diff --git a/libstdc++-v3/ChangeLog b/libstdc++-v3/ChangeLog index 8ecca20ce4f9dec0b9ae3d91494e80f85235eed6..0f58b3cf82b57ddc5a30610df219f364793dfff6 100644 --- a/libstdc++-v3/ChangeLog +++ b/libstdc++-v3/ChangeLog @@ -1,3 +1,13 @@ +2001-11-27 Phil Edwards <pme@gcc.gnu.org> + + * docs/html/explanations.html: New section, empty for now. + * docs/html/17_intro/howto.html: Cleanup. Move unrelated link... + * docs/html/23_containers/howto.html: ...to here. Break up and + rewrap threading discussion to emphasize warning. Move malloc text... + * docs/html/ext/howto.html: ...to here. New section. Describe + allocators and __USE_MALLOC effects. + * docs/html/ext/sgiexts.html: Mention their code. + 2001-11-24 Joseph S. Myers <jsm28@cam.ac.uk> * docs/doxygen/maint.cfg.in, docs/doxygen/user.cfg.in, diff --git a/libstdc++-v3/docs/html/17_intro/howto.html b/libstdc++-v3/docs/html/17_intro/howto.html index 3dce6f912a324c52a5de39da97da476db9625142..abbeb814d506af16b170b5fa0315bb285d026396 100644 --- a/libstdc++-v3/docs/html/17_intro/howto.html +++ b/libstdc++-v3/docs/html/17_intro/howto.html @@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ </p> <p>All normal disclaimers aside, multithreaded C++ application are only supported when libstdc++ and all user code was built with - compilers which report (via <em>gcc/g++ -v</em>) the same thread + compilers which report (via <code> gcc/g++ -v </code>) the same thread model and that model is not <em>single</em>. As long as your final application is actually single-threaded, then it should be safe to mix user code built with a thread model of @@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ </p> <p>When you link a multithreaded application, you will probably need to add a library or flag to g++. This is a very - non-standardized area of gcc across ports. Some ports support a + non-standardized area of GCC across ports. Some ports support a special flag (the spelling isn't even standardized yet) to add all required macros to a compilation (if any such flags are required then you must provide the flag for all compilations not @@ -135,9 +135,6 @@ This message</a> inspired a recent updating of issues with threading and the SGI STL library. It also contains some example POSIX-multithreaded STL code. - <li><a href="http://gcc.gnu.org/ml/libstdc++/2001-05/msg00136.html"> - Here</a> is an early analysis of why __USE_MALLOC should be disabled - for the 3.0 release of libstdc++.</a> </ul> (A large selection of links to older messages has been removed; many of the messages from 1999 were lost in a disk crash, and the few diff --git a/libstdc++-v3/docs/html/23_containers/howto.html b/libstdc++-v3/docs/html/23_containers/howto.html index 29c721850418c9286814717c64e66e870c11cc50..7684bcab5ae2281b3c87a5796189cb13842f7d7e 100644 --- a/libstdc++-v3/docs/html/23_containers/howto.html +++ b/libstdc++-v3/docs/html/23_containers/howto.html @@ -244,14 +244,22 @@ </p> <p>The STL implementation is currently configured to use the high-speed caching memory allocator. If you absolutely think - you must change this on a global basis for your platform to - better support multi-threading, then please consult all - commentary in include/bits/c++config. (Explicit warning since - so many people post after getting confused while attempting - this:) Adding -D__USE_MALLOC on the command line is not a good - idea. Related to threading or otherwise, the current - recommendation is that users not add any macro defines on the - command line to enable features out of libstdc++-v3. There is + you must change this on a global basis for your platform to better + support multi-threading, then please consult all commentary in + include/bits/stl_alloc.h and the allocators link below. + <blockquote> + <p>(Explicit warning since so many people get confused while + attempting this:) + </p> + <p><strong>Adding -D__USE_MALLOC on the command + line is almost certainly a bad idea.