[Boost-users] boost::serialization binary archives not portable?

[Daniel Oberhoff]

Hi,

I have a problem with boost::serialization in that I cannot transport
binary archives between my macbookpro (osx 10.4 latest update) and my
dell box at work (ubuntu gutsy with universe). As a test I just
serialized a 10-byte binary object. Has anyone else been moving binary
archives between different platforms?

here are the stacktraces up to the exception throws

Moving from ubuntu to osx I get this

#7 0x0001bcc8 in boost::throw_exception<boost::archive::archive_exception> () at libs/serialization/src/basic_serializer_map.cpp:52
#8 0x0000f104 in boost::archive::basic_binary_iarchive<boost::archive::binary_iarchive>::init (this=0xbfffeec8) at ./boost/archive/impl/basic_binary_iarchive.ipp:54
#9 0x0000f20b in boost::archive::binary_iarchive_impl<boost::archive::binary_iarchive, char, std::char_traits<char> >::init (this=0xbfffeec8, flags=0) at ./boost/archive/binary_iarchive_impl.hpp:51
#10 0x0000f4a4 in boost::archive::binary_iarchive_impl<boost::archive::binary_iarchive, char, std::char_traits<char> >::binary_iarchive_impl (this=0xbfffeec8, is=@0xbfffec30, flags=0) at ./boost/archive/binary_iarchive_impl.hpp:80
#11 0x0001862d in boost::archive::binary_iarchive::binary_iarchive () at libs/serialization/src/basic_serializer_map.cpp:52
#12 0x00002bda in main ()

the other direction:

#4 0x00002b41bac2d773 in std::terminate () from /usr/lib/libstdc++.so.6
#5 0x00002b41bac2d85a in __cxa_throw () from /usr/lib/libstdc++.so.6
#6 0x00002b41babc944a in std::__throw_length_error () from /usr/lib/libstdc++.so.6
#7 0x00002b41bac0cda2 in std::string::resize () from /usr/lib/libstdc++.so.6
#8 0x00000000004339de in boost::archive::basic_binary_iprimitive<boost::archive::binary_iarchive, char, std::char_traits<char> >::load (this=0x7ffff015afe0, s=@0x7ffff015ad50)
at ./boost/archive/impl/basic_binary_iprimitive.ipp:96
#9 0x0000000000433a23 in boost::archive::load_access::load_primitive<boost::archive::binary_iarchive, std::string> (ar=@0x7ffff015afd0, t=@0x7ffff015ad50) at ./boost/archive/detail/iserializer.hpp:96
#10 0x0000000000433a43 in boost::archive::detail::load_non_pointer_type<boost::archive::binary_iarchive, std::string>::load_primitive::invoke (ar=@0x7ffff015afd0, t=@0x7ffff015ad50) at ./boost/archive/detail/iserializer.hpp:339
#11 0x0000000000433a63 in boost::archive::detail::load_non_pointer_type<boost::archive::binary_iarchive, std::string>::invoke (ar=@0x7ffff015afd0, t=@0x7ffff015ad50) at ./boost/archive/detail/iserializer.hpp:414
#12 0x0000000000433a83 in boost::archive::load<boost::archive::binary_iarchive, std::string> (ar=@0x7ffff015afd0, t=@0x7ffff015ad50) at ./boost/archive/detail/iserializer.hpp:561
#13 0x0000000000433aae in boost::archive::detail::common_iarchive<boost::archive::binary_iarchive>::load_override<std::string> (this=0x7ffff015afd0, t=@0x7ffff015ad50) at ./boost/archive/detail/common_iarchive.hpp:59
#14 0x0000000000433ad3 in boost::archive::array::iarchive<boost::archive::binary_iarchive>::load_override<std::string> (this=0x7ffff015afd0, x=@0x7ffff015ad50, version=0) at ./boost/archive/array/iarchive.hpp:122
#15 0x0000000000433afb in boost::archive::basic_binary_iarchive<boost::archive::binary_iarchive>::load_override<std::string> (this=0x7ffff015afd0, t=@0x7ffff015ad50) at ./boost/archive/basic_binary_iarchive.hpp:62
#16 0x0000000000433b23 in boost::archive::binary_iarchive_impl<boost::archive::binary_iarchive, char, std::char_traits<char> >::load_override<std::string> (this=0x7ffff015afd0, t=@0x7ffff015ad50)
at ./boost/archive/binary_iarchive_impl.hpp:45
#17 0x0000000000433b50 in boost::archive::detail::interface_iarchive<boost::archive::binary_iarchive>::operator>><std::string> (this=0x7ffff015afd0, t=@0x7ffff015ad50) at ./boost/archive/detail/interface_iarchive.hpp:63
#18 0x0000000000433b87 in boost::archive::basic_binary_iarchive<boost::archive::binary_iarchive>::init (this=0x7ffff015afd0) at ./boost/archive/impl/basic_binary_iarchive.ipp:52
#19 0x000000000040c8ee in boost::archive::binary_iarchive_impl<boost::archive::binary_iarchive, char, std::char_traits<char> >::init (this=0x7ffff015afd0, flags=0) at ./boost/archive/binary_iarchive_impl.hpp:51
#20 0x000000000040c971 in binary_iarchive_impl (this=0x7ffff015afd0, is=@0x7ffff015b790, flags=0) at ./boost/archive/binary_iarchive_impl.hpp:80
#21 0x000000000040c9db in boost::archive::binary_iarchive::binary_iarchive () at ./boost/archive/codecvt_null.hpp:48
#22 0x0000000000405518 in main ()

