1.6.3 Overflow Errors

These errors are reported by the application name prefacing one of the following messages, except as noted below.

application-name: counter overflow (code nn)

An overflow occurred in an unsigned long integer being used as a reference counter or something similar. This situation is very unlikely.

application-name: memory overflow (code nn)

There wasn't enough memory to build an internal data structure. The most likely cause is an attempt to operate on input files that are too large. Standard remedies apply.

The memory overflow or counter overflow messages can also be reported without the application name preface or a code number. In these cases, they arise in the course of evaluating the function given by the application, rather than by loading the input files.

A counter overflow in this case is possible if the application attempts to compute the size of a very large, shared structure using native integer arithmetic.

Memory overflows are possible due to insufficient memory for a valid purpose, but may also occur due to a non-terminating recursion in the virtual machine code. To prevent thrashing or other bad effects from runaway code, the ulimit shell command is your friend.