Hotspots Analysis Always Crashes Console App

[neil_do]

I'm evaluating VTune (build 150226) for work. I'm using Win7 x64 (Xenon 6 C) and building with VS2K8 (9.0.30729.1).

OS Name Microsoft Windows 7 Enterprise
Version 6.1.7600 Build 7600
Other OS Description Not Available
OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation
System Name NDO77
System Manufacturer Dell Inc.
System Model Precision WorkStation T7500
System Type x64-based PC
Processor Intel Xeon CPU X5660 @ 2.80GHz, 2793 Mhz, 6 Core(s), 6 Logical Processor(s)
BIOS Version/Date Dell Inc. A07, 10/8/2010
SMBIOS Version 2.5
Windows Directory C:\\Windows
System Directory C:\\Windows\\system32
Boot Device \\Device\\HarddiskVolume1
Locale United States
Hardware Abstraction Layer Version = "6.1.7600.16385"
Time Zone Eastern Daylight Time
Installed Physical Memory (RAM) 12.0 GB
Total Physical Memory 12.0 GB
Available Physical Memory 8.06 GB
Total Virtual Memory 24.0 GB
Available Virtual Memory 19.4 GB
Page File Space 12.0 GB
Page File C:\\pagefile.sys

I can run 'Lightweight Hotspots' analysis without any issue. Once I run the 'Hotspots' analysis my console app always crashes on this assert: vcs\\tpss\\tpss\\src\\tpss\\tmu\\tmu.c:656 alloc_buf: Assertion 'buf->head != NULL' failed. I see this with VTune alone and inside VS.

Problem signature:
Problem Event Name: APPCRASH
Application Name: myapp.exe
Application Version: 0.0.0.0
Application Timestamp: 4df1633d
Fault Module Name: tpsstool.dll
Fault Module Version: 0.0.0.0
Fault Module Timestamp: 4ddaa453
Exception Code: 40000015
Exception Offset: 0013d16b
OS Version: 6.1.7600.2.0.0.256.4
Locale ID: 1033
Additional Information 1: e321
Additional Information 2: e3214c460b97e1a2df3768b23fc79d4c
Additional Information 3: b23e
Additional Information 4: b23e46d233a823ae20e9a3000fe39847

Is this a known issue with some kind of workaround?

[Peter_W_Intel]

1. Is there any problem if you run hotspots analysis with example program from VTune Amplifier XE?

2. Can you try command line - "amplxe-cl -collect hotspots -- app_name"? Whatare outputs?

3. Can you please attach "problematical" program? So I can investigatethis issue on my side(binary file and symbol should be OK).

Thanks, Peter

[neil_do]

1. Is there any problem if you run hotspots analysis with example program from VTune Amplifier XE?
> Yes, my app crashes when running hotspots analysis from VTune Amplifier XE external to Visual Studio.

2. Can you try command line - "amplxe-cl -collect hotspots -- app_name"? Whatare outputs?
> Most of the output is app specific except for the same assertion mentioned above: vcs\tpss\tpss\src\tpss\tmu\tmu.c:656 alloc_buf: Assertion 'buf->head != NULL' failed.

3. Can you please attach "problematical" program? So I can investigatethis issue on my side(binary file and symbol should be OK).
> I'm sorry I cannot attach the problematic program requires too many database dependencies to startup. I can attached the procmon.exe log (*.PML) for all file system access with 'Intel' in the path. I'm not sure if this would help you. I'm still looking into ways to reveal more information about this crash. Other than the assertion, I cannot attach the debugger to it see where it crashes.

As another piece of information, I've also seen pin.exe crash with 'Pin is Out of Memory.' My pc has 6 GB RAM. I'm not sure why it is complaining about memory.

[Jan_Hardenbergh]

I'm seeing this same problem: vcs\collectunits\tmu\src\tmu.c:704 alloc_buf: Assertion 'buf->head != NULL' failed.

Intel VTune Amplifier XE 2011 Update 7 (build 206420) Command Line Tool
Copyright (C) 2009-2011 Intel Corporation. All rights reserved.

This is inherited code and I did find an overwrite near where this error occurred a while ago - and fixed it. Inspector XE did not flag anything near here.

[Peter_W_Intel]

Please try Update 8 to verify if the problem persists on -

C>amplxe-cl -version

Intel VTune Amplifier XE 2011 Update 8 (build 221625) Command Line Tool

Copyright (C) 2009-2012 Intel Corporation. All rights reserved.

This is application specific issue - if you can attach test code, it will be helpful on investigating. Thank you.

Regards, Peter

[Bernard]

The best option is to collect the memory dump and open it in windbg.Next run this command !analyze -v in order to perform automated verbose analysis.Exception code stands for  for "Fatal Application Exit".You have also faulting module and offset to the faulting instruction.