
}
Program with large local array:
int main()
{
int ar[2000000];
}
When I declare an array with large size in the main function, the program crashes with "SIGSEGV (Segmentation fault)".
However, when I declare it as global, everything works fine. Why is that?

Declaring the array globally causes the compiler to include the space for the array in the data section of the compiled binary. In this case you have increased the binary size by 8 MB (2000000 * 4 bytes per int). However, this does mean that the memory is available at all times and does not need to be allocated on the stack or heap.
EDIT: #Blue Moon rightly points out that an uninitialized array will most likely be allocated in the bss data segment and may, in fact, take up no additional disk space. An initialized array will be allocated statically.
When you declare an array that large in your program you have probably exceeded the stack size of the program (and ironically caused a stack overflow).
A better way to allocate a large array dynamically is to use a pointer and allocate the memory on the heap like this:
using namespace std;
int main() {
int *ar;
ar = malloc(2000000 * sizeof(int));
if (ar != null) {
// Do something
free(ar);
}
return 0;
}
A good tutorial on the Memory Layout of C Programs can be found here.

Related

Memory limit in int main()

I need to make a big array in one task (more than 10^7).
And what I found that if i do it int main the code wouldnt work (the program will exit before doing cout "Process returned -1073741571 (0xC00000FD)").
If I do it outside everything will work.
(I am using Code::Blocks 17.12)
// dont work
#include <bits/stdc++.h>
using namespace std;
const int N = 1e7;
int main() {
int a[N];
cout << 1;
return 0;
}
// will work
#include <bits/stdc++.h>
using namespace std;
const int N = 1e7;
int a[N];
int main() {
cout << 1;
return 0;
}
So I have questions:
-Why it happens?
-What can I do to define array in int main()? (actually if i do vector same size in int main() everything will work and it is strange)
There are four main types of memory which are interesting for C++ programmers: stack, heap, static memory, and the memory of registers.
In
const int N = 1e7;
int main(){int a[N];}
stack memory is deployed.
This type of memory is usually more limited than the heap and the static memory in size. For that reason, the error code is returned.
Operator new (or other function which allocates memory in heap) is needed so as to use heap:
const int N = 1e7;
int main(){int* a = new int[N]; delete a;}
Usually, the operator new is not used explicitly.
std::vector uses heap (i.e. it uses new or something of the lower level underneath) (as opposed to the std::array or the C-style array, e.g. int[N]). Because of that, std::vector is usually capable of holding bigger chunks of data than the std::array or the C-style array.
If you do
const int N = 1e7;
int a[N];
int main(){}
static memory is utilized. It's usually less limited in size than the stack memory.
To wrap up, you used stack in int main(){int a[N];}, static memory in int a[N]; int main(){}, and heap in int main(){std::vector<int> v(N);}, and, because of that, received different results.
Use heap for big arrays (via the std::vector or the operator new, examples are given above).
The problem is that your array is actually very big. Assuming that int is 4 bytes, 10 000 000 integers will be 40 000 000bytes which is about 40 Mb. In windows maximum stack size is 1Mb and on modern Linux 8Mb. As local variables are located in stack so youre allocating your 40mb array in 1mb or 8mb stack (if youre in windows or linux respectively). So your program runs out of stack space. In case of global array its ok, because global variables are located in bss(data) segment of program which has static size and is not changing. And in case of std::vector your array is allocated in dynamic memory e.g. in heap, thats why your program is not crashing. If you don't want to use std::vector you can dynamically allocate an array on heap like following
int* arrayPtr = new int[N]
Then you need to free unused dynamically allocated memory with delete operator:
delete arrayPtr;
But in this case you need to know how to work with pointers. Or if you want it to not be dynamic and be only in main, you can make your array in main static (I think 99.9% this will work 😅 and I think you need to try) like this
int main() {static int arr[N];return 0;}
Which will be located in data segment (like global variable)

Large arrays on local variables work on Linux but not on Windows [duplicate]

This question already has answers here:
Segmentation fault on large array sizes
(7 answers)
Closed 3 years ago.
Program with large global array:
int ar[2000000];
int main()
{
}
Program with large local array:
int main()
{
int ar[2000000];
}
When I declare an array with large size in the main function, the program crashes with "SIGSEGV (Segmentation fault)".
However, when I declare it as global, everything works fine. Why is that?
Declaring the array globally causes the compiler to include the space for the array in the data section of the compiled binary. In this case you have increased the binary size by 8 MB (2000000 * 4 bytes per int). However, this does mean that the memory is available at all times and does not need to be allocated on the stack or heap.
EDIT: #Blue Moon rightly points out that an uninitialized array will most likely be allocated in the bss data segment and may, in fact, take up no additional disk space. An initialized array will be allocated statically.
When you declare an array that large in your program you have probably exceeded the stack size of the program (and ironically caused a stack overflow).
A better way to allocate a large array dynamically is to use a pointer and allocate the memory on the heap like this:
using namespace std;
int main() {
int *ar;
ar = malloc(2000000 * sizeof(int));
if (ar != null) {
// Do something
free(ar);
}
return 0;
}
A good tutorial on the Memory Layout of C Programs can be found here.

