Expert · Module 10 · Lesson 2 of 12
Stack Allocation, Alignment, and Guard Pages with mmap and mprotect
Allocate page-aligned fiber stacks with mmap, enforce hardware-level overflow traps using mprotect guard pages, calculate initial 16-byte aligned stack pointers, and build recycled stack pools.
By the end you can
- Allocate page-aligned virtual memory ranges using mmap with MAP_ANONYMOUS and MAP_STACK
- Arm an inaccessible bottom guard page using mprotect(PROT_NONE) to trap stack overflows deterministically
- Compute top-of-stack initial pointers conforming to downward growth and 16-byte System V ABI alignment
- Implement a recycled stack freelist pool to eliminate mmap and page fault overhead during fiber creation
Builds on Hardware Stack Architecture, Stack Frames, and the System V AMD64 ABI.
01 · A question first
Why does allocating a fiber stack with standard malloc() risk silent heap corruption when a deep call tree overflows, while an mmap-backed stack with an mprotect guard page converts fatal data bugs into immediate, debuggable hardware traps?
Make a guess before you read on.
02 · The idea
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What's inside
- Start with the problem
- How the idea works
- Production Implementation: The Fiber Stack Pool
- Why it is correct
- What it costs
- Pitfalls and variations
- Where it is used
03 · Practice
Asked in interviews
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