How to check for memory leaks in Guile extension modules?

Question

I develop an extension module for Guile, written in C. This extension module embeds a Python interpreter.

Since this extension module invokes the Python interpreter, I need to verify that it properly manages the memory occupied by Python objects.

I found that the Python interpreter is well-behaved in its own memory handling, so that by running valgrind I can find memory leaks due to bugs in my own Python interpreter embedding code, if there are no other interfering factors.

However, when I run Guile under valgrind, valgrind reports memory leaks. Such memory leaks obscure any memory leaks due to my own code.

The question is what can I do to separate memory leaks due to bugs in my code from memory leaks reported by valgrind as due to Guile. Another tool instead of valgrind? Special valgrind options? Give up and rely upon manual code walkthrough?

Answer 1

You've got a couple options. One is to write a supressions file for valgrind that turns off reporting of stuff that you're not working on. Python has such a file, for example: http://svn.python.org/projects/python/trunk/Misc/valgrind-python.supp

If valgrind doesn't like your setup, another possibility is using libmudflap; you compile your program with gcc -fmudflap -lmudflap, and the resulting code is instrumented for pointer debugging. Described in the gcc docs, and here: http://gcc.gnu.org/wiki/Mudflap_Pointer_Debugging