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# Homework 3 Dynamic Memory Allocator - CSE 320 - Spring 2022
#### Professor Eugene Stark
### **Due Date: Friday 3/25/2022 @ 11:59pm**
We **HIGHLY** suggest that you read this entire document, the book chapter,
and examine the base code prior to beginning. If you do not read the entire
document before beginning, you may find yourself doing extra work.
> :scream: Start early so that you have an adequate amount of time to test
your program!
> :scream: The functions `malloc`, `free`, `realloc`, `memalign`, `calloc`,
> etc., are **NOT ALLOWED** in your implementation. If any of these functions,
> or any other function with similar functionality is found in your program,
> you **will receive a <font color="red">ZERO</font>**.
**NOTE:** In this document, we refer to a word as 2 bytes (16 bits) and a memory
row as 4 words (64 bits). We consider a page of memory to be 1024 bytes (1 KB)
# Introduction
You must read **Chapter 9.9 Dynamic Memory Allocation Page 839** before
starting this assignment. This chapter contains all the theoretical
information needed to complete this assignment. Since the textbook has
sufficient information about the different design strategies and
implementation details of an allocator, this document will not cover this
information. Instead, it will refer you to the necessary sections and pages in
the textbook.
## Takeaways
After completing this assignment, you will have a better understanding of:
* The inner workings of a dynamic memory allocator
* Memory padding and alignment
* Structs and linked lists in C
* [errno](https://linux.die.net/man/3/errno) numbers in C
* Unit testing in C
# Overview
You will create an allocator for the x86-64 architecture with the following features:
- Free lists segregated by size class, using first-fit policy within each size class,
augmented with a set of "quick lists" holding small blocks segregated by size.
- Immediate coalescing of large blocks on free with adjacent free blocks;
delayed coalescing on free of small blocks.
- Boundary tags to support efficient coalescing, with footer optimization that allows
footers to be omitted from allocated blocks.
- Block splitting without creating splinters.
- Allocated blocks aligned to "double memory row" (16-byte) boundaries.
- Free lists maintained using **last in first out (LIFO)** discipline.
- Obfuscation of block headers and footers to detect heap corruption and attempts to
free blocks not previously obtained via allocation.
You will implement your own versions of the **malloc**, **realloc**,
and **free** functions.
You will use existing Criterion unit tests and write your own to help debug
your implementation.
## Free List Management Policy
Your allocator **MUST** use the following scheme to manage free blocks:
Free blocks will be stored in a fixed array of `NUM_FREE_LISTS` free lists,
segregated by size class (see **Chapter 9.9.14 Page 863** for a discussion
of segregated free lists).
Each individual free list will be organized as a **circular, doubly linked list**
(more information below).
The size classes are based on a power-of-two geometric sequence (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, ...),
according to the following scheme:
The first free list (at index 0) holds blocks of the minimum size `M`
(where `M = 32` for this assignment).
The second list (at index 1) holds blocks of size `(M, 2M]`.
The third list (at index 2) holds blocks of size `(2M, 4M]`.
The fourth list holds blocks whose size is in the interval `(4M, 8M]`.
The fifth list holds blocks whose size is in the interval `(8M, 16M]`,
and so on. This pattern continues up to the interval `(128M, 256M]`,
and then the last list (at index `NUM_FREE_LISTS-1`; *i.e.* 9)
holds blocks of size greater than `256M`.
Allocation requests will be satisfied by searching the free lists in increasing
order of size class.
## Block Placement Policy
When allocating memory, use a **segregated fits policy**, modified by the use of quick lists
as follows. When an allocation request is received, the quick list containing blocks of the
appropriate size is first checked to try to quickly obtain a block of exactly the right size.
If there is no quick list of that size (quick lists are only maintained for a fixed set of
the smallest block sizes), or if there is a quick list but it is empty, then the request will
be satisfied from the main free lists.
Satisfying a request from the main free lists is accomplished as follows:
First, the smallest size class that is sufficiently large to satisfy the request
is determined. The free lists are then searched, starting from the list for the
determined size class and continuing in increasing order of size, until a nonempty
list is found. The request is then satisfied by the first block in that list
that is sufficiently large; *i.e.* a **first-fit policy**
(discussed in **Chapter 9.9.7 Page 849**) is applied within each individual free list.
If there is no exact match for an allocation request in the quick lists, and there
is no block in the main free lists that is large enough to satisfy the allocation request,
`sf_mem_grow` should be called to extend the heap by an additional page of memory.
After coalescing this page with any free block that immediately precedes it, you should
attempt to use the resulting block of memory to satisfy the allocation request;
splitting it if it is too large and no "splinter" (*i.e.* a remainder smaller than the
minimum block size) would result. If the block of memory is still not large enough,
another call to `sf_mem_grow` should be made; continuing to grow the heap until either
a large enough block is obtained or the return value from `sf_mem_grow` indicates that
there is no more memory.
As discussed in the book, segregated free lists allow the allocator to approximate a
best-fit policy, with lower overhead than would be the case if an exact best-fit policy
were implemented. The rationale for the use of quick lists is that when a small block
is freed, it is likely that there will soon be another allocation request for a block
of that same size. By putting the block in a quick list, it can be re-used for such
a request without the overhead of coalescing and/or splitting that would be required
if the block were inserted back into the main pool.
## Splitting Blocks & Splinters
Your allocator must split blocks at allocation time to reduce the amount of
internal fragmentation. Details about this feature can be found in **Chapter 9.9.8 Page 849**.
