Abstract
The C preprocessor, a key element of the language, has become a liability due to its lack of integration with modern language semantics. This column describes the analysis of the C preprocessor usage in the Linux kernel, comprising 20 million lines of code, using the CScout refactoring browser. Processing limitations led to a solution leveraging a supercomputer’s parallel processing capabilities. The analysis divided the kernel’s source files across 32 supercomputer nodes and implemented a binary tournament database merging strategy. Initial efforts revealed multiple difficulties. Resolving them involved several false starts involving recursive SQL statements, an SQLite extension, and the GraphViz connected components tool. After a number of redesigns guided by stress-testing, the analysis finished in just 32 hours rather than a week, using 374 CPU hours and 640 GiB RAM on the supercomputer’s nodes.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 18-23 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | IEEE Software |
| Volume | 42 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2025 |
Bibliographical note
Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository 'You share, we take care!' - Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-careOtherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.