Re: "Random" delays in execution

["Max van Rooij \(van Rooij Electronics Design & Software Engineering\)" <mvrooij@...>]

A follow up.

I already tested with only a few lines of code, just enough to produce
the problem.

What I have so far:

- I allocate the 2D array in the main Lua _state_
- I then create a new Lua _thread_
- thread runs either until yield (which it has one)
- then I perform a lua_resume (thread now runs to end
- re-create a thread
- start it again by lua_resume
- repeat for ever.

During each cycle I monitor memory usage. I notice that on each yield,
the actual amount of mem used increases. After a few times it reaches
somewhere between 150 to 200% of its initial memusage and the GC runs.
With the 2D array of userdata there was relativly a lot of memory usage
(start 492kb and just before a GC cycle 700kb...750kb). With same array,
but not userdata but an integer, I have the exact same behaviour, but
the numbers and delays are so small, I simply didn't notice at first....

So, I now force a GC cycle whenever the thread returns LUA_YIELD as a
result. Even with the "big" 2D array of userdata the problem is gone,
e.g. no increasing mem usage and constant cycle times at the expense of
more time / cycle.

I'm almost happy now. The thing that bothers me, is the increasing lua
memory usage per yield. Why is this? Is somehow data copied from lua
_state_ to lua _thread_ and at threads end marked for GC? The thread
itself first simply calls corotine.yield and then ends. No nothing any
further. The 2D array in lua _state_ just lingers unused.

Max