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Stack Overflow Detection

Cstack_overflow.c
#include 
#include "Std_Types.h"

/* Method 1: Stack canary pattern — fill stack with known pattern at init */
#define STACK_CANARY  0xDEADBEEFu
#define STACK_SIZE    512u   /* 512 × 4 bytes = 2 kB */

static uint32_t s_task_stack[STACK_SIZE];

void Stack_Init(void)
{
    /* Fill entire stack with canary pattern before first use */
    for (uint32_t i = 0u; i < STACK_SIZE; i++) {
        s_task_stack[i] = STACK_CANARY;
    }
}

/* Check watermark: find deepest stack usage */
uint32_t Stack_GetHighWaterMark(void)
{
    uint32_t i = 0u;
    while ((i < STACK_SIZE) && (s_task_stack[i] == STACK_CANARY)) {
        i++;
    }
    /* Words 0..i-1 were never touched; watermark at word i */
    return (STACK_SIZE - i) * sizeof(uint32_t);  /* bytes used */
}

/* Method 2: MPU guard region — hardware triggers fault on first write past stack */
/* Place MPU region with no-access at bottom of stack (lowest addresses) */
/* When stack overflows into guard region: MemManage fault → ProtectionHook */

/* Method 3: FreeRTOS stack overflow hook */
void vApplicationStackOverflowHook(TaskHandle_t task, char *task_name)
{
    (void)task;
    /* Log task name; trigger safe state; never return */
    Dem_ReportErrorStatus(DEM_TASK_STACK_OVERFLOW, DEM_EVENT_STATUS_FAILED);
    for (;;) {}  /* halt or trigger watchdog reset */
}

Detecting Memory Leaks in Embedded C

Cmemory_leak_detect.c
/* Leak detection wrapper: track all allocations */
/* Use only in DEBUG builds — never production (ASIL: no heap) */
#include 
#include 
#include 

#if defined(BUILD_DEBUG)

#define MAX_TRACKED_ALLOCS  64u

typedef struct {
    void    *ptr;
    size_t   size;
    const char *file;
    int      line;
} AllocRecord_t;

static AllocRecord_t s_allocs[MAX_TRACKED_ALLOCS];
static uint32_t      s_alloc_count = 0u;
static uint32_t      s_total_bytes = 0u;

void *tracked_malloc(size_t size, const char *file, int line)
{
    void *ptr = malloc(size);
    if (ptr != NULL) {
        for (uint32_t i = 0u; i < MAX_TRACKED_ALLOCS; i++) {
            if (s_allocs[i].ptr == NULL) {
                s_allocs[i] = (AllocRecord_t){ptr, size, file, line};
                s_alloc_count++;
                s_total_bytes += (uint32_t)size;
                break;
            }
        }
    }
    return ptr;
}

void tracked_free(void *ptr)
{
    for (uint32_t i = 0u; i < MAX_TRACKED_ALLOCS; i++) {
        if (s_allocs[i].ptr == ptr) {
            s_total_bytes -= (uint32_t)s_allocs[i].size;
            s_allocs[i] = (AllocRecord_t){0};
            s_alloc_count--;
            break;
        }
    }
    free(ptr);
}

void print_leak_report(void) {
    printf("=== Memory Leak Report ===
");
    printf("Active allocations: %u  Total bytes: %u
", s_alloc_count, s_total_bytes);
    for (uint32_t i = 0u; i < MAX_TRACKED_ALLOCS; i++) {
        if (s_allocs[i].ptr != NULL) {
            printf("  LEAK: %u bytes at %p (%s:%d)
",
                   (unsigned)s_allocs[i].size, s_allocs[i].ptr,
                   s_allocs[i].file, s_allocs[i].line);
        }
    }
}
#define malloc(s)  tracked_malloc((s), __FILE__, __LINE__)
#define free(p)    tracked_free(p)
#endif /* BUILD_DEBUG */

Summary

Stack overflow and memory leaks are the two most common causes of intermittent embedded system failures. Stack canary filling and high-watermark analysis give an accurate picture of actual stack depth across all execution paths — compare this against the allocated stack size with a 20% safety margin. MPU guard regions catch overflows at the moment they occur (a deterministic fault) rather than allowing silent data corruption. Memory leak detection via wrapper macros is invaluable during development testing but must be excluded from production builds; in production, eliminate all dynamic allocation and the problem cannot occur.

🔬 Deep Dive — Core Concepts Expanded

This section builds on the foundational concepts covered above with additional technical depth, edge cases, and configuration nuances that separate competent engineers from experts. When working on production ECU projects, the details covered here are the ones most commonly responsible for integration delays and late-phase defects.

Key principles to reinforce:

  • Configuration over coding: In AUTOSAR and automotive middleware environments, correctness is largely determined by ARXML configuration, not application code. A correctly implemented algorithm can produce wrong results due to a single misconfigured parameter.
  • Traceability as a first-class concern: Every configuration decision should be traceable to a requirement, safety goal, or architecture decision. Undocumented configuration choices are a common source of regression defects when ECUs are updated.
  • Cross-module dependencies: In tightly integrated automotive software stacks, changing one module's configuration often requires corresponding updates in dependent modules. Always perform a dependency impact analysis before submitting configuration changes.

🏭 How This Topic Appears in Production Projects

  • Project integration phase: The concepts covered in this lesson are most commonly encountered during ECU integration testing — when multiple software components from different teams are combined for the first time. Issues that were invisible in unit tests frequently surface at this stage.
  • Supplier/OEM interface: This is a topic that frequently appears in technical discussions between Tier-1 ECU suppliers and OEM system integrators. Engineers who can speak fluently about these details earn credibility and are often brought into critical design review meetings.
  • Automotive tool ecosystem: Vector CANoe/CANalyzer, dSPACE tools, and ETAS INCA are the standard tools used to validate and measure the correct behaviour of the systems described in this lesson. Familiarity with these tools alongside the conceptual knowledge dramatically accelerates debugging in real projects.

⚠️ Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

  1. Assuming default configuration is correct: Automotive software tools ship with default configurations that are designed to compile and link, not to meet project-specific requirements. Every configuration parameter needs to be consciously set. 'It compiled' is not the same as 'it is correctly configured'.
  2. Skipping documentation of configuration rationale: In a 3-year ECU project with team turnover, undocumented configuration choices become tribal knowledge that disappears when engineers leave. Document why a parameter is set to a specific value, not just what it is set to.
  3. Testing only the happy path: Automotive ECUs must behave correctly under fault conditions, voltage variations, and communication errors. Always test the error handling paths as rigorously as the nominal operation. Many production escapes originate in untested error branches.
  4. Version mismatches between teams: In a multi-team project, the BSW team, SWC team, and system integration team may use different versions of the same ARXML file. Version management of all ARXML files in a shared repository is mandatory, not optional.

📊 Industry Note

Engineers who master both the theoretical concepts and the practical toolchain skills covered in this course are among the most sought-after professionals in the automotive software industry. The combination of AUTOSAR standards knowledge, safety engineering understanding, and hands-on configuration experience commands premium salaries at OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers globally.

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