Difference between revisions of "Checker"

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{{Entry
 
{{Entry
 
|Name=GNU Checker
 
|Name=GNU Checker
|Short description=Finds memory errors at runtime
+
|Short description=Finds memory errors at runtime.
|Full description='''Checker''' was a debugging tool suite which was used to find memory errors at runtime.
+
|Full description='''Checker''' is a debugging tool suite which is used to find memory errors at runtime.
  
This project was a GNU package. It has proved its great worth in the 1990 years but has since been decommissioned and is no longer developed.
+
'Checker' can help find bugs that standard tools cannot always find. The best example is memory leaks. A memory leak is a zone of memory, allocated with malloc that is not used anymore. So the memory allocated is lost. This means you program needs more memory and runs slower, since your OS might have to start swapping. It detects bad memory accesses such as: reading uninitialized memory, writing in a freed zone, writing or reading outside of a memory block, and using NULL pointers. This is particularly useful for big programs with many functions. Checker maintains bitmaps to keep track of the status of each byte of memory. The status can be writable, readable, both, or none. When memory is allocated, the new memory becomes write-only: you are not allowed to read it because it has not been initialized. But when you you write to this new block, those bytes become readable and writable. When the block is freed, the bytes become unreadable and unwritable. Red zones are unreadable and unwritable memory, so that each access to a red zone produces a warning.
 +
|Homepage URL=https://www.gnu.org/software/checker/
 +
|Is High Priority Project=No
 +
|VCS checkout command=cvs -z3 -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.savannah.nongnu.org:/sources/checker co checker
 +
|Documentation note=https://cvs.savannah.nongnu.org/viewvc/checker/checker/doc/
  
This page has been left for the sake of posterity.
+
----
|Homepage URL=http://www.gnu.org/software/checker/
+
[https://www.gnu.org/software/maintainer-tips.html Tips for new GNU maintainers]
|User level=advanced
+
 
|Component programs=checkergcc
+
'''Selection from the [https://shop.fsf.org/ FSF shop]'''
|Computer languages=C
+
 
|Documentation note=Former user manual in [[texinfo]] format is provided.
+
[https://shop.fsf.org/books/free-freedom-20-richard-stallman Free as in Freedom 2.0, by Richard Stallman]
|Accepts cryptocurrency donations=No
+
 
|IRC general=irc://irc.gnu.org/gnu
+
[https://shop.fsf.org/books-docs/introduction-command-line Introduction to the Command Line]
|Related projects=valgrind
+
 
 +
----
 +
----
 +
'''[https://www.gnu.org/help/help.html Helping the GNU Project and the Free Software Movement]'''
 +
----
 +
----
 +
 
 +
If you have corrections to this entry or questions about it, please contact: mailto:maintainers@gnu.org
 +
----
 +
|Decommissioned or Obsolete=Yes
 +
|Decommissioned details=If you have time and interest in resurrecting this GNU package, please contact: mailto:maintainers@gnu.org
 +
|Donate=https://my.fsf.org/donate/
 +
|Related projects=valgrind,halloc,memtest86,memwatch
 
|Keywords=memory,malloc,checker,runtime,memory leak,checking,errors
 
|Keywords=memory,malloc,checker,runtime,memory leak,checking,errors
 
|Version identifier=0.9.9.1
 
|Version identifier=0.9.9.1
|Version date=1998/08/24
+
|Version date=1998/08/31
|Version status=historical
+
|Version status=stable
|Version download=ftp://alpha.gnu.org/gnu/checker/Checker-0.9.9.1.tar.gz
+
|Version download=https://alpha.gnu.org/gnu/checker/Checker-0.9.9.1.tar.gz
|Version comment=0.9.9.1 stable released 1998-08-24
 
 
|Last review by=Bendikker
 
|Last review by=Bendikker
|Last review date=2018/02/20
+
|Last review date=2019/01/06
 +
|Submitted by=Database conversion
 
|Submitted date=2011-04-01
 
|Submitted date=2011-04-01
|Is GNU=Yes
+
|User level=advanced
 +
|Component programs=checkergcc
 +
|Paid support=https://www.fsf.org/resources/service/
 +
|Accepts cryptocurrency donations=Yes
 +
|OpenPGP signature=https://alpha.gnu.org/gnu/checker/Checker-0.9.9.1.tar.gz.sig
 +
|Test entry=No
 +
|Is GNU=No
 
|GNU package identifier=checker
 
|GNU package identifier=checker
 +
|Decommissioned/Obsolete=Yes
 
|License verified date=2001-03-01
 
|License verified date=2001-03-01
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{Project license
 
