421518 - clicking on "inbox" in gmail often causes runaway memory allocation, crash; extension issue? nsGenericHTMLElement::GetInnerHTML .. nsHTMLContentSerializer::EscapeURI .. FindCharInSet

Status: RESOLVED WORKSFORME

(Core :: DOM: Core & HTML, defect)

Description

[Harlan Harris]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686 (x86_64); en-US; rv:1.8.1.12) Gecko/20080201 Firefox/2.0.0.12
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686 (x86_64); en-US; rv:1.8.1.12) Gecko/20080201 Firefox/2.0.0.12

Once or twice a day, gmail causes a runaway memory allocation loop. It seems to mostly happen when I click on the "inbox" link after doing some other task. If I use "top" to look at memory allocation, firefox is allocating 50 MB or so of RAM a second. If I don't kill it, it will eventually take over the machine until oomkiller whacks it. 

I use the Better Gmail 2 v0.3.3 extension, and wonder if it is causing problems. Even if it does, though, it shouldn't cause runaway allocation loops...

Happy to help try to replicate or get a stack trace, although someone might have to walk me through it...



Reproducible: Sometimes

Comment 1

[[:Cww]]

This sounds like a request for support and help troubleshooting.  Bugzilla is really not the best place to ask for technical support, it is a tracking system for actual bugs in various Mozilla products.  If the problem only happens on your computer or with a particular website, you should look into technical support resources. A number of resources are available for Firefox at: http://support.mozilla.com/kb/ .  In particular, you can get help with your question by searching the Knowledge base, or asking on our forums: http://support.mozilla.com/forum or using the newsgroup: mozilla.support.firefox or using the #firefox IRC chat room: irc://irc.mozilla.org/firefox

Since bugzilla is here to help developers improve the product, basic troubleshooting can be really helpful even if this really is a bug.  The person working with you can help confirm the issue and help in writing a much more descriptive and helpful bug report so developers can more easily make the fix.

Comment 2

[Matthias Versen [:Matti]]

Do you get the same problem in the firefox safemode (without any extensions) ?

Comment 3

[Harlan Harris]

Cww, thanks for the patronizing comment. A runaway memory-allocation loop is *always* a bug, regardless if it involves user error or a buggy extension. Bad input to a program should never cause a crash.

Matti, I don't know. The bug is not reproduceable enough for me to want to run in safe mode all day, waiting for it to occur.

Two new data points:

1. I've now seen a similar bug in Windows. Clicking on the Inbox link in gmail triggers a freeze in Firefox. I haven't thought to check for memory allocation issues when it's happened; I will next time and report.

2. Better Gmail 2 is not at fault, at least not with the Windows version of the bug. I had disabled the extension and still triggered the problem.

I'll follow up as I get more information. It's a shame that Talkbalk isn't being triggered. Is there a way to force it somehow?

Comment 4

[timeless]

http://developer.mozilla.org/en/docs/How_to_get_a_stacktrace_with_WinDbg

*attach* output from:
!analyze -v -hang
~* kp

windbg is better than talkback.

Comment 5

[Harlan Harris]

Timeless, thanks. I haven't had a chance to do that in Windows, but I did manage to (I think) get a core dump in Linux. I'll attach that. I killed Firefox with "kill -QUIT", and got a core file.

The trigger was identical, clicking on "Inbox" in GMail.

Comment 6

[Harlan Harris]

Attachment: Core dump from firefox-bin

Comment 7

[timeless]

sorry. we generally can't use core dumps as we don't generally have access to their symbols (with the exception of windows builds).

you'd have to build your own build on linux with one of --enable-debug or --enable-debugger-info-modules (don't include --enable-strip [or better just include --disable-strip])

Comment 8

[Harlan Harris]

Attachment: Stack trace for runaway alloc bug (on Windows)

O-pa! Got it, finally! The browser crashed when I clicked on the Inbox link in Gmail, on Windows, with the debugger running. I hit break in the debugger, and did the exception analysis and the stacktrace. Looking forward to hearing what the problem is...

Comment 9

[Harlan Harris]

Changing platform to "All", as I've seen identical behavior (hang on "Inbox" click, with runaway memory allocation) in both Linux and Windows.

Also, here's my extension list in Linux. My Windows box has most of the same extensions.

Application: Firefox 2.0.0.12 (2008020121)
Operating System: Linux (x86-gcc3)

- Adblock 0.5.3.043
- Better Gmail 2 0.3.4
- DOM Inspector 1.8.1.12
	(Disabled)
- Download Statusbar 0.9.6.1
- Extension List Dumper 1.13.1
- Fission 0.9.5
- Foxmarks Bookmark Synchronizer 2.0.45
- Google Desktop for Firefox 1.1.0
	(Disabled)
- Greasemonkey 0.7.20080121.0
- LeechBlock 0.3.5.1
- Mouse Gestures 1.5.2
- No Squint 1.0.1
- PDF Download 1.0.1.1
- PwdHash 1.3
- Signature 0.4.0.4.200610221528
- Stop Autoplay 0.7.2
- Tab Mix Plus 0.3.6.1.080325a
- Talkback 2.0.0.12
- TimeTracker 1.2.3

Comment 10

[Harlan Harris]

There's a thread on the support forum about this bug:

http://support.mozilla.com/tiki-view_forum_thread.php?forumId=1&comments_parentId=21904

Note that the most recent suggestion from there was to upgrade Flash. But I got the allocation loop again with the newest Flash, so it's probably not the same as what was being referred to. In any case, GMail doesn't use Flash, as far as I know, so it would be surprising if that were the problem.

Comment 11

[timeless]

fwiw, last i checked gmail used flash to play sounds for new chat/mail notifications.

however, your problem isn't that.

try disabling all add-ons (you can use safe mode).

if you need to chase this further, you're going to need to go to the main thread (in windbg), to a js3250!js_Invoke frame and follow:

cx->fp[->down*]
 ->pc
 ->script
  ->fileName
  ->lineNo
  ->main

Comment 12

[Harlan Harris]

(timeless, I tried to email you directly, but bemail.org is not accepting connections, at least not from Gmail... Please email me directly to respond. Sorry, everyone else.)

You suggested a particular debugging operation for this bug that I don't understand. Could you walk me through it in more detail? I'm a former programmer, so I know more or less about how debugging works, but I've never used any of the tools we're using here, and I know nothing about how the Mozilla code base works.

Comment 13

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

Harlan, does this issue still reproduce using version 3.6 or 4.0 beta?

Comment 14

[Harlan Harris]

Hi Wayne, no, I haven't seen it in a long time. Some other fix must have fixed this one. Feel free to close!

Comment 15

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

WFM per reporter