Re: CFA: pseudo-reloc v2

[Corinna Vinschen <corinna-cygwin at cygwin dot com>]

On Oct  4 10:52, Christopher Faylor wrote:
> On Sun, Oct 04, 2009 at 01:25:04PM +0200, Corinna Vinschen wrote:
> >On Oct  3 13:59, Charles Wilson wrote:
> >> #1) Using fprintf and mingw-specific error messages. This is bad, even
> >> if they are guarded by DEBUG:
> >> 
> >> #ifdef DEBUG
> >>       fprintf (stderr, "internal mingw runtime error:"
> >>                "psuedo_reloc version %d is unknown to this runtime.\n",
> >>                (int) v2_hdr->version);
> >> #endif
> >> 
> >> Maybe something like
> >> 
> >> #if defined(__INSIDE_CYGWIN__)
> >>      system_printf (
> >>         "Relocation error: invalid pseudo_reloc version %d.",
> >>         int) v2_hdr->version);
> >> #else
> >> #if defined(DEBUG) && defined(__MINGW32__)
> >>       fprintf (stderr, "internal mingw runtime error:"
> >>                "psuedo_reloc version %d is unknown to this runtime.\n",
> >>                (int) v2_hdr->version);
> >> #endif
> >
> >The strace feature under the hood of system_printf is only available
> >from within the Cygwin DLL itself.  The pseudo_reloc.c file is not part
> >of the DLL, it's linked into the application.  Above all, the strace
> >fetaure is only accessible from C++ code.
> >
> >So, actually fprintf(stderr) is more correct.  However, it's not safe to
> >assume that stdio has already been initialized when the runtime
> >relocator runs.  AFAICS, the relocator is called before dll_crt0_1 is
> >called and only in that latter function, the stdio descriptors are
> >initialized.
> >
> >Failing relocation is as bad as any other error starting an application.
> >Wouldn't it be the right thing to raise an exception, along the lines of
> >the Windows exception which is raised when a loadtime linked DLL can't
> >be loaded?
> 
> I'd feel more comfortable with a real error message, even if you have to
> use WriteConsole to display it.  Or, a real error message + an
> exception.

Here's another idea.  At one point Brian Dessent proposed a patch to
detect a missing DLL.  Hmm, yes, here's the checkin of your patch
implementing that, back on 2008-03-26.

I was wondering if a similar technique could be used to print an error
message in the parent process, if the relocation failed in the child
process.  The idea would be to generate a specific status code which
would then catched in status_exit, just like STATUS_DLL_NOT_FOUND.

I'm just not sure how to generate that specific status code...

Other than that, I have no problems to use WriteConsole.


Corinna

-- 
Corinna Vinschen                  Please, send mails regarding Cygwin to
Cygwin Project Co-Leader          cygwin AT cygwin DOT com
Red Hat