What is a "Segmentation Fault???"

[KarsinTheHutt]

I know it's some sort of C++ program bug, but what is it related to? I suspect it is a memory allocation problem, but I'm not sure... I get this error when I quit the program I wrote.

Does anyone know?

 

[gittyup]

A segmentation fault usually occurs when your program is referencing memory that it does not own anymore. Maybe a pointer or object that has been freed already is trying to be referenced, for example..

 

[Pretender]

I believe it's the unix/linux way way of telling you your program crashed. Could be anything from a divide by zero to a memory address error.

 

[tim0thy]

unix' quiet blue screen of death... notice how it doesn't take the server down with it

 

[PentiumIV]

Segfaults happen when you attempt to reference memory that you were not supposed to reference, for example, the NULL pointer. Memory protection is one of MOST IMPORTANT features of a proper OS.

 

[Descartes]

Segfault?

int main(void)
{
int a[1];
a[1] = 0; // should elicit a seg fault, unless your OS fell asleep

return 0;
}

 

[yakko]

Maybe these guys know something.

 

[stonythug]

The bane of my existence

 

[KameLeon]

if you're using arrays, check the array sizes. That'll usually cause a segmentation fault..

like Descartes said:
int a[1];
a[1] = 0; // should elicit a seg fault, unless your OS fell asleep


since there's no a[1], It'll cause a segmentation fault. should be a[0]..

 

[C1ue1ess]

Seg faults = Hours of frustration trying to find a bug that is really simple, then kicking yourself for doing such a stupid error.