Re: NTFS - Kernel memory leak in driver for kernel 2.4.28?

[linux-os]

On Wed, 16 Feb 2005, Martin Bogomolni wrote:


[SNIPPED...]

> after the 'find' command is run.   malloc( ) fails to allocate
> afterwards. so the kernel does not free any of the missing RAM for
> malloc( ).

Whatever program is using malloc() is either corrupting
its buffers or has a memory leak.

Malloc() will always succeed even if the kernel has no
memory available. This is because the actual allocation
only occurs when the program attempts to write to one
of those pages malloc() "promised".

When you look at kernel memory after using `find` everything,
the directory of everything you have accessed remains in
memory until the kernel needs page(s) to give to processes.

So, the bottom line is, if malloc() returns NULL, you have
a problem with your program. It has nothing to do with
the kernel and "discovering" that the kernel has used
all available RAM for temporary buffers is not interesting.


[SNIPPED...]


Cheers,
Dick Johnson
Penguin : Linux version 2.6.10 on an i686 machine (5537.79 BogoMips).
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