Due to alignment and overhead constraints, there will be a minimum useful block size
that the allocator can support. **For this assignment, pointers returned by the allocator
in response to allocation requests are required to be aligned to 16-byte boundaries**;
*i.e.* the pointers returned will be addresses that are multiples of 2^4.
The 16-byte alignment requirement implies that the minimum block size for your allocator
will be 32 bytes. No "splinters" of smaller size than this are ever to be created.
If splitting a block to be allocated would result in a splinter, then the block should
not be split; rather, the block should be used as-is to satisfy the allocation request
(*i.e.*, you will "over-allocate" by issuing a block slightly larger than that required).
> :thinking: How do the alignment and overhead requirements constrain the minimum block size?
> As you read more details about the format of a block header, block footer, and alignment requirements,
> you should try to answer this question.
## Freeing a Block
When a block is freed, if it is a small block it is inserted at the front of the quick list of the
appropriate size. Blocks in the quick lists are free, but the allocation bit remains set in
the header to prevent them from being coalesced with adjacent blocks. In addition, there is a
separate "in quick list" bit in the block header that is set for blocks in the quick lists,
to allow them to be readily distinguished from blocks that are actually allocated.
To avoid arbitrary growth of the quick lists, the capacity of each is limited to `QUICK_LIST_MAX` blocks.
If an attempt is made to insert a block into a quick list that is already at capacity,
the quick list is *flushed* by removing each of the blocks it currently contains and adding
them back into the main free lists, coalescing them with any adjacent free blocks as described
below. After flushing the quick list, the block currently being freed is inserted into the
now-empty list, leaving just one block in that list.
When a block is added into the main free lists, an attempt should first be made to
**coalesce** the block with any free block that immediately precedes or follows it in the heap.
(See **Chapter 9.9.10 Page 850** for a discussion of the coalescing procedure.)
Once the block has been coalesced, it should be inserted at the **front** of the free
list for the appropriate size class (based on the size after coalescing).
The reason for performing coalescing is to combat the external fragmentation
that would otherwise result due to the splitting of blocks upon allocation.
Note that blocks inserted into quick lists are not immediately coalesced; they are only
coalesced at such later time as the quick list is flushed and the blocks are moved into the
main free lists. This is an example of a "deferred coalescing" strategy.
## Block Headers & Footers
In **Chapter 9.9.6 Page 847 Figure 9.35**, a block header is defined as 2 words
(32 bits) to hold the block size and allocated bit. In this assignment, the header
will be 4 words (i.e. 64 bits or 1 memory row). The header fields will be similar
to those in the textbook but with some differences.
**Block Header Format:**
```c
+----------------------------+----------------------+--------+--------+---------+---------+ <- header
| payload size | block_size | unused | alloc |prv alloc|in qklst |
| (0/1) |(4 LSB's implicitly 0)| (0) | (1) | (0/1) | (0) |
| (32 bits) | (28 bits) | 1 bit | 1 bit | 1 bit | 1 bit |
+---------------------------------------------------+--------+--------+---------+---------+ <- (aligned)
```
- The `payload_size` field, which occupies the four most-significant bytes of the header
of an allocated block, will be used to store the payload size that was requested by the client
for that block. In a free block (including a block in a quick list) this field be zero.
- The `block_size` field gives the number of bytes for the **entire** block (including header/footer,
payload, and padding). It occupies the four least-significant bytes of the block header or footer,
except that three of the four least-significant bits of the block size, which would normally always
be zero due to alignment requirements, are used to store additional information.
This means that these bits have to be masked when retrieving the block size from the header and
when the block size is stored in the header the previously existing values of these bits have
to be preserved.
- The `alloc` bit (bit 2, mask 0x4) is a boolean. It is 1 if the block is allocated and 0 if it is free.
- The `prev_alloc` (bit 1, mask 0x2) is also a boolean. It is 1 if the **immediately preceding** block
in the heap is allocated and 0 if it is not.
- The `in_qklst` (bit 0, mask 0x1) is also a boolean. It is 1 if the block is currently in a quick list,
and 0 if it is not. Note that if this bit is a 1, then the `alloc` bit will also be a 1.
- The remaining bit out of the four least-significant bits (bit 3, mask 0x8) is not used, and should
always be 0.
> :scream: Note that the fact that only four bytes are available for storing the block
> size and payload size in a block header means that the maximum size of a block will
> be at most 2^32 bytes. The types of the arguments to the `sf_malloc()` and `sf_realloc()`
> functions reflect this limitation.
Each free block will also have a footer, which occupies the last memory row of the block.
The footer of a free block (including a block in a quick list) must contain exactly the
same information as the header. In an allocated block, the footer will not be present,
and the space that it would otherwise occupy may be used for payload.
> :thinking: Here is an example of determining the block size required to satisfy
> a particular requested payload size. Suppose the requested size is 25 bytes.
> An additional 8 bytes will be required to store the block header, which must always
> be present. This means that a block of at least 33 bytes must be used, however due
> to alignment requirements this has to be rounded up to the next multiple of the
> alignment size. If the alignment size were 16 bytes (which would be just large enough
> to enable the memory returned by the allocator to store in an aligned fashion any of
> the basic data types supported by the x86-64 architecture), then a block of at least
> 48 bytes would have to be used. As a result, there would be 15 bytes of "padding"
> at the end of the payload area, which contributes to internal fragmentation.
> Besides the header, when the block is free it is also necessary to store a footer,
> as well and next and previous links for the freelist.
