Hello. Thanks for reading my question. I fell into a deadlock in static initialization of boost shared objects. The deadlock occurs in a reentrant call to a function which contains a definition of a static variable. Apparenlty gcc protects the initialization of such variables with a condition variable. Looking at the c++ code nothing at all make anybody suspect about reentrancy. My "interpretation of the fact" may be titled 'something in gcc, ld, ld.so, c++language made the call to be reentrant' - There is a function boost::system::generic_category() that has a static variable V - V type is boost::system::annonymous-namespace::generic_error_category - boost::system::annonymous-namespace::generic_error_category is subclass of boost::system::error_category. - boost::system::annonymous-namespace::generic_error_category has no declared/defined constructor as well as all its superclasses - The compilation process generate the constructor boost::system::error_category::error_category() as a weak symbol inside every shared object that uses it. - There is a static variable boost::system::posix_category in one of the shared objects that is initialized calling boost::system::generic_category(). - when the static initialization of a shared object boost::system::posix_category get initialized - which calls boost::system::generic_category() - Inside boost::system::generic_category() starts the initialization of V which calls boost::system::error_category::error_category() - It may happend that the runtime calls an instance of boost::system::error_category::error_category() that resides in a shared object that is still not loaded - So that .so get loaded and it is called its own static initialization - which can call boost::system::generic_category() - BOOM I would love if you can confirm of refute my humble "interpretation". Details follows ------------------- boost version: 1-52-0 Operating system: uname -a SunOS bcpp-solaris10 5.10 Generic_147441-25 i86pc i386 i86pc $ gcc -v Using built-in specs. COLLECT_GCC=gcc COLLECT_LTO_WRAPPER=/export/home/local/gcc-4.6.2/libexec/gcc/i386-pc-solaris2.10/4.6.2/lto-wrapper Target: i386-pc-solaris2.10 Configured with: ../src/gcc-4.6.2/configure --prefix=/export/home/local/gcc-4.6.2 --with-gmp=/export/home/local/gcc-4.6.2/gmp-4.3.2 --with-mpfr=/export/home/local/gcc-4.6.2/mpfr-3.0.0 --with-mpc=/export/home/local/gcc-4.6.2/mpc-0.8.2 --with-libelf=/export/home/local/gcc-4.6.2/libelf-0.8.12 --enable-shared --enable-threads=posix --enable-checking=release --with-system-zlib --enable-__cxa_atexit --enable-languages=c,c++ --with-as=/usr/local/bin/as --with-gnu-as --with-ld=/usr/ccs/bin/ld --without-gnu-ld --enable-plugin --enable-multilib --enable-version-specific-runtime-libs --enable-bootstrap --enable-ssp --enable-libssp --with-included-gettext --enable-lto --host=i386-pc-solaris2.10 --build=i386-pc-solaris2.10 Thread model: posix gcc version 4.6.2 (GCC) Callstack backtrace (lines begining with = are my comments): = = deadlock here: the threads is waiting itself = #0 0xfd459019 in __lwp_park () from /lib/libc.so.1 #1 0xfd45365e in cond_sleep_queue () from /lib/libc.so.1 #2 0xfd453817 in cond_wait_queue () from /lib/libc.so.1 #3 0xfd453b94 in cond_wait_common () from /lib/libc.so.1 #4 0xfd453d02 in _cond_wait () from /lib/libc.so.1 #5 0xfd453d2d in cond_wait () from /lib/libc.so.1 #6 0xfd453d66 in pthread_cond_wait () from /lib/libc.so.1 #7 0xfd632898 in __gthread_cond_wait (g=0xfd822ea8) at ...build-gcc/out/i386-pc-solaris2.10/libstdc++-v3/include/i386-pc-solaris2.10/bits/gthr-default.h:846 #8 __gthread_cond_wait_recursive (g=0xfd822ea8) at ...work/build-gcc/out/i386-pc-solaris2.10/libstdc++-v3/include/i386-pc-solaris2.10/bits/gthr-default.h:860 #9 __gnu_cxx::__cond::wait_recursive (g=0xfd822ea8) at ...build-gcc/out/i386-pc-solaris2.10/libstdc++-v3/include/ext/concurrence.h:377 #10 __cxa_guard_acquire (g=0xfd822ea8) at .../src/gcc-4.6.2/libstdc++-v3/libsupc++/guard.cc:289 = = Reentrant call to boost::system::generic_category() = #11 0xfd812313 in boost::system::generic_category () at libs/system/src/error_code.cpp:425 #12 0xfe85cd38 in __static_initialization_and_destruction_0(__initialize_p=1, __priority=65535) at ./boost/system/error_code.hpp:214 #13 0xfe85d05f in _GLOBAL__sub_I_instantiate_re2c_lexer_str.cpp () at libs/wave/src/instantiate_re2c_lexer_str.cpp:56 = = static initization of boost.wave library = #14 0xfe8868fd in __do_global_ctors_aux () from ...boost/lib/libboost_wave-gcc46-mt-d-32-SOLARIS-X86-1_52.so.1.52.0 #15 0xfe88692a in _init () from ...boost/lib/libboost_wave-gcc46-mt-d-32-SOLARIS-X86-1_52.so.1.52.0 #16 0xfefce37e in call_init () from /usr/lib/ld.so.1 #17 0xfefce1cf in is_dep_init () from /usr/lib/ld.so.1 #18 0xfefdaa4b in elf_bndr () from /usr/lib/ld.so.1 #19 0xfefc2ab4 in elf_rtbndr () from /usr/lib/ld.so.1 #20 0xfee60688 in ?? () #21 0xfee0c8f6 in boost::exception_detail::get_static_exception_object<boost::exception_detail::bad_alloc_>() at ./boost/exception/detail/exception_ptr.hpp:119 #22 0xfee0c0d2 in __static_initialization_and_destruction_0(__initialize_p=1, __priority=65535) at ./boost/exception/detail/exception_ptr.hpp:138 #23 0xfee0c271 in _GLOBAL__sub_I_future.cpp () at libs/thread/src/future.cpp:60 = = static initization of boost.thread library = #24 0xfee0d98d in __do_global_ctors_aux () from ...boost/lib/libboost_thread-gcc46-mt-d-32-SOLARIS-X86-1_52.so.1.52.0 #25 0xfee0d9ba in _init () from ...boost/lib/libboost_thread-gcc46-mt-d-32-SOLARIS-X86-1_52.so.1.52.0 #26 0xfefce37e in call_init () from /usr/lib/ld.so.1 #27 0xfefce1cf in is_dep_init () from /usr/lib/ld.so.1 #28 0xfefdaa4b in elf_bndr () from /usr/lib/ld.so.1 #29 0xfefc2ab4 in elf_rtbndr () from /usr/lib/ld.so.1 #30 0xfdce0688 in ?? () = = First calll to boost::system::generic_category() = #31 0xfd81232a in boost::system::generic_category () at libs/system/src/error_code.cpp:425 #32 0xfd812386 in __static_initialization_and_destruction_0(__initialize_p=1, __priority=65535) at ./boost/system/error_code.hpp:214 #33 0xfd8123ed in _GLOBAL__sub_I_error_code.cpp () at libs/system/src/error_code.cpp:430 = = static initialization of boost.system = #34 0xfd8126ed in __do_global_ctors_aux () from ...boost/lib/libboost_system-gcc46-mt-d-32-SOLARIS-X86-1_52.so.1.52.0 #35 0xfd81271a in _init () from ...boost/lib/libboost_system-gcc46-mt-d-32-SOLARIS-X86-1_52.so.1.52.0 #36 0xfefce37e in call_init () from /usr/lib/ld.so.1 #37 0xfefcd7d5 in setup () from /usr/lib/ld.so.1 #38 0xfefdba3e in _setup () from /usr/lib/ld.so.1 #39 0xfefc299c in _rt_boot () from /usr/lib/ld.so.1 #40 0x08047540 in ?? () #41 0x08047670 in ?? () More thanks for reading all.