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Re: Question on IDL Error: Unable to free memory: from array descriptor [message #34688]

Mon, 07 April 2003 10:10

Dick Jackson
Messages: 347
Registered: August 1998

Senior Member

Hi Ken,

"Ken Knapp" <Ken.Knapp@noaa.gov> wrote in message
news:6146a9fd.0304030627.361c402e@posting.google.com...
>
> PROBLEM:
> When processing satellite code, sometimes IDL bombs out with the
> following message:
> Loop over image
> % Unable to free memory: from array descriptor.
> Interrupted system call
> % Execution halted at: PROC_TAU 1634
> /home/kknapp/work/lib/idl/goes/gasp9.pro
>
> [...]
>
> SYSTEM:
> Linux Redhat 7.1
> IDL 5.6 (recent upgrade)
> -plenty of RAM (1Gb) and swap

David's idea (too much memory) is plausible, in that it can make us
think we're invincible to memory shortages! A client of mine got a 2GB
machine, and we promptly found a way to exhaust it with some insanely
large images and processing methods.

Since the error message mentioned "array descriptor" I thought of an
issue that came up for me a while ago. The issue is summarized at:
http://www.dfanning.com/misc_tips/submemory.html

Any big array subscripting going on around line 1634? (don't know why
"Unable to free memory" would be the problem, but have a look anyway)

Cheers,
--
-Dick

Dick Jackson / dick@d-jackson.com
D-Jackson Software Consulting / http://www.d-jackson.com
Calgary, Alberta, Canada / +1-403-242-7398 / Fax: 241-7392

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Re: Question on IDL Error: Unable to free memory: from array descriptor [message #34706 is a reply to message #34688]

Fri, 04 April 2003 06:45

Ken Knapp
Messages: 14
Registered: April 2003

Junior Member

David Fanning wrote:
>
> This is a new one to me. Too much memory on that
> machine, probably. The programming gods sometimes
> do this as punishment for hubris. :-)
>
But, it worked fine before and I never saw this error until the 5.6
upgrade. I suspect there is cross talk between IDL and some other
process, but I don't know how to test that or figure out what is causing
it.
Thanks-
-Ken

--
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
Kenneth Knapp CIRA Visiting Scientist
NOAA/NESDIS/ORA Ken.Knapp@noaa.gov
E/RA1, RM 711C, WWBG Phone:301-763-8053x195
5200 Auth Rd. Fax:301-763-8108
Camp Springs, MD 20746-4304

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Re: Question on IDL Error: Unable to free memory: from array descriptor [message #34712 is a reply to message #34706]

Thu, 03 April 2003 06:41

David Fanning
Messages: 11724
Registered: August 2001

Senior Member

Ken Knapp (Ken.Knapp@noaa.gov) writes:

> I have recently upgraded to IDL 5.6. I have searched the web and this
> newsgroup (thanks to google) for an answer and have yet to find
> anything. I have used IDL for ~8 years and have never run across this
> problem until now and it happens so frequently to me, I am surprised
> that it doesn't affect others.
>
> PROBLEM:
> When processing satellite code, sometimes IDL bombs out with the
> following message:
> Loop over image
> % Unable to free memory: from array descriptor.
> Interrupted system call
> % Execution halted at: PROC_TAU 1634
> /home/kknapp/work/lib/idl/goes/gasp9.pro

This is a new one to me. Too much memory on that
machine, probably. The programming gods sometimes
do this as punishment for hubris. :-)

Cheers,

David

--
David W. Fanning, Ph.D.
Fanning Software Consulting, Inc.
Phone: 970-221-0438, E-mail: david@dfanning.com
Coyote's Guide to IDL Programming: http://www.dfanning.com/
Toll-Free IDL Book Orders: 1-888-461-0155

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Re: Question on IDL Error: Unable to free memory: from array descriptor [message #34808 is a reply to message #34706]

Thu, 17 April 2003 07:00

K. Bowman
Messages: 330
Registered: May 2000

Senior Member

In article <3E8D9A8F.D04B00A3@noaa.gov>, Ken Knapp <Ken.Knapp@noaa.gov>
wrote:

> But, it worked fine before and I never saw this error until the 5.6
> upgrade. I suspect there is cross talk between IDL and some other
> process, but I don't know how to test that or figure out what is causing
> it.

I've been getting the same kind of messages, sometime arrays, sometimes
other things:

% Unable to free memory: freeing string memory.
Interrupted system call

IDL> PRINT, !VERSION
{ x86 linux unix linux 5.6 Oct 26 2002 32 64}

This is a non-reproducible error. Re-running the same program in a new
IDl session (usually) results in no errors.

While I was writing this message, this happened to a different IDL
process on the same Linux system.

Segmentation fault (core dumped)

This is really not good.

Ken Bowman

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