� � thanks for this. �The problem is that Pharo's recreateSpecialObjectsArray uses newCompactClassesArray to recreate the compact classes array and on Cog that is not supported. �Cog caches the compactClassesArray (specialObjectsArray at: 29) in every jitted method prolog to reduce the time taken to derive the receiver's class in message lookup. �The Pharo 2.0 code for recreating the specialObjectsArray can therefore create a dangling pointer where the only reference to the old compactClassesArray is in machine code, and the machine code GC doesn't cope with there being roots in machine code. �Note that Cog also caches the characterTable and class SmallInteger in machine code.

where�compactClassesArray, like�Character characterTable, answers the existing object.

The second solution (rather hackish) is to void all machine code on installing the new specialObjectsArray. �e.g.

recreateSpecialObjectsArray

"Smalltalk recreateSpecialObjectsArray"

"To external package developers:

**** DO NOT OVERRIDE THIS METHOD. �*****

If you are writing a plugin and need additional special object(s) for your own use,�

use addGCRoot() function and use own, separate special objects registry "

"The Special Objects Array is an array of objects used by the Squeak virtual machine.

Its contents are critical and accesses to it by the VM are unchecked, so don't even

think of playing here unless you know what you are doing."

"Replace the interpreter's reference in one atomic operation.

�Void machine code to avoid crashing Cog."

|�newSpecialObjectsArray |

newSpecialObjectsArray :=�self newSpecialObjectsArray.

self specialObjectsArray becomeForward:�newSpecialObjectsArray.

Smalltalk vm voidCogVMState

this is my fault for not ensuring�recreateSpecialObjectsArray was properly commented. �I had commented the inlining of Character table, but not the inlining of the CompactClasses array. Apologies.

HTH,

Eliot

On Sat, Mar 23, 2013 at 10:19 AM, Guillermo Polito <guillermopolito@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi!

In my quest to crash the vm, i've found an ugly common case :(.
I am trying to port the opendbx driver to 2.0, but I'm getting vm crashes when my configuration loads FFI :(. I updated my configuration to load version 1.7 of FFI (which I assume is the latest).

I tried to do it in Pharo 2.0 with latest pharovm, and with eliot's Cog 2701 from his website, failing in both cases.
The snippet of code that gets a sistematic crash is:

Gofer it
smalltalkhubUser: 'DBXTalk' project: 'DBXTalkDriver';
package: 'ConfigurationOfOpenDBXDriver';

load.

((Smalltalk at: #ConfigurationOfOpenDBXDriver) project version:#stable) load

This snippet crashes always with a segmentation fault (at least the fifteen times i tried :), with several different output in the console...

Surprisingly, if I load FFI alone and not from the OpenDBXDriver configuration, it loads well... :/

So I'm deferring the OpenDBX port a bit longer :(

Thanks!
Guille

--
best,

Eliot