{{Project license
 
|License=GPLv2orlater
 
|License=GPLv2orlater
|License verified by=Genium
+
|License verified by=Bendikker
|License verified date=2017/01/29
+
|License verified date=2019/01/01
 
}}
 
}}
{{Person
+
{{Project license
|Real name=Tristan Gingold
+
|License=LGPLv2.1
|Role=Former maintainer
+
|License verified by=Bendikker
}}
+
|License verified date=2019/01/01
{{Person
 
|Real name=Ben Pfaff
 
|Role=Contributor
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{Resource
 
{{Resource
 
|Resource audience=Savannah (Ref)
 
|Resource audience=Savannah (Ref)
|Resource URL=https://savannah.nongnu.org/projects/checker
+
|Resource URL=https://savannah.nongnu.org/projects/checker/
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{Resource
 
{{Resource
|Resource audience=Developer
 
 
|Resource kind=VCS Repository Webview
 
|Resource kind=VCS Repository Webview
|Resource URL=http://cvs.savannah.nongnu.org/viewvc/checker/
+
|Resource URL=https://cvs.savannah.nongnu.org/viewvc/checker/
 +
}}
 +
{{Resource
 +
|Resource kind=Mailing List
 +
|Resource URL=https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/gnu-system-discuss/
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{Resource
 
{{Resource
|Resource audience=User & Developer
 
 
|Resource kind=Download
 
|Resource kind=Download
|Resource URL=ftp://alpha.gnu.org/gnu/checker/
+
|Resource URL=https://alpha.gnu.org/gnu/checker/
 +
}}
 +
{{Resource
 +
|Resource kind=General
 +
|Resource URL=https://savannah.gnu.org/people/
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{Software category
 
{{Software category
 
|Interface=command-line, library
 
|Interface=command-line, library
|Programming-language=C
+
|Programming-language=C, shell
 +
|Runs-on=GNU/Linux
 
|Software-development=debugging
 
|Software-development=debugging
 
|Use=software-development
 
|Use=software-development
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{Software prerequisite
 
{{Software prerequisite
|Prerequisite kind=Required to use
+
|Prerequisite kind=Source requirement
|Prerequisite description=gcc 2.8.1
+
|Prerequisite description=[[gcc| GCC]] 2.8.1
}}
 
{{Software prerequisite
 
|Prerequisite kind=Required to build
 
|Prerequisite description=gcc
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{Featured}}
 
{{Featured}}

Revision as of 12:46, 6 January 2019


[edit]

GNU Checker

https://www.gnu.org/software/checker/
Finds memory errors at runtime.

Checker is a debugging tool suite which is used to find memory errors at runtime.

'Checker' can help find bugs that standard tools cannot always find. The best example is memory leaks. A memory leak is a zone of memory, allocated with malloc that is not used anymore. So the memory allocated is lost. This means you program needs more memory and runs slower, since your OS might have to start swapping. It detects bad memory accesses such as: reading uninitialized memory, writing in a freed zone, writing or reading outside of a memory block, and using NULL pointers. This is particularly useful for big programs with many functions. Checker maintains bitmaps to keep track of the status of each byte of memory. The status can be writable, readable, both, or none. When memory is allocated, the new memory becomes write-only: you are not allowed to read it because it has not been initialized. But when you you write to this new block, those bytes become readable and writable. When the block is freed, the bytes become unreadable and unwritable. Red zones are unreadable and unwritable memory, so that each access to a red zone produces a warning.





Licensing

License

Verified by

Verified on

Notes

License

LGPLv2.1

Verified by

Bendikker

Verified on

1 January 2019

Verified by

Bendikker

Verified on

1 January 2019




Leaders and contributors

Resources and communication

AudienceResource typeURI
Savannah (Ref)https://savannah.nongnu.org/projects/checker/
Generalhttps://savannah.gnu.org/people/
Mailing Listhttps://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/gnu-system-discuss/
VCS Repository Webviewhttps://cvs.savannah.nongnu.org/viewvc/checker/
Downloadhttps://alpha.gnu.org/gnu/checker/


Software prerequisites

KindDescription
Source requirement GCC 2.8.1




Entry







"Savannah (Ref)" is not in the list (General, Help, Bug Tracking, Support, Developer) of allowed values for the "Resource audience" property.

















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The copyright and license notices on this page only apply to the text on this page. Any software or copyright-licenses or other similar notices described in this text has its own copyright notice and license, which can usually be found in the distribution or license text itself.