more compiler bugs...

[domel07]

I have a larger code to crunch numbers and it is only today that I looked at the outcome of that code compiled with -C* options. Without them I get the numbers I expect and all is fine. Now with various combinations of -CU, -CA, -CB I get wrong numbers, different ones with different combinations. That clearly suggests another compiler bug. They might be related to OpenMP that I am using. I have not yet got down to find them, because of the following doubts:

1) I have spotted 2 bugs in ifort over 1 month time. That is a lot. Can I expect the Windows version better or they share the same code base?

2) I do not have access to the Premier support, I am evaluating ifort's performance before buying a professional licence. However, the 2 concrete bugs I spotted plus a high chance for a third one I report above are not very encouraging... What would be an approximate time I would have to wait for a bug fix, having a commercial license?

thanks and regards, Dominik

[Ron_Green]

Dominik,

The evaluation compiler will give you access to Premier, simply register your serial number at https://registrationcenter.intel.com. Then go to http://premier.intel.com for your bug report. Of course, in cases like these we will need the code, makefiles, input files and instructions to reproduce the behavior. Obviously, we cannot do anything to help without an example to evaluate.

As for bug fixes, the time frame varies on complexity and potential side effects. Simple fixes with no side effects can be rather fast. If it is complex and has a potential for side effects with other portions of the compiler, those sometimes have to wait for the next major revision.

We post updates to the current versions on Registrationcenter about once every 2-3 months.

ron

[Steven_L_Intel1]

I will comment that a lot of the times where users think they have found a compiler bug the answer turns out to be something else. Yes, there are compiler bugs and we do fix the ones reported to us, but unless we've seen a test case it's premature to qualify the problems as compiler bugs.

Please do use Intel Premier Support and supply us examples that show the problems you found.

[domel07]

No, this one is not yet a proven bug, only a serious candidate. I have so far reported two, so chances are I am right. However, judging from previous experience, tracing the bug down in ifort is a few hours work, so I would like to know that in what time it can be fixed as a reward for my effort :)
The thing is that on the Support pages I read that a noncommercial licence does not deserve Support. So, what is the real situation?
regards, Dominik

[Steven_L_Intel1]

If you have an evaluation license, you have full support for the duration of the evaluation period. If you have a noncommercial license, you have "limited" support, which means you can report issues but are not eligible for product updates.

We can't promise a timetable for providing bug fixes - a lot depends on the type of bug, how serious the impact is, whether there is a workaround and how complex it is to fix. When you report the bug and the developers have responded, we can tell you then what to expect.

[domel07]

'Not eligible for updates' means I can submit bugs but can not get a hot fix as soon as it is out and have to wait for the next release?

[Steven_L_Intel1]

That is correct. However, we typically do not do "hot fixes", except in very unusual circumstances. We do have a regular update cycle of 4-6 weeks, but some bug fixes may be deferred to the next release. If you'll submit the bug report, after we analyze it we'll let you know what the situation is.