> These will take an additional 24 bytes of space, however when the block is free there
> is no payload so the payload area can be used to store this information, assuming that
> the payload area is big enough in the first place. But the payload area is 40 bytes
> (25 bytes plus 15 bytes of padding), which is certainly bigger than 24 bytes,
> so a block of total size 48 would be fine.
> Note that a block cannot be smaller than 32 bytes, as there there would not then
> be enough space to store the header, footer, and freelist links when the block is free.
## Obfuscation of Headers and Footers
Your allocator has to satisfy one further requirement as regards the storage of the
block headers and footers. The headers and footers will not be stored directly in
memory; rather their contents will first be obfuscated by performing a bitwise XOR
(C operator `^`) with a "magic" value that is obtained by referencing the preprocessor
symbol `MAGIC`. This value is set randomly (by the utility code provided for you)
when the heap is first initialized. When a header or footer is read from memory,
it must again be XOR'ed with the magic value to expose the true contents.
The purpose of obfuscating the headers and footers in this way is to help detect attempts
to free pointers that were not obtained from a previous call to `malloc`, and also to make
it possible to detect some situations in which the heap has been corrupted by overwriting
of headers and/or footers.
In the initial stages of debugging, you might find it helpful to turn off the header
and footer obfuscation. This can be accomplished by making an initial call of
`sf_set_magic(0x0)`. The effect of this is that the magic value will then always be `0x0`,
rather than a randomly chosen value. Once you have your code working with obfuscation
turned off in this way, don't forget to turn it back on again to test your code in the
correct configuration, because the `sf_set_magic()` function will be replaced by a dummy
version during grading.
# Getting Started
Fetch and merge the base code for `hw3` as described in `hw0` from the
following link: https://gitlab02.cs.stonybrook.edu/cse320/hw3
**Remember to use the `--strategy-option=theirs` flag with the `git merge`
command as described in the `hw1` doc to avoid merge conflicts in the Gitlab
CI file.**
## Directory Structure
<pre>
.
├── .gitignore
├── .gitlab-ci.yml
└── hw3
├── hw3.sublime-project
├── include
│   ├── debug.h
│   └── sfmm.h
├── lib
│   └── sfutil.o
├── Makefile
├── src
│   ├── main.c
│   └── sfmm.c
└── tests
└── sfmm_tests.c
</pre>
The `lib` folder contains the object file for the `sfutil` library. This
library provides you with several functions to aid you with the implementation
of your allocator. <span style="color:red">**Do NOT delete this file as it
is an essential part of your homework assignment.**</span>
The provided `Makefile` creates object files from the `.c` files in the `src`
directory, places the object files inside the `build` directory, and then links
the object files together, including `lib/sfutil.o`, to make executables that
are stored to the `bin` directory.
**Note:** `make clean` will not delete `sfutil.o` or the `lib` folder, but it
will delete all other contained `.o` files.
The `sfmm.h` header file contains function prototypes and defines the format
of the various data structures that you are to use.
> :scream: **DO NOT modify `sfmm.h` or the Makefile.** Both will be replaced when we run
> tests for grading. If you wish to add things to a header file, please create
> a new header file in the `include` folder
All functions for your allocator (`sf_malloc`, `sf_free`, `sf_realloc`,
`sf_internal_fragmentation`, and `sf_peak_utilization`)
**must** be implemented in `src/sfmm.c`.
The program in `src/main.c` contains a basic example of using the allocation functions.
Running `make` will create a `sfmm` executable in the `bin` directory. This can be run
using the command `bin/sfmm`.
# Allocation Functions
You will implement the three functions (`sf_malloc`, `sf_realloc`, and `sf_free`)
in the file `src/sfmm.c`. The file `include/sfmm.h` contains the prototypes and
documentation shown below.
**Note:** Standard C library functions set `errno` when there is an error.
To avoid conflicts with these functions, your allocation functions will set `sf_errno`,
a variable declared as `extern` in `sfmm.h`.
```c
/*
* This is your implementation of sf_malloc. It acquires uninitialized memory that
* is aligned and padded properly for the underlying system.
*
* @param size The number of bytes requested to be allocated.
*
* @return If size is 0, then NULL is returned without setting sf_errno.
* If size is nonzero, then if the allocation is successful a pointer to a valid region of
* memory of the requested size is returned. If the allocation is not successful, then
* NULL is returned and sf_errno is set to ENOMEM.
*/
void *sf_malloc(sf_size_t size);
/*
* Resizes the memory pointed to by ptr to size bytes.
*
* @param ptr Address of the memory region to resize.
* @param size The minimum size to resize the memory to.
*
* @return If successful, the pointer to a valid region of memory is
* returned, else NULL is returned and sf_errno is set appropriately.
*
* If sf_realloc is called with an invalid pointer sf_errno should be set to EINVAL.
* If there is no memory available sf_realloc should set sf_errno to ENOMEM.
*
* If sf_realloc is called with a valid pointer and a size of 0 it should free
* the allocated block and return NULL without setting sf_errno.
*/
void *sf_realloc(void *ptr, sf_size_t size);
/*
* Marks a dynamically allocated region as no longer in use.
* Adds the newly freed block to the free list.
*
* @param ptr Address of memory returned by the function sf_malloc.
*
* If ptr is invalid, the function calls abort() to exit the program.
*/
void sf_free(void *ptr);
```
> :scream: <font color="red">Make sure these functions have these exact names
> and arguments. They must also appear in the correct file. If you do not name
> the functions correctly with the correct arguments, your program will not
> compile when we test it. **YOU WILL GET A ZERO**</font>
# Statistics Functions
Besides the allocation functions discussed above, you are to implement the
following two functions that return statistics about the memory utilization
of the allocator:
```c
/*
* Get the current amount of internal fragmentation of the heap.
