Redefining Memory Functions

Memory Renaming

In addition to the memkind library, Intel MKL memory management by default uses standard C run-time memory functions to allocate or free memory. These functions can be replaced using memory renaming.

Intel MKL accesses the memory functions by pointers i_malloc, i_free, i_calloc, and i_realloc, which are visible at the application level. You can programmatically redefine values of these pointers to the addresses of your application's memory management functions.

Redirecting the pointers is the only correct way to use your own set of memory management functions. If you call your own memory functions without redirecting the pointers, the memory will get managed by two independent memory management packages, which may cause unexpected memory issues.

How to Redefine Memory Functions

To redefine memory functions, use the following procedure:

1. Include the i_malloc.h header file in your code.
   This header file contains all declarations required for replacing the memory allocation functions. The header file also describes how memory allocation can be replaced in those Intel libraries that support this feature.
2. Redefine values of pointers i_malloc, i_free, i_calloc, and i_realloc prior to the first call to MKL functions, as shown in the following example:

            
            #include "i_malloc.h"
              . . .
              i_malloc  = my_malloc;
              i_calloc  = my_calloc;
              i_realloc = my_realloc;
              i_free    = my_free;
              . . .
            // Now you may call Intel MKL functions