[Python-Dev] [Windows, buildbot] kill_python.c mystery (original) (raw)

Tim Peters tim.peters at gmail.com
Thu Jul 27 02:02:37 CEST 2006

Rarely I'll be running the Python tests in my sandbox from a DOS box, and the test run will just end. Like so:

C:\Code\python\PCbuild>python -E -tt ../lib/test/regrtest.py -uall -rw test_softspace test_codecmaps_kr ... test_float test_userdict

C:\Code\python\PCbuild>

No indication of success or failure -- the process just vanishes mid-stream.

Today I noticed this happened when the buildbot started to run tests, and I'm 100% sure it's due to this code in Tools/buildbot/kill_python.c (the buildbot log files showed that kill_python.c killed /some/ Python process, and the Python running release-build tests in my sandbox was the only plausible candidate):

if ((strstr(path, "build\\pcbuild\\python_d.exe") != NULL) ||
    (strstr(path, "build\\python.exe") != NULL)) {
    printf("Terminating %s (pid %d)\n", path, pids[i]);
    if (!TerminateProcess(hProcess, 1)) {

The second clause in the first if looks for a substring match on:

build\python.exe

and that just happens to match a suffix of:

C:\Code\python\PCbuild\python.exe

which is the release-build Python I happen to be running in my sandbox.

Why is the second clause there? That is, are we /trying/ to kill a release-build Python running from the user's sandbox, and if so why? Introducing the second clause was the sole change in rev 46817, and the checkin comment doesn't really explain it:

Port cygwin kill_python changes from 2.4 branch.

Since I don't know what it's trying to accomplish, I hesitate to change it. It's quite clear what the first clause is trying to accomplish, and that one hasn't caused any problems.

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