Core dump with "more" command

[Edward Ortiz]

I am running HP-UX 11.0 (64-bit version) on a C3600. When I try to perform a 'more' on a 14k file I get a core dump. Performing a 'file' command on the core file shows this:

core file from 'more' - received SIGSEGV

Is anyone aware of a patch for this? I can transfer the file to a HP-UX 10.20 system and I don't have a problem.

Configuration Info:

Operating System: HP-UX
Version: 11.0
Patch Version: December 2000

[Bill McNAMARA_1]

Segmentation Violations could have something to do with memory kernel based parameters.
Get the differences between sysdef on both systems and post it up here.

Later,
Bill

[John Poff]

Hello,

I've seen 'more' core dump on small files that had binary characters in them. One of the best examples is the .sh_history file for a user. To see those files I do 'strings .sh_history | more'. The 'strings' command handles the binary characters and keeps more from choking on them. Just an idea.

JP

[Ovidiu D. Raita]

Use strings file | more on binary files.

More just reads the input file, breaks it ( using end of line ) and then sends it to stdout.
Imagine a 2GB file with no end on lines in it. This should all go into more's buffer. But the buffer is limited to some resonable figure ( might be 1k, 2k, 10k, check posix standard) so it will overflow and you get a core dump.

There's nothing wrong with more. It would be nice for more to allocate the data dinamically but try to more a 20GB file with no andof lines (because is binary too). It will have to allocate 20GB and then display them. It doesn't make sense.

Regards,
Ovidiu

[Stefan Farrelly · Accepted solution]

There is a known problem with the more binary on 11.0 ocassionally core dumping.

We were advised (by the ITRC) to copy the more binary from 10.20 to our 11.0 servers and that has fixed the problem, until a patch comes out for 11.0. Just checked the June 2001 GR patch bundle and still no new patch for more, so I advise to use the 10.20 binary.

[Edward Ortiz]

Moving the "more" binary from a 10.20 system seemed to do the trick. The transferred binary works on the file that before would result in a core dump. A hearty thanks to all the respondents.