*
* @return the current amount of internal fragmentation, defined to be the
* ratio of the total amount of payload to the total size of allocated blocks.
* If there are no allocated blocks, then the returned value should be 0.0.
*/
double sf_internal_fragmentation();
/*
* Get the peak memory utilization for the heap.
*
* @return the peak memory utilization over the interval starting from the
* time the heap was initialized, up to the current time. The peak memory
* utilization at a given time, as defined in the lecture and textbook,
* is the ratio of the maximum aggregate payload up to that time, divided
* by the current heap size. If the heap has not yet been initialized,
* this function should return 0.0.
*/
double sf_peak_utilization();
```
These functions are also to be implemented in `sfmm.c`.
> Any functions other than `sf_malloc`, `sf_free`, `sf_realloc`,
> `sf_internal_fragmentation`, and `sf_peak_utilization`
> **WILL NOT** be graded.
# Initialization Functions
In the `lib` directory, we have provided you with the `sfutil.o` object file.
When linked with your program, this object file allows you to access the
`sfutil` library, which contains the following functions:
```c
/*
* @return The starting address of the heap for your allocator.
*/
void *sf_mem_start();
/*
* @return The ending address of the heap for your allocator.
*/
void *sf_mem_end();
/*
* This function increases the size of your heap by adding one page of
* memory to the end.
*
* @return On success, this function returns a pointer to the start of the
* additional page, which is the same as the value that would have been returned
* by get_heap_end() before the size increase. On error, NULL is returned.
*/
void *sf_mem_grow();
/* The size of a page of memory returned by sf_mem_grow(). */
#define PAGE_SZ ((sf_size_t)1024)
```
```c
/*
* @return The "magic number" used to obfuscate header and footer contents
* to make it difficult to free a block without having first succesfully
* malloc'ed one. To obtain the ability to turn off obfuscation using the
* -DWEAK_MAGIC compilation flag, you should not call this function directly
* but rather use the preprocessor symbol MAGIC where the magic number is
* required.
*/
sf_header sf_magic();
/* Define WEAK_MAGIC during compilation to use MAGIC of 0x0 for debugging purposes. */
#ifndef WEAK_MAGIC
#define MAGIC (sf_magic())
#else
#define MAGIC ((sf_header)0x0)
#endif
```
> :scream: As these functions are provided in a pre-built .o file, the source
> is not available to you. You will not be able to debug these using gdb.
> You must treat them as black boxes.
# sf_mem_grow
The function `sf_mem_grow` is to be invoked by `sf_malloc`, at the time of the
first allocation request to obtain an initial free block, and on subsequent allocations
when a large enough block to satisfy the request is not found.
For this assignment, your implementation **MUST ONLY** use `sf_mem_grow` to
extend the heap. **DO NOT** use any system calls such as **brk** or **sbrk**
to do this.
Function `sf_mem_grow` returns memory to your allocator in pages.
Each page is 1024 bytes (1 KB) and there are a limited, small number of pages
available (the actual number may vary, so do not hard-code any particular limit
into your program). Each call to `sf_mem_grow` extends the heap by one page and
returns a pointer to the new page (this will be the same pointer as would have
been obtained from `sf_mem_end` before the call to `sf_mem_grow`.
The `sf_mem_grow` function also keeps track of the starting and ending addresses
of the heap for you. You can get these addresses through the `sf_mem_start` and
`sf_mem_end` functions.
> :smile: A real allocator would typically use the **brk**/**sbrk** system calls
> calls for small memory allocations and the **mmap**/**munmap** system calls
> for large allocations. To allow your program to use other functions provided by
> glibc, which rely on glibc's allocator (*i.e.* `malloc`), we have provided
> `sf_mem_grow` as a safe wrapper around **sbrk**. This makes it so your heap and
> the one managed by glibc do not interfere with each other.
# sf_magic and MAGIC
The `sf_magic` function returns the random bit pattern that is being used
to obfuscate header and footer contents. This bit pattern must be XOR'ed
with header or footer contents to obfuscate them before storing them in memory,
and it must also be XOR'ed with header or footer contents to de-obfuscate them
after reading them from memory.
Instead of calling the `sf_magic` function directly, you should use the
preprocessor symbol `MAGIC` to obtain the magic bit pattern.
The definition of `MAGIC` is affected by whether or not the `WEAK_MAGIC`
C preprocessor symbol is defined during compilation. If `WEAK_MAGIC`
was not defined, then `MAGIC` calls `sf_magic()` to obtain the magic bit_pattern.
If `WEAK_MAGIC` was defined, then `MAGIC` is defined to be `0x0`.
The latter is useful during debugging, so you can examine the contents of headers
and footers in `gdb` without being confused by the obfuscation.
You can arrange for `WEAK_MAGIC` to be defined during compilation by uncommenting
the `-D WEAK_MAGIC` in the `DFLAGS` setting in the `Makefile`.
Make sure that you test your code with `-D WEAK_MAGIC` commented out (as it is
in the basecode distribution), because this is how your code will be compiled
during grading.
