# "Basic" problem with Threads (?) **URL:** \ **Category:** Ruby\ **Created:** [November 21, 2005, 9:34pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/basic-problem-with-threads/48523 "2005-11-21T21:34:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cosmocracy](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/8baadc/32.png) [@cosmocracy](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/cosmocracy)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2005, 9:34pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/basic-problem-with-threads/48523/1 "2005-11-21T21:34:54Z")
I just upraded to Ruby 1.8.3 (from sources) on my Redhat Linux box. When I attempt to do anything that starts a new thread, I receive the message “ThreadError: uninitialized thread - check `Thread#initialize’”. Below is a transcript from a one-line session in IRB that demonstrates the problem. Any ideas? (Please let me know if there is other information that would be helpful in diagnosing this.) irb(main):001:0\> Thread.new { puts ‘hi’ } ThreadError: uninitialized thread - check `Thread#initialize' from (irb):1:in`new’ from (irb):1 irb(main):002:0\> Thank you! ---
**Author:** ![cosmocracy](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/8baadc/32.png) [@cosmocracy](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/cosmocracy)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 12:16am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/basic-problem-with-threads/48523/2 "2005-11-22T00:16:02Z")
On Tue, 22 Nov 2005, Eric K wrote: > ``` > from (irb):1 > > ``` > > irb(main):002:0\> can you show us how you compiled ruby? -a ---
**Author:** ![cosmocracy](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/8baadc/32.png) [@cosmocracy](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/cosmocracy)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 10:47am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/basic-problem-with-threads/48523/3 "2005-11-22T10:47:39Z")
Eric K wrote: > ``` > from (irb):1:in `new' > from (irb):1 > > ``` > > irb(main):002:0\> Works for me: irb(main):001:0\> Thread.new { puts ‘hi’ } hi=\> #\ Ruby 1.8.3 on cygwin. Kind regards ``` robert ``` ---
**Author:** ![cosmocracy](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/8baadc/32.png) [@cosmocracy](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/cosmocracy)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 2:05pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/basic-problem-with-threads/48523/4 "2005-11-22T14:05:05Z")
On Monday 21 November 2005 03:32 pm, Eric K wrote: > I just upraded to Ruby 1.8.3 (from sources) on my Redhat Linux box. > When I attempt to do anything that starts a new thread, I receive the > message “ThreadError: uninitialized thread - check > `Thread#initialize’”. Below is a transcript from a one-line session in > IRB that demonstrates the problem. Any ideas? (Please let me know if > there is other information that would be helpful in diagnosing this.) The ruby executable links against libruby18.so. If you downloaded and installed ruby into /usr/local or something like that, perhaps at runtime your new ruby binary is still linking against the older ruby library. A quick use of ‘ldd’ will help determine that. Caleb ---
**Author:** ![cosmocracy](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/8baadc/32.png) [@cosmocracy](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/cosmocracy)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 3:57pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/basic-problem-with-threads/48523/5 "2005-11-22T15:57:46Z")
> Here’s the output from ‘ldd’ of /usr/local/bin/ruby: > > ``` > libdl.so.2 => /lib/libdl.so.2 (0x200000000005c000) > libcrypt.so.1 => /lib/libcrypt.so.1 (0x2000000000078000) > libm.so.6.1 => /lib/tls/libm.so.6.1 (0x20000000000c0000) > libc.so.6.1 => /lib/tls/libc.so.6.1 (0x2000000000154000) > /lib/ld-linux-ia64.so.2 => /lib/ld-linux-ia64.so.2 > > ``` > > (0x2000000000000000) Looks okay to me. My binary also links against /usr/lib/libruby18.so, but it looks like yours is statically built in. Does your test program fail in the same way if you don’t use irb, but instead just run it through ruby? Have you tried running any of the test programs that came bundled in the ruby .tar.gz (in the test subdirectory, I believe) ? ---
**Author:** ![cosmocracy](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/8baadc/32.png) [@cosmocracy](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/cosmocracy)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 3:49pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/basic-problem-with-threads/48523/6 "2005-11-22T15:49:43Z")
Thanks for the replies. Ara \>\> can you show us how you compiled ruby? I installed Ruby 1.8.3 from source using (I believe) the standard “compile/make/make install” cycle. (It’s been a week or so, so the memory’s a bit weak). Might there have been special switches I’d have needed for Redhat Enterprise Server 3? Caleb \>\> perhaps at runtime your new ruby binary is still linking against Caleb \>\> the older ruby library. A quick use of ‘ldd’ will help determine that. Here’s the output from ‘ldd’ of /usr/local/bin/ruby: ``` libdl.so.2 => /lib/libdl.so.2 (0x200000000005c000) libcrypt.so.1 => /lib/libcrypt.so.1 (0x2000000000078000) libm.so.6.1 => /lib/tls/libm.so.6.1 (0x20000000000c0000) libc.so.6.1 => /lib/tls/libc.so.6.1 (0x2000000000154000) /lib/ld-linux-ia64.so.2 => /lib/ld-linux-ia64.so.2 ``` (0x2000000000000000) Unfortunately I’m not sure what to make of it. Is there a way to tell if the ‘/lib/ld-linux-ia64.so.2’ referenced is for 1.8.2, 1.8.3, or 1.6? Thanks again! ---
**Author:** ![cosmocracy](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/8baadc/32.png) [@cosmocracy](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/cosmocracy)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 5:26pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/basic-problem-with-threads/48523/7 "2005-11-22T17:26:27Z")
Thank you for your help on this. I believe I have resolved the issue. On my particular Linux (Redhat Enterprise 3), I have to modify the CFLAGS setting in the Makefile after running ./configure (but before running make, make install). After changing the CFLAGS line from: CFLAGS = -g -O2 to: CFLAGS = -g -O0 I am able to build Ruby that handles Threads properly. I think the reason some things were working (and some not) was that I had some .o files hanging around from a previous build (one done without the CFLAGS change). Thanks again for the help, everyone!