http://blog.chinaunix.net/uid-16135252-id-2752984.html
前言
所有使用动态内存分配(dynamic memory allocation)的程序都有机会遇上内存泄露(memory leakage)问题,在Linux里有三种常用工具来检测内存泄露的情況,包括:
- mtrace
- dmalloc
- memwatch
1. mtrace
mtrace是三款工具之中是最简单易用的,mtrace是一个C函數,在<mcheck.h>里声明及定义,函数原型为:
其实mtrace是类似malloc_hook的 malloc handler,只不过mtrace的handler function已由系统为你写好,但既然如此,系统又怎么知道你想将malloc/free的记录写在哪里呢?为此,调用mtrace()前要先设置 MALLOC_TRACE环境变量:
....
setenv("MALLOC_TRACE", "output_file_name", 1);
...
「output_file_name」就是储存检测结果的文件的名称。
但是检测结果的格式是一般人无法理解的,而只要有安装mtrace的话,就会有一名为mtrace的Perl script,在shell输入以下指令:
就会将output_file_name的內容转化成能被理解的语句,例如「No memory leaks」,「0x12345678 Free 10 was never alloc」诸如此类。
例如以下有一函数:(暂且放下single entry single exit的原则)
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <errno.h>
#include <mcheck.h>
int main() {
char *hello;
setenv("MALLOC_TRACE", "output", 1);
mtrace();
if ((hello = (char *) malloc(sizeof(char))) == NULL) {
perror("Cannot allocate memory.");
return -1;
}
return 0;
}
执行后,再用mtrace 将结果输出:
- 0x080496f0 Free 4 was never alloc'd 0x420dc9e9
- 0x08049708 Free 5 was never alloc'd 0x420dc9f1
- 0x08049628 Free 6 was never alloc'd 0x42113a22
- 0x08049640 Free 7 was never alloc'd 0x42113a52
- 0x08049658 Free 8 was never alloc'd 0x42113a96
Memory not freed:
-----------------
Address Size Caller
0x08049a90 0x1 at 0x80483fe
最后一行标明有一个大小为1 byte的内存尚未释放,大概是指「hello」吧。
若我们把该段内存释放:#include <stdlib.h>
#include <errno.h>
#include <mcheck.h>
int main() {
char *hello;
setenv("MALLOC_TRACE", "output", 1);
mtrace();
if ((hello = (char *) malloc(sizeof(char))) == NULL) {
perror("Cannot allocate memory.");
return -1;
}
free(hello);
return 0;
}
结果如下:
- 0x08049730 Free 5 was never alloc'd 0x420dc9e9
- 0x08049748 Free 6 was never alloc'd 0x420dc9f1
- 0x08049668 Free 7 was never alloc'd 0x42113a22
- 0x08049680 Free 8 was never alloc'd 0x42113a52
- 0x08049698 Free 9 was never alloc'd 0x42113a96
No memory leaks.
mtrace的原理是记录每一对malloc-free的执行,若每一个malloc都有相应的free,则代表没有内存泄露,对于任何非malloc/free情況下所发生的内存泄露问题,mtrace并不能找出来。