C++ crash when accessing array of arrays [duplicate]

This question already has answers here:
Segmentation fault on large array sizes
(7 answers)
Closed 3 years ago.
Program with large global array:
int ar[2000000];
int main()
{
}
Program with large local array:
int main()
{
int ar[2000000];
}
When I declare an array with large size in the main function, the program crashes with "SIGSEGV (Segmentation fault)".
However, when I declare it as global, everything works fine. Why is that?
Declaring the array globally causes the compiler to include the space for the array in the data section of the compiled binary. In this case you have increased the binary size by 8 MB (2000000 * 4 bytes per int). However, this does mean that the memory is available at all times and does not need to be allocated on the stack or heap.
EDIT: #Blue Moon rightly points out that an uninitialized array will most likely be allocated in the bss data segment and may, in fact, take up no additional disk space. An initialized array will be allocated statically.
When you declare an array that large in your program you have probably exceeded the stack size of the program (and ironically caused a stack overflow).
A better way to allocate a large array dynamically is to use a pointer and allocate the memory on the heap like this:
using namespace std;
int main() {
int *ar;
ar = malloc(2000000 * sizeof(int));
if (ar != null) {
// Do something
free(ar);
}
return 0;
}
A good tutorial on the Memory Layout of C Programs can be found here.

C++ Difference between global and non-global arrays (Stackoverflow Exception) [duplicate]

This question already has an answer here:
Why does a large local array crash my program, but a global one doesn't? [duplicate]
(1 answer)
Closed 4 years ago.
When I write the following program, it works correctly i.e. the bitset array is declared outside the main() method.
Correctly Works
#include <iostream>
#include <bitset>
using namespace std;
bitset<5000> set[5000];
int main(){
cout<<"program runs fine"<<endl;
return 0;
}
But I get stack-overflow exception when I create it inside the main method. Can anyone explain in detail as to what is going on here? Normally I see stack-overflow exceptions in recursive methods. So who is using the stack here?
#include <iostream>
#include <bitset>
using namespace std;
int main(){
bitset<5000> set[5000];
cout<<"program runs fine"<<endl;
return 0;
}
Doesn't work and throws stack-overflow exception
Declaring it in main is declaring it in "automatic storage" AKA the stack. Declaring it outside of main, is declaring it in "static storage" AKA global data. You are declaring a ton of data. std::bitset<5000> is 632 bytes on my system with VS2013 (likely an alignment from 5000/8). And you are declaring 5000 of them. 5000 * 632 = 3 160 000 bytes, or roughly 3 Megabytes. Default in VS2013 is 1 megabyte for the stack, which is why you are seeing an overflow.
There are three kinds of storage: automatic, storage, and dynamic. These are colloquially referred to as stack, static (in some cases, global) and heap memory respectively:
int static_int;
int main() {
int automatic_int;
static int local_static_int; // also static storage!
int * dynamic_int_ptr = new int;
}
Automatic storage is allocated at a mix of compile time/run time. The stack expands at run-time entry to a function in order to hold local variables, but this is a known compile-time value since the number of variables and their sizes are well known (I'm ignoring dynamic arrays here because they are non-standard) These variables are constructed on scope entry, and destructed on scope exit.
Static storage is allocated at compile time. This memory is paid for up front, and constructed at program start. It is destructed when the program exits.
Dynamic storage is allocated at run-time. This memory is allocated by new and a pointer to some blob that holds your shiny new data is returned. These variables are constructed when new is called, and destructed when delete is called.
Because when you declare array as global, memory is allocated in the data segment of the process while when you try to declare it inside a function, memory is allocated on the stack. Since you are allocating large amount of memory, it results in stackoverflow exception.
Edit: Here is good explanation of the memory allocation.
You are trying to create (5000*5000)/8 bytes - 3Megs of data on the program stack which is causing a Stack Overflow as reported. You do not have enough stack space in your program for this. When you create it as a global, it is inserted in your programs data segment.

Why is this code giving runtime segmentation fault? [duplicate]

This question already has answers here:
Stack overflow visual C++, potentially array size?
(2 answers)
Closed 9 years ago.
Why is this code giving segmentation fault? I am using code::blocks.
#include <iostream>
#include <cstdio>
using namespace std;
int main()
{
int a[555555];
}
This is what called stack overflow.
Generally stack size are small and you can't allocate memory in such a large amount on stack.
For this purpose programmers allocate it on heap (using dynamic allocation). In C, you can use malloc family function
int *a = malloc(sizeof(int)*55555); // Use free(a) to deallocate
In C++ you can use new operator
int *b = new int[555555]; // Use delete [] to deallocate
Because you are trying to allocate a bit over 2MB (Previously I failed at math and thought it was 2GB) of memory on stack, which then blows the stack.
Note: for windows the default stack size for a particular thread is 1MB and on Gnu/linux you can find out stack size value using ulimit -s command.
You've come to the right place to ask the question. ;)
The array is large and lives on the stack. The code crashes because it runs out of the limited stack space.
If you allocate a on the heap, the problem will likely disappear.
As other already had told you you are trying to allocate a large amount of memory in the stack which space is usually very limited.
See for instance:
#include <iostream>
#include <cstdio>
using namespace std;
int main()
{
int a[555555];
int* b = new int[555555];
delete [] b;
}
In that snipped, you have two arrays of integers, one allocated in the heap and the other allocated on the stack.
Here you can find some explanations about which are the differences between the heap and the stack:
What and where are the stack and heap?
http://gribblelab.org/CBootcamp/7_Memory_Stack_vs_Heap.html
I've got some considerations on your code.
First, modern compilers will recognize that a is unused and then it'll be thrown away.
But if you put a certain value into a certain position, a will be allocated, even though it's bigger than the stack size. The kernel will not allow you do that: that's why you get a SIGSEGV.
Finally, you should rely on either std::array or std::vector rather than pure C arrays.