daniel

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[Pfligersdorffer, Christian]

Daniel Oberhoff wrote:

> I have a problem with boost::serialization in that I cannot
> transport binary archives between my macbookpro (osx 10.4
> latest update) and my dell box at work (ubuntu gutsy with
> universe). As a test I just serialized a 10-byte binary
> object. Has anyone else been moving binary archives between
> different platforms?

Hi Daniel,

the binary archive that comes with boost::serialization generates
platform dependent files. If you are interested in cross-platform data
exchange you'd have to use a text archive or try my portable binary
archive which you find at http://www.boost-consulting.com/vault in the
serialization folder.

I'd be very much interested if it works for your setting - which is
64-bit PowerPC and 32-bit x86? Just try it out and share your
experience.

Christian Pfligersdorffer

[Robert Ramey]

binary archives are designed to be fastest implementation of the archive
concept. They are not portable.

Currently, if you need portability, you'll have to use a text based archive
such as text_?archive, or xml_archive.

Robert Ramey

[Robert Ramey]

Unfortunately, recent changes in binary_?archive break any
archive classes derived from it - this includes the portable
binary demo included in the package and probably other
archives as well.

Good news is that, with the help of a corporate sponser,
I've made a new implemention which doesn't derive from
binary_?archive and has been tested on a variety of
platforms of varying integer sizes and endian-ness.
I expect it will be included in a future version of
boost serialization.

Also, the purpose of the current demo was to demonstrate
creation of a new archive class through derivation
from an existing one. So, I'll have to replace this with
another example and and update the documentation
accordingly.

Robert Ramey

[Matthias Troyer]

On 28 Nov 2007, at 17:32, Robert Ramey wrote:

> Unfortunately, recent changes in binary_?archive break any
> archive classes derived from it - this includes the portable
> binary demo included in the package and probably other
> archives as well.

Robert, could you please send me a single example, outside of your
portable binary archive demo that would need to be updated, where the
array extensions break anything?

Matthias

[Robert Ramey]

It would be any archive which alters the of bytes
from that used by the native machine. The implementation
of portable binary archive (which had/has) a few issues
anyway, renders the byte stream in an manner
independent of the int size and endian-ness. So
it fails. I never thought about this until I came upon
it by accident. So I have no idea when it will
come up again.

What bothers me more about it is that now I can
derive from a known archive according to the
documentation, and have an implementation
which full fills the stated requirements but won't
work. I suspect that there needs to be some
additional concept added to the binary_?archives
that other archive classes don't have. But truth
is, I really haven't considered it detail.

I was sort of annoyed that the example used
to illustrate derivation from an existing archive
has to be redone. as I didn't find out about it until
recently, so the next release includes a demo
and documentation that doesn't work without
any real time to fix it.

Robert Ramey