# Implementation Details
## Memory Row Size
The table below lists the sizes of data types (following Intel standard terminlogy)
on x86-64 Linux Mint:
| C declaration | Data type | x86-64 Size (Bytes) |
| :--------------: | :----------------: | :----------------------: |
| char | Byte | 1 |
| short | Word | 2 |
| int | Double word | 4 |
| long int | Quadword | 8 |
| unsigned long | Quadword | 8 |
| pointer | Quadword | 8 |
| float | Single precision | 4 |
| double | Double precision | 8 |
| long double | Extended precision | 16
> :nerd: You can find these sizes yourself using the sizeof operator.
> For example, `printf("%lu\n", sizeof(int))` prints 4.
In this assignment we will assume that each "memory row" is 8 bytes (64 bits) in size.
All pointers returned by your `sf_malloc` are to be 16-byte aligned; that is, they will be
addresses that are multiples of 16. This requirement permits such pointers to be used to
store any of the basic machine data types in a "naturally aligned" fashion.
A value stored in memory is said to be *naturally aligned* if the address at which it
is stored is a multiple of the size of the value. For example, an `int` value is
naturally aligned when stored at an address that is a multiple of 4. A `long double` value
is naturally aligned when stored at an address that is a multiple of 16.
Keeping values naturally aligned in memory is a hardware-imposed requirement for some
architectures, and improves the efficiency of memory access in other architectures.
## Block Header & Footer Fields
The various header and footer formats are specified in `include/sfmm.h`:
```c
Format of an allocated memory block
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 64-bit-wide row |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
+----------------------------+----------------------+--------+--------+---------+---------+ <- header
| payload size | block_size | unused | alloc |prv alloc|in qklst |
| (0/1) |(4 LSB's implicitly 0)| (0) | (1) | (0/1) | (0) |
| (32 bits) | (28 bits) | 1 bit | 1 bit | 1 bit | 1 bit |
+---------------------------------------------------+--------+--------+---------+---------+ <- (aligned)
| |
| Payload and Padding |
| (N rows) |
| |
| |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
NOTE: For an allocated block, there is no footer (it is used for payload).
NOTE: The actual stored header is obfuscated by bitwise XOR'ing with MAGIC.
The above diagram shows the un-obfuscated contents.
```
```c
Format of a memory block in a quick list
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 64-bit-wide row |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
+----------------------------+----------------------+--------+--------+---------+---------+ <- header
| unused | block_size | unused | alloc |prv alloc|in qklst |
| (0) |(4 LSB's implicitly 0)| (0) | (1) | (0/1) | (1) |
| (32 bits) | (28 bits) | 1 bit | 1 bit | 1 bit | 1 bit |
+---------------------------------------------------+--------+--------+---------+---------+ <- (aligned)
| |
| Payload and Padding |
| (N rows) |
| |
| |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
NOTE: For a block in a quick list, there is no footer.
```
```c
Format of a free memory block
+----------------------------+----------------------+--------+--------+---------+---------+ <- header
| unused | block_size | unused | alloc |prv alloc|in qklst |
| (0) |(4 LSB's implicitly 0)| (0) | (0) | (0/1) | (0) |
| (32 bits) | (28 bits) | 1 bit | 1 bit | 1 bit | 1 bit |
+------------------------------------------------------------+--------+---------+---------+ <- (aligned)
| |
| Pointer to next free block |
| (1 row) |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
| Pointer to previous free block |
| (1 row) |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
| Unused |
| (N rows) |
| |
| |
+------------------------------------------------------------+--------+---------+---------+ <- footer
| unused | block_size | unused | alloc |prv alloc|in qklst |
| (0) |(4 LSB's implicitly 0)| (0) | (0) | (0/1) | (0) |
| (32 bits) | (28 bits) | 1 bit | 1 bit | 1 bit | 1 bit |
+------------------------------------------------------------+--------+---------+---------+
NOTE: For a free block, footer contents must always be identical to header contents.
NOTE: The actual stored footer is obfuscated by bitwise XOR'ing with MAGIC.
The above diagram shows the un-obfuscated contents.
```
The `sfmm.h` header file contains C structure definitions corresponding to the above diagrams:
```c
#define IN_QUICK_LIST 0x1
#define PREV_BLOCK_ALLOCATED 0x2
#define THIS_BLOCK_ALLOCATED 0x4
typedef uint32_t sf_size_t;
typedef uint64_t sf_header;
typedef sf_header sf_footer;
/*
* Structure of a block.
* The first field of this structure is actually the footer of the *previous* block.
* This must be taken into account when creating sf_block pointers from memory addresses.
*/
typedef struct sf_block {
sf_footer prev_footer; // NOTE: This actually belongs to the *previous* block.
sf_header header; // This is where the current block really starts.
union {
/* A free block contains links to other blocks in a free list. */
struct {
struct sf_block *next;
struct sf_block *prev;
} links;
/* An allocated block contains a payload (aligned), starting here. */
char payload[0]; // Length varies according to block size.
} body;
} sf_block;
```
For `sf_block`, the `body` field is a `union`, which has been used to emphasize
the difference between the information contained in a free block and that contained
in an allocated block. If the block is free, then its `body` has a `links` field,
which is a `struct` containing `next` and `prev` pointers. If the block is
allocated, then its `body` does not have a `links` field, but rather has a `payload`,
which starts at the same address that the `links` field would have started if the
block were free. The size of the `payload` is obviously not zero, but as it is
variable and only determined at run time, the `payload` field has been declared
to be an array of length 0 just to enable the use of `bp->body.payload` to obtain
a pointer to the payload area, if `bp` is a pointer to `sf_block`.
> :thumbsup: You can use casts to convert a generic pointer value to one
> of type `sf_block *` or `sf_header *`, in order to make use of the above
> structure definitions to easily access the various fields. You can even cast
> an integer value to these pointer types; this is sometimes required when
> calculating the locations of blocks in the heap.
