Seem to be narrowing it down ... or at least, I have more details ...

On Wed, Jul 17, 2019 at 4:44 PM Linas Vepstas <linasveps...@gmail.com>
wrote:

>
>
> On Wed, Jul 17, 2019 at 12:49 PM Mark H Weaver <m...@netris.org> wrote:
>
>> Hi Linas,
>>
>> > Investigating the crash with good-old printf's in libguile/vm.c produces
>> > a vast ocean of prints ... that should have not been printed, and/or
>> should
>> > have been actual errors, but somehow were not handled by scm_error.
>> > Using today's git pull of master, here's the diff containing a printf:
>> >
>> > --- a/libguile/vm.c
>> > +++ b/libguile/vm.c
>> > @@ -1514,12 +1514,23 @@ thread->guard); fflush(stdout); assert (0); }
>> >
>> >        proc = SCM_SMOB_DESCRIPTOR (proc).apply_trampoline;
>> >        SCM_FRAME_LOCAL (vp->fp, 0) = proc;
>> >        return SCM_PROGRAM_CODE (proc);
>> >      }
>> >
>> > +printf("duuude wrong type to apply!\n"
>> > +"proc=%lx\n"
>> > +"ip=%p\n"
>> > +"sp=%p\n"
>> > +"fp=%p\n"
>> > +"sp_min=%p\n"
>> > +"stack_lim=%p\n",
>> > +SCM_FRAME_SLOT(vp->fp, 0)->as_u64,
>> > +vp->ip, vp->sp, vp->fp, vp->sp_min_since_gc, vp->stack_limit);
>> > +fflush(stdout);
>> > +
>> >    vp->ip = SCM_FRAME_VIRTUAL_RETURN_ADDRESS (vp->fp);
>> >
>> >    scm_error (scm_arg_type_key, NULL, "Wrong type to apply: ~S",
>> >               scm_list_1 (proc), scm_list_1 (proc));
>> >  }
>> >
>> > As you can see, shortly after my printf, there should have been an
>> > error report.
>>
>> Not necessarily.  Note that what 'scm_error' actually does is to raise
>> an exception.  What happens next depends on what exception handlers are
>> installed at the time of the error.
>>
>
> OK, but... when I look at what get_callee_vcode() actually does, it seems
> to be earnestly trying to fish out the location of a callable function
> from the
> frame pointer, and it does so three plausible ways. If those three don't
> work
> out, then it sets the instruction pointer (to the garbage value), followed
> by
> scm_error(Wrong type to apply). This also looks like an earnest, honest
> attempt to report a real error.  But lets double-check.
>
> So who calls get_callee_vcode(), and why, and what did they expect to
> happen?
> Well, that's in three places: one in scm_call_n which is a plausible place
> where
> one might expect the instruction pointer to be set to a valid value. Then
> there's two
> places in vm-engine.c -- "tail-call" and "call" both of which one might
> plausibly expect
> to have a valid instruction pointer.  I can't imagine any valid scenario
> where anyone
> was expecting get_callee_vcode() to actually fail in the normal course of
> operations.
>

There is one more place where  get_callee_vcode() can get called -- via the
jump_table,
via a call to scm_jit_enter_mcode()  which issues the code emitted by
emit_get_callee_vcode

There are four calls to scm_jit_enter_mcode()  The one that immediately
preceeds
the bug is always the one made here, in vm-engine.c:
VM_DEFINE_OP (7, return_values, "return-values", OP1 (X32))

Right before the call to scm_jit_enter_mcode(), I can printf VP->fp and
SCM_FRAME_LOCAL(VP->fp, 0),
and they are... fp=0x7fffe000caf8 fpslot=d33b00 (typical)

the mcode is of course some bytecode that bounces through lightning, and a
few insns
later, it arrives at get_callee_vcode() but now  the fp is different, (it
changes by 0x20,
always) and the slot is different:  fp=0x7fffe000cad8  and
SCM_FRAME_LOCAL(fp,0)
is 0x32 and the 0x32 triggers the scm_error(). (because 0x32 is not any of
SCM_PROGRAM_P or SCM_STRUCTP or a smob)

(but also, the fpslot=d33b00 is never a SCM_PROGRAM_P or SCM_STRUCTP or
a smob, either... so something got computed along the way ... )

That's what I've got so far. Its highly reproducible.  Quick to happen.
I'm not sure
what to do next. I guess I need to examine emit_get_callee_vcode() and see
what
it does, and why.   Any comments, suggestions would be useful.

-- Linas


> That is, I can't think of any valid reason why anyone would want to
> suppress
> the scm_error().  And even if I could -- calling scm_error() hundreds of
> times
> per second, as fast as possible, does not seem like efficient coding for
> dealing
> with a call to an invalid address.
>
> Anyway I'm trying to track down where the invalid value gets set. No luck
> so far.
> There are 6 or 8 places in vm-engine.c where the frame pointer is set to
> something
> that isn't a pointer (which seems like cheating to me: passing non-pointer
> values
> in something called "pointer" is .. well, knee jerk reaction is that it's
> not wise, but
> there may be a deeper reason.)
>
>
>>
>> > There is no error report... until 5-10 minutes later, when the error
>> > report itself causes a crash.  Before then, I get an endless
>> > high-speed spew of prints:
>>
>> It looks like another error is happening within the exception handler.
>>
>
> Well, yes, that also. But given that the instruction pointer contains
> garbage
> its perhaps not entirely surprising... at best, the question is, why
> didn't it fail
> sooner?
>
> -- Linas
>
>>
>>        Mark
>>
>> PS: It would be good to pick either 'guile-devel' or 'guile-user' for
>>     continuation of this thread.  I don't see a reason why it should be
>>     sent to both lists.
>>
>
>
> --
> cassette tapes - analog TV - film cameras - you
>


-- 
cassette tapes - analog TV - film cameras - you

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