Typical errors of porting C++ code on the 64-bit platform

Static analyzers are a fine means to improve quality and safety of the program code. The basic difficulty related to the use of static analyzers consists in the fact that they generate quite a lot false warning messages about potential errors. Programmers being lazy by nature use this argument to find some way not to correct the found errors. In Microsoft this problem is solved by including necessarily the found errors in the bug tracking system. Thus a programmer just cannot choose between the correction of the code and tries to avoid this.

We think that such strict rules are justified. The profit of the quality code covers the outlay of time for static analysis and corresponding code modification. This profit is achieved by means of simplifying the code support and reducing the time of debugging and testing.

Static analyzers may be successfully used for diagnosing many of the kinds of errors observed in the article.

The authors know 3 static analyzers which are supposed to have means of diagnosing errors related to the port of programs on 64-bit systems. We would like to warn you at once that we may be mistaken about the possibilities they have, moreover, these are developing products and new versions may have great efficiency.

1. Gimpel Software PC-Lint (http://www.gimpel.com). This analyzer has a large list of supported platforms and is the static analyzer of general purpose. It allows to catch errors while porting program on the architecture with LP64 data model. The advantage is the possibility to organize strict control over the type conversions. What the disadvantages are concerned the only one of them is the absence of the environment but it may be corrected by using the external Riverblade Visual Lint.
2. Parasoft C++test (http://www.parasoft.com). Another well-know static analyzer of general purpose. It has the support of a lot of device and program platforms too. It has built-in environment which simplifies the work and setting of the analysis rules greatly. As well as PC-Lint it is intended for LP64 data model.
3. Viva64 (http://www.viva64.com). Unlike other analyzers it is intended to work with Windows (LLP64) data model. It is integrated into the development environment Visual Studio 2005. It is intended only for diagnosing problems related to the port of programs on 64-bit systems and that simplifies its setting greatly.