When a block is free, it must have a valid footer whose contents are identical to the
header contents. We will use a "footer optimization" technique that permits a footer
to be omitted from allocated blocks; thereby making the space that would otherwise
be occupied by the footer available for use by payload. The footer optimization
technique involves maintaining a bit in the header of each block that can be checked
to find out if the immediately preceding block is allocated or free.
If the preceding block is free, then its footer can be examined to find out its
size and then the size can be used to calculate the block's starting address for the
purpose of performing coalescing.
If the preceding block is **not** free, then it has no footer, but as we can only
coalesce with a free block there is no need for the information that we would have
found in the footer, anyway.
> :scream: Note that the `prev_footer` field in the `sf_block` structure is actually
> part of the **previous** block in the heap. In order to initialize an `sf_block`
> pointer to correctly access the fields of a block, it is necessary to compute the
> address of the footer of the immediately preceding block in the heap and then cast
> that address to type `sf_block *`. The footer of a particular block can be obtained
> by first getting an `sf_block *` pointer for that block and then using the contained
> information (*i.e.* the block size) to obtain the `prev_footer` field of the
> **next** block in the heap. The `sf_block` structure has been specified this way
> so as to permit it to be defined with a fixed size, even though the payload size
> is unknown and will vary.
## Quick List and Free List Heads
In the file `include/sfmm.h`, you will see the following declaration:
```c
#define NUM_QUICK_LISTS 10 /* Number of quick lists. */
#define QUICK_LIST_MAX 5 /* Maximum number of blocks permitted on a single quick list. */
struct {
int length; // Number of blocks currently in the list.
struct sf_block *first; // Pointer to first block in the list.
} sf_quick_lists[NUM_QUICK_LISTS];
#define NUM_FREE_LISTS 10
struct sf_block sf_free_list_heads[NUM_FREE_LISTS];
```
The array `sf_quick_lists` contains the heads of the quick lists,
which are maintained as **singly linked lists** accessed in LIFO fashion
(*i.e.* like stacks). The capacity of each quick list is limited to
a maximum of `QUICK_LIST_MAX` blocks. Inserting into a quick list that is
at capacity causes the quick list to be flushed as discussed elsewhere.
The array `sf_free_list_heads` contains the heads of the main free lists,
which are maintained as **circular, doubly linked lists**.
Each node in a free list contains a `next` pointer that points to the next
node in the list, and a `prev` pointer that points the previous node.
For each index `i` with `0 <= i < NUM_FREE_LISTS` the variable `sf_free_list_head[i]`
is a dummy, "sentinel" node, which is used to connect the beginning and the end of
the list at index `i`. This sentinel node is always present and (aside from its `next`
and `free` pointers) does **not** contain any other data. If the list is empty,
then the fields `sf_freelist_heads[i].body.links.next` and `sf_freelist_heads[i].body.links.prev`
both contain `&sf_freelist_heads[i]` (*i.e.* the sentinel node points back to itself).
If the list is nonempty, then `sf_freelist_heads[i].body.links.next` points to the
first node in the list and `sf_freelist_heads[i].body.links.prev` points to the
last node in the list.
Inserting into and deleting from a circular doubly linked list is done
in the usual way, except that, owing to the use of the sentinel, there
are no edge cases for inserting or removing at the beginning or the end
of the list.
If you need a further introduction to this data structure, you can readily
find information on it by googling ("circular doubly linked lists with sentinel").
> :scream: You **MUST** use the `sf_free_list_heads` array for the heads
> of your free lists and you **MUST** maintain these lists as circular,
> doubly linked lists.
> The helper functions discussed later, as well as the unit tests,
> will assume that you have done this when accessing your free lists.
> :scream: Note that the head of a freelist must be initialized before the list
> can be used. The initialization is accomplished by setting the `next` and `prev`
> pointers of the sentinel node to point back to the node itself.
## Overall Structure of the Heap
The overall structure of the allocatable area of your heap will be a sequence of allocated
and free blocks.
Your heap should also contain a prologue and epilogue (as described in the book, **page 855**)
to arrange for the proper block alignment and to avoid edge cases when coalescing blocks.
The overall organization of the heap is as shown below:
```c
Format of the heap
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 64-bit-wide row |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ <- heap start
| | (aligned)
| Unused |
| (1 row) |
+----------------------------+----------------------+--------+--------+---------+---------+ <- header
| payload size |minimum block_size(32)| unused | alloc |prv alloc|in qklst |
| (0) |(4 LSB's implicitly 0)| (0) | (1) | (0/1) | (0) | prologue block
| (32 bits) | (28 bits) | 1 bit | 1 bit | 1 bit | 1 bit |
+------------------------------------------------------------+--------+---------+---------+ <- (aligned)
| |
| Unused Payload Area |
| (3 rows) |
+------------------------------------------------------------+--------+---------+---------+ <- header
| payload size | block_size | unused | alloc |prv alloc|in qklst |
| (0/1) |(4 LSB's implicitly 0)| (0) | (0/1) | (0/1) | (0/1) | first block
| (32 bits) | (28 bits) | 1 bit | 1 bit | 1 bit | 1 bit |
+------------------------------------------------------------+--------+---------+---------+ <- (aligned)
| |
| Payload and Padding |
| (N rows) |
| |
| |
+--------------------------------------------+------------------------+---------+---------+
| |
| |
| |
| |
| Additional allocated and free blocks |
| |
| |
| |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| payload size | block_size | unused | alloc |prv alloc|in qklst |
| (0) | (0) | (0) | (1) | (0/1) | (0) | epilogue
| (32 bits) | (28 bits) | 1 bit | 1 bit | 1 bit | 1 bit |
+------------------------------------------------------------+--------+---------+---------+ <- heap_end
(aligned)
NOTE: The actual stored epilogue is obfuscated by bitwise XOR'ing with MAGIC.