</strong> Memory efficiency is + almost guaranteed to suffer as a result; this is + <a href="http://gcc.gnu.org/ml/libstdc++/2001-05/msg00136.html">why + we disabled it for 3.0 in the first place</a>. + </p> + <p>Related to threading or otherwise, the current recommendation is + that users not add any macro defines on the command line to remove or + otherwise disable features of libstdc++-v3. There is no condition under which it will help you without causing other issues to perhaps raise up (possible linkage/ABI problems). In particular, __USE_MALLOC should only be added to a libstdc++-v3 @@ -259,22 +267,22 @@ action is cautioned against), and the entire library should be rebuilt. If you do not, then you might be violating the one-definition rule of C/C++ and you might cause yourself untold - problems. If you find any platform where gcc reports a - threading model other than single and where libstdc++-v3 builds + problems. + </p> + </blockquote> + If you find any platform where gcc reports a + threading model other than single, and where libstdc++-v3 builds a buggy container allocator when used with threads unless you define __USE_MALLOC, we want to hear about it ASAP. In the past, correctness was the main reason people were led to believe that they should define __USE_MALLOC when using threads. </p> - <p>There is a better way (not standardized yet): It is possible to + <p>There is a better way (not standardized yet): It is possible to force the malloc-based allocator on a per-case-basis for some application code. The library team generally believes that this is a better way to tune an application for high-speed using this - implementation of the STL. Here is one possible example - displaying the forcing of the malloc-based allocator over the - typically higher-speed default allocator: - <pre> - std::list <my_type, std::__malloc_alloc_template<0> > my_malloc_based_list;</pre> + implementation of the STL. There is + <a href="../ext/howto.html#3">more information on allocators here</a>. </p> <p>Return <a href="#top">to top of page</a> or <a href="../faq/index.html">to the FAQ</a>. diff --git a/libstdc++-v3/docs/html/explanations.html b/libstdc++-v3/docs/html/explanations.html index e5cdbce274c95d83bd529055bb6c42f4af8de9cc..164a5a1cf8e2cf7885c1ec4a22e25d808e292be1 100644 --- a/libstdc++-v3/docs/html/explanations.html +++ b/libstdc++-v3/docs/html/explanations.html @@ -61,6 +61,15 @@ design</a></h1> </p> +<hr> +<a name="alloc"><h3>Internal Allocators</h3></a> +<p> +</p> +<p>Return <a href="#top">to the top of the page</a> or + <a href="http://gcc.gnu.org/libstdc++/">to the homepage</a>. +</p> + + <!-- ####################################################### --> <hr> diff --git a/libstdc++-v3/docs/html/ext/howto.html b/libstdc++-v3/docs/html/ext/howto.html index e866381554014a70fc382f09033c1b44ea921f64..53c29498d0010beaf395cdff03d1b987920b5ee7 100644 --- a/libstdc++-v3/docs/html/ext/howto.html +++ b/libstdc++-v3/docs/html/ext/howto.html @@ -143,8 +143,193 @@ <hr> <h2><a name="3">Allocators</a></h2> - <p>This will be blank for a while. It will describe all of the different - memory allocators, most inherited from SGI's code. Input is solicited. + <p>Thread-safety, space efficiency, high speed, portability... this is a + mess. Where to begin? + </p> + <h3>The Rules</h3> + <p>The C++ standard only gives a few directives in this area: + <ul> + <li>When you add elements to a container, and the container must allocate + more memory to hold them, the container makes the request via its + <code>Allocator</code> template parameter. This includes adding + char's to the string class, which acts as a regular STL container + in this respect. + <li>The default <code>Allocator</code> of every container-of-T is + <code>std::allocator<T></code>. + <li>The interface of the <code>allocator<T></code> class is + extremely simple. It has about 20 public declarations (nested + typedefs, member functions, etc), but the two which concern us most + are: + <pre> + T* allocate (size_type n, const void* hint = 0); + void deallocate (T* p, size_type n);</pre> + (This is a simplicifcation; the real signatures use nested typedefs.) + The <code>"n"</code> arguments in both those functions is a + <em>count</em> of the number of T's to allocate space for, + <em>not their total size</em>. + <li>"The storage is obtained by calling + <code>::operator new(size_t)</code>, but it is unspecified when or + how often this function is called. The use of <code>hint</code> + is unspecified, but intended as an aid to locality if an + implementation so desires." [20.4.1.1]/6 + </ul> + </p> + <h3>Problems and Possibilities</h3> + <p>The easiest way of fulfilling the requirements is to call operator new + each time a