ALLOC(III) 3/1/74 ALLOC(III)





ALLOC(III)                   3/1/74                    ALLOC(III)







NAME

     alloc - core allocator



SYNOPSIS

     char *alloc(size)



     free(ptr)

     char *ptr;



DESCRIPTION

     Alloc  and  free  provide  a  simple  general-purpose   core

     management  package.   Alloc  is  given  a size in bytes; it

     returns a pointer to an area at least  that  size  which  is

     even and hence can hold an object of any type.  The argument

     to free is a pointer to  an  area  previously  allocated  by

     alloc; this space is made available for further allocation.



     Needless to say, grave disorder will  result  if  the  space

     assigned  by  alloc  is  overrun or if some random number is

     handed to free.



     The routine  uses  a  first-fit  algorithm  which  coalesces

     blocks being freed with other blocks already free.  It calls

     sbrk (see break (II)) to get more core from the system  when

     there is no suitable space already free, and writes ``Out of

     space'' on the standard output, then exists, if that fails.



     The external variable slop (which is 2  if  not  set)  is  a

     number  such that if n bytes are requested, and if the first

     free block of size at least n is no larger than n+slop, then

     the whole block will be allocated instead of being split up.

     Larger values of slop tend to reduce  fragmentation  at  the

     expense of unused space in the allocated blocks.



DIAGNOSTICS

     ``Out of space'' if it needs core and can't get it.



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