The above diagram shows the un-obfuscated contents.
```
The heap begins with unused "padding", so that the header of each block will start
`sizeof(sf_header)` bytes before an alignment boundary.
The first block of the heap is the "prologue", which is an allocated block of minimum
size with an unused payload area.
At the end of the heap is an "epilogue", which consists only of an allocated header,
with block size set to 0.
The prologue and epilogue are never used to satisfy allocation requests and they
are never freed.
Whenever the heap is extended, a new epilogue is created at the end of the
newly added region and the old epilogue becomes the header of the new block.
This is as described in the book.
We do not make any separate C structure definitions for the prologue and epilogue.
They can be manipulated using the existing `sf_block` structure, though care must be taken
not to access fields that are not valid for these special blocks
(*i.e.* `prev_footer` for the prologue and anything other than `header` and `prev_footer`
for the epilogue).
As your heap is initially empty, at the time of the first call to `sf_malloc`
you will need to make one call to `sf_mem_grow` to obtain a page of memory
within which to set up the prologue and initial epilogue.
The remainder of the memory in this first page should then be inserted into
the free list as a single block.
## Notes on sf_malloc
When implementing your `sf_malloc` function, first determine if the request size
is 0. If so, then return `NULL` without setting `sf_errno`.
If the request size is non-zero, then you should determine the size of the
block to be allocated by adding the header size and the size of any necessary
padding to reach a size that is a multiple of 16 to maintain proper alignment.
Remember also that the block has to be big enough to store the footer
as well as the `next` and `prev` pointers when the block is free.
As these fields are not present in an allocated block this space can (and should)
be overlapped with the payload area.
As has already been discussed, the above constraints lead to a minimum block size
of 32 bytes, so you should not attempt to allocate any block smaller than this.
After having determined the required block size, you should first check the
quick lists to see if they contain a block of that size.
If they do not, you should determine the index of the first main free list
that would be able to satisfy a request of that size.
Search that free list from the beginning until the first sufficiently large
block is found. If there is no such block, continue with the next larger
size class.
If a big enough block is found, then after splitting it (if it will not leave
a splinter), you should insert the remainder part back into the appropriate
freelist. When splitting a block, the "lower part" should be used to
satisfy the allocation request and the "upper part" should become the remainder.
Do not insert this remainder portion into any quick list; it should be put
directly into the main free lists.
If a big enough block is not found in any of the freelists, then you
must use `sf_mem_grow` to request more memory
(for requests larger than a page, more than one such call might be required).
If your allocator ultimately cannot satisfy the request, your `sf_malloc` function
must set `sf_errno` to `ENOMEM` and return `NULL`.
### Notes on sf_mem_grow
After each call to `sf_mem_grow`, you must attempt to coalesce the newly
allocated page with any free block immediately preceding it, in order to build
blocks larger than one page. Insert the new block at the beginning of
the appropriate main freelist (*not* a quick list).
**Note:** Do not coalesce past the beginning or end of the heap.
## Notes on sf_free
When implementing `sf_free`, you must first verify that the pointer being
passed to your function belongs to an allocated block. This can be done by
examining the fields in the block header. In this assignment, we will consider
the following cases to be invalid pointers:
- The pointer is `NULL`.
- The pointer is not 16-byte aligned.
- After XOR'ing the stored header with `MAGIC`:
* The block size is less than the minimum block size of 32.
* The block size is not a multiple of 16
* The header of the block is before the start of the first block
of the heap, or the footer of the block is after the end of the last
block in the heap.
* The `allocated` bit in the header is 0.
* The `prev_alloc` field in the header is 0, indicating that the previous
block is free, but the `alloc` field of the previous block header is not 0.
If an invalid pointer is passed to your function, you must call `abort` to exit
the program. Use the man page for the `abort` function to learn more about this.
After confirming that a valid pointer was given, you must free the block.
If the block size matches the size of one of the quick lists, it should be
inserted into that quick list, flushing the quick list first if it is already
at capacity. Otherwise, the block is inserted at the *front* of the appropriate
main free list, after coalescing with any adjacent free block.
Note that blocks in a main free list must **not** be marked as allocated,
and they must have a valid footer with contents identical to the block header.
In contrast, blocks in a quick list **are** marked as allocated, and they
do not have any footer. In addition, blocks in a quick list have the
`IN_QUICK_LIST` bit set in their header.
# Notes on sf_realloc
When implementing your `sf_realloc` function, you must first verify that the
pointer passed to your function is valid. The criteria for pointer validity
are the same as those described in the 'Notes on sf_free' section above.
If the pointer is valid but the size parameter is 0, free the block and return `NULL`.
After verifying the parameters, consider the cases described below.
Note that in some cases, `sf_realloc` is more complicated than calling `sf_malloc`
to allocate more memory, `memcpy` to move the old memory to the new memory, and
`sf_free` to free the old memory.
## Reallocating to a Larger Size
When reallocating to a larger size, always follow these three steps:
1. Call `sf_malloc` to obtain a larger block.
2. Call `memcpy` to copy the data in the block given by the client to the block
returned by `sf_malloc`. Be sure to copy the entire payload area, but no more.