container needs memory, and to call operator delete each + time the container releases memory. <strong>BUT</strong> + <a href="http://gcc.gnu.org/ml/libstdc++/2001-05/msg00105.html">this + method is horribly slow</a>. + </p> + <p>Or we can keep old memory around, and reuse it in a pool to save time. + The old libstdc++-v2 used a memory pool, and so do we. As of 3.0, + <a href="http://gcc.gnu.org/ml/libstdc++/2001-05/msg00136.html">it's + on by default</a>. The pool is shared among all the containers in the + program: when your program's std::vector<int> gets cut in half + and frees a bunch of its storage, that memory can be reused by the + private std::list<WonkyWidget> brought in from a KDE library + that you linked against. And we don't have to call operator's new and + delete to pass the memory on, ether, which is a speed bonus. + <strong>BUT</strong>... + </p> + <p>What about threads? No problem: in a threadsafe environment, the + memory pool is manipulated atomically, so you can grow a container in + one thread and shrink it in another, etc. <strong>BUT</strong> what + if threads in libstdc++-v3 aren't set up properly? + <a href="../faq/index.html#5_6">That's been answered already</a>. + </p> + <p><strong>BUT</strong> what if you want to use your own allocator? What + if you plan on using a runtime-loadable version of malloc() which uses + shared telepathic anonymous mmap'd sections serializable over a + network, so that memory requests <em>should</em> go through malloc? + And what if you need to debug it? + </p> + <p>Well then: + </p> + <h3>Available allocators in namespace std</h3> + <p>First I'll describe the situation as it exists for the code which will + be released in GCC 3.1. This situation is extremely fluid. Then I'll + describe the differences for 3.0.x, which will not change much in + this respect. + </p> + <p>As a general rule of thumb, users are not allowed to use names which + begin with an underscore. This means that to be portable between + compilers, none of the following may be used in your program directly. + (If you decide to be unportable, then you're free do do what you want, + but it's not our fault if stuff breaks.) They are presented here for + information for maintainers and contributors in addition to users, but + we will probably make them available for users in 3.1 somehow. + </p> + <p>These classes are always available: + <ul> + <li><code>__new_alloc</code> simply wraps <code>::operator new</code> + and <code>::operator delete</code>. + <li><code>__malloc_alloc_template<int inst></code> simply wraps + <code>malloc</code> and <code>free</code>. There is also a hook + for an out-of-memory handler (for new/delete this is taken care of + elsewhere). The <code>inst</code> parameter is described below. + This class was called <code>malloc_alloc</code> in earlier versions. + <li><code>allocator<T></code> has already been described; it is + The Standard Allocator for instances of T. It uses the internal + <code>__alloc</code> typedef (see below) to satisy its requests. + <li><code>__simple_alloc<T,A></code> is a wrapper around another + allocator, A, which itself is an allocator for instances of T. + This is primarily used in an internal "allocator traits" + class which helps encapsulate the different styles of allocators. + <li><code>__debug_alloc<A></code> is also a wrapper around an + arbitrary allocator A. It passes on slightly increased size + requests to A, and uses the extra memory to store size information. + When a pointer is passed to <code>deallocate()</code>, the stored + size is checked, and assert() is used to guarantee they match. + <li><code>__allocator<T,A></code> is an adaptor. Many of these + allocator classes have a consistent yet non-standard interface. + Such classes can be changed to a conforming interface with this + wrapper: <code>__allocator<T, __alloc></code> is thus the + same as <code>allocator<T></code>. + </ul> + </p> + <p>An internal typedef, <code> __mem_interface </code>, is defined to be + <code>__new_alloc</code> by default. + </p> + <p>Normally, + <code> __default_alloc_template<bool thr, int inst> </code> + is also available. This is the high-speed pool, called the default + node allocator. The reusable memory is shared among identical + instantiations of + this type. It calls through <code>__mem_interface</code> to