Python on Altix

[Todd Miller]

I'm trying to set up Python on a 64-bit Linux super computer which looks 
like this:

Linux somewhere.in.au 2.4.20-sgi221r3 #1 SMP Tue Jul 22 15:32:18 PDT 
2003 ia64 unknown

I configure Python like this:

./configure --prefix=$HOME --with-pydebug --without-threads

But as soon as I try to run my software self-tests (for the numarray 
Numeric-like array package),  I get this:

python(11030): unaligned access to 0x60000fffffff61cc, ip=0x40000000002b9221
 
      Debug memory block at address p=0x6000000000718310:
     88 bytes originally requested
     The 4 pad bytes at p-4 are FORBIDDENBYTE, as expected.
     The 4 pad bytes at tail=0x6000000000718368 are not all 
FORBIDDENBYTE (0xfb):
         at tail+0: 0x02 *** OUCH
         at tail+1: 0x00 *** OUCH
         at tail+2: 0x00 *** OUCH
         at tail+3: 0x00 *** OUCH
     The block was made by call #0 to debug malloc/realloc.
     Data at p: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ... 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
Fatal Python error: bad trailing pad byte
Abort (core dumped)

I've poked around with this for a few hours,  but I'm not getting much 
out of GDB.  Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get Python up 
and running on an Altix or how to solve this problem more generally?

Please CC me if you respond.

Thanks,
Todd