3. Call `sf_free` on the block given by the client (inserting into a quick list
or main freelist and coalescing if required).
4. Return the block given to you by `sf_malloc` to the client.
If `sf_malloc` returns `NULL`, `sf_realloc` must also return `NULL`. Note that
you do not need to set `sf_errno` in `sf_realloc` because `sf_malloc` should
take care of this.
## Reallocating to a Smaller Size
When reallocating to a smaller size, your allocator must use the block that was
passed by the caller. You must attempt to split the returned block. There are
two cases for splitting:
- Splitting the returned block results in a splinter. In this case, do not
split the block. Leave the splinter in the block, update the header field
if necessary, and return the same block back to the caller.
**Example:**
<pre>
b b
+----------------------+ +------------------------+
| allocated | | allocated. |
| Blocksize: 64 bytes | sf_realloc(b, 32) | Block size: 64 bytes |
| payload: 48 bytes | | payload: 32 bytes |
| | | |
| | | |
+----------------------+ +------------------------+
</pre>
In the example above, splitting the block would have caused a 24-byte splinter.
Therefore, the block is not split.
- The block can be split without creating a splinter. In this case, split the
block and update the block size fields in both headers. Free the remainder block
by inserting it into the appropriate free list (after coalescing, if possible --
do not insert the remainder block into a quick list).
Return a pointer to the payload of the now-smaller block to the caller.
Note that in both of these sub-cases, you return a pointer to the same block
that was given to you.
**Example:**
<pre>
b b
+----------------------+ +------------------------+
| allocated | | allocated | free |
| Blocksize: 128 bytes | sf_realloc(b, 50) | 64 bytes | 64 bytes. |
| payload: 80 bytes | | payload: | |
| | | 50 bytes | goes into |
| | | | free list |
+----------------------+ +------------------------+
</pre>
# Helper Functions
The `sfutil` library additionally contains the following helper functions,
which should be self explanatory. They all output to `stderr`.
```c
void sf_show_block(sf_block *bp);
void sf_show_blocks();
void sf_show_free_list(int index);
void sf_show_free_lists();
void sf_show_quick_list(int index);
void sf_show_quick_lists();
void sf_show_heap();
```
We have provided these functions to help you visualize your free lists and
allocated blocks.
# Unit Testing
For this assignment, we will use Criterion to test your allocator. We have
provided a basic set of test cases and you will have to write your own as well.
You will use the Criterion framework alongside the provided helper functions to
ensure your allocator works exactly as specified.
In the `tests/sfmm_tests.c` file, there are ten unit test examples. These tests
check for the correctness of `sf_malloc`, `sf_realloc`, and `sf_free`.
We provide some basic assertions, but by no means are they exhaustive. It is your
job to ensure that your header/footer bits are set correctly and that blocks are
allocated/freed as specified.
## Compiling and Running Tests
When you compile your program with `make`, a `sfmm_tests` executable will be
created in the `bin` folder alongside the `main` executable. This can be run
with `bin/sfmm_tests`. To obtain more information about each test run, you can
use the verbose print option: `bin/sfmm_tests --verbose`.
You might also find it helpful to suppress the running of tests concurrently
by giving the `--j1` option.
It is also possible to restrict the set of tests that are run. For example,
using `--filter suite_name/test_name` will only run the test named `test_name`
in test suite `suite_name` (if there is such a test, otherwise it will run
no tests).
# Writing Criterion Tests
The first test `malloc_an_int` tests `sf_malloc`.
It allocates space for an integer and assigns a value to that space.
It then runs an assertion to make sure that the space returned by `sf_malloc`
was properly assigned.
```c
cr_assert(*x == 4, "sf_malloc failed to give proper space for an int!");
```
The string after the assertion only gets printed to the screen if the assertion
failed (i.e. `*x != 4`). However, if there is a problem before the assertion,
such as a SEGFAULT, the unit test will print the error to the screen and
continue to run the rest of the unit tests.
For this assignment **<font color="red">you must write 5 additional unit tests
which test new functionality and add them to `sfmm_tests.c` below the following
comment:</font>**
> :scream: You should definitely not regard the style in which the given tests
> have been written as an example of the correct way to write such tests.
> These handout tests have been deliberately coded in such a way as to to avoid
> giving away too much information about how you might write the allocator code.
> The tests contain many hard-coded numeric values and intentionally somewhat
> obscure pointer manipulations. You would do well **not** to follow this example,
> but rather to devise functions and macros that make your own code easier to write
> and to read. Exactly how you might do this has been left for you to work out!
```
//############################################
//STUDENT UNIT TESTS SHOULD BE WRITTEN BELOW
//DO NOT DELETE THESE COMMENTS
//############################################
```
> For additional information on Criterion library, take a look at the official
> documentation located [here](http://criterion.readthedocs.io/en/master/)! This
> documentation is VERY GOOD.
# Hand-in instructions
Make sure your directory tree looks like it did originally after merging the basecode,
and and that your homework compiles.
This homework's tag is: `hw3`
<pre>
$ git submit hw3
</pre>
# A Word to the Wise
This program will be very difficult to get working unless you are
extremely disciplined about your coding style. Think carefully about how
to modularize your code in a way that makes it easier to understand and
avoid mistakes. Verbose, repetitive code is error-prone and **evil!**
When writing your program try to comment as much as possible.
Format the code consistently. It is much easier for your TA and the
professor to help you if we can quickly figure out what your code does.
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