obtain + new memory when its lists run out. If a client container requests a + block larger than a certain threshold size, then the pool is bypassed, + and the allocate/deallocate request is passed to + <code>__mem_interface</code> directly. + </p> + <p>Its <code>inst</code> parameter is described below. The + <code>thr</code> boolean determines whether the pool should be + manipulated atomically or not. Two typedefs are provided: + <code>__alloc</code> is defined as this node allocator with thr=true, + and therefore is threadsafe, while <code>__single_client_alloc</code> + defines thr=false, and is slightly faster but unsafe for multiple + threads. + </p> + <p>(Note that the GCC thread abstraction layer allows us to provide safe + zero-overhead stubs for the threading routines, if threads were + disabled at configuration time. In this situation, + <code>__alloc</code> should not be noticably slower than + <code>__single_client_alloc</code>.) + </p> + <h3>A cannon to swat a fly:<code> __USE_MALLOC</code></h3> + <p>If you've already read <a href="../23_containers/howto.html#3">this + advice</a> and decided to define this macro, then the situation changes + thusly: + <ol> + <li><code>__mem_interface</code>, and + <li><code>__alloc</code>, and + <li><code>__single_client_alloc</code> are all typedef'd to + <code>__malloc_alloc_template</code>. + <li><code>__default_alloc_template</code> is no longer available. + At all. Anywhere. <!-- might change? --> + </ol> + </p> + <h3>Writing your own allocators</h3> + <p>Depending on your application (a specific program, a generic library, + etc), allocator classes tend to be one of two styles: "SGI" + or "standard". See the comments in stl_alloc.h for more + information on this crucial difference. + </p> + <p>At the bottom of that header is a helper type, + <code>_Alloc_traits</code>, and various specializations of it. This + allows the container classes to make possible compile-time + optimizations based on features of the allocator. You should provide + a specialization of this type for your allocator (doing so takes only + two or three statements). + </p> + <h3>Using non-default allocators</h3> + <p>You can specify different memory management schemes on a per-container + basis, by overriding the default <code>Allocator</code> template + parameter. For example, an easy + (but nonportable) + method of specifying that only malloc/free should be used instead of + the default node allocator is: + <pre> + std::list <my_type, std::__malloc_alloc_template<0> > my_malloc_based_list;</pre> + Likewise, a debugging form of whichever allocator is currently in use: + <pre> + std::deque <my_type, std::__debug_alloc<std::__alloc> > debug_deque;</pre> + </p> + <h3><code>inst</code></h3> + <p>The <code>__malloc_alloc_template</code> and + <code>__default_alloc_template</code> classes take an integer parameter, + called inst here. This number is completely unused. + </p> + <p> More soon. + </p> + <p> + </p> + <h3>3.0.x</h3> + <p>I don't even remember. More soon. + </p> + <p> + </p> + <p> </p> <p>Return <a href="#top">to top of page</a> or <a href="../faq/index.html">to the FAQ</a>. diff --git a/libstdc++-v3/docs/html/ext/sgiexts.html b/libstdc++-v3/docs/html/ext/sgiexts.html index 636f9f8b83b34c24b4648bcc8d1ada0ca4875fa7..674ffacc766593ad47ebb9d4aa3cb1358f3ebf4b 100644 --- a/libstdc++-v3/docs/html/ext/sgiexts.html +++ b/libstdc++-v3/docs/html/ext/sgiexts.html @@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ libstdc++-v3</a></h1> for a description). Not every chapter may have extensions, and the extensions may come and go. Also, this page is incomplete because the author is pressed for time. Check back often; the latest change was on - $Date: 2001/10/11 18:41:47 $ (UTC). + $Date: 2001/11/23 16:29:01 $ (UTC). </p> <p>Descriptions range from the scanty to the verbose. You should also check @@ -60,6 +60,9 @@ libstdc++-v3</a></h1> <li>mem_fun adaptor helpers mem_fun1 and mem_fun1_ref are provided for backwards compatibility. </ul></p> +<p>20.4.1 can use several different allocators; they are described on the + main extensions page. +</p> <p>20.4.3 is extended with a special version of <code>get_temporary_buffer</code> taking a second argument. The argument is a pointer, which is ignored, but can be used to specify the template