All, I am new to PHP (about 3 weeks) and am testing the return of strings from a external database subroutine. This database is not relational, not MySQL, MSSQL or others. Thanks to all in advance for any help. Some info which might be helpful: phpinfo() PHP Version => 5.3.3-7+squeeze8 System => Linux dellT710 2.6.32-5-amd64 #1 SMP Mon Mar 26 07:00:19 UTC 2012 x86_64 root@dellT710:/var/www# php -i | grep extension_dir extension_dir => /usr/lib/php5/20090626+lfs => /usr/lib/php5/20090626+lfs root@dellT710:/usr/lib/php5/20090626+lfs# ls -la total 812 drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 May 3 20:28 . drwxr-xr-x 5 root root 4096 May 2 07:35 .. -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 62936 Feb 10 08:31 curl.so -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 95596 Feb 10 08:31 gd.so -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 38272 Feb 10 08:31 mcrypt.so -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 109220 Feb 10 08:31 mysqli.so -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 42352 Feb 10 08:31 mysql.so -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 26116 Feb 10 08:31 pdo_mysql.so -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 87588 Feb 10 08:31 pdo.so -rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 173342 May 3 20:28 qmphp.so -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 141336 Aug 19 2010 suhosin.so The qmphp.so is the extension that is doing the call. Written by someone else installed by me. The subroutine returns 14 characters or less but blows up when I increase the string to 15 characters. Here is the successful return of two arguments and with 14 characters in the second argument. root@dellT710:/var/www# php test.php errorMsg ThereAre14Char The test code: <?php QMConnectLocal("ACCOUNT"); $arg_1 = "10064"; $arg_2 = "ARG"; QMCall("GET.STRING", 2,&$arg_1, &$arg_2); echo $arg_1; echo "\n"; echo $arg_2; echo "\n"; QMDisconnectAll(); When I increase the string size to 15 characters it blows up: root@dellT710:/var/www# php qm_get_clients.php *** glibc detected *** php: free(): invalid next size (fast): 0x0a2c3998 *** ======= Backtrace: ========= /lib/i686/cmov/libc.so.6(+0x6b381)[0xf70d3381] /lib/i686/cmov/libc.so.6(+0x6cbd8)[0xf70d4bd8] /lib/i686/cmov/libc.so.6(cfree+0x6d)[0xf70d7cbd] /usr/lib/php5/20090626+lfs/qmphp.so(zif_QMCall+0x2be)[0xf6cdfdce] php(execute_internal+0x4b)[0x831eb8b] /usr/lib/php5/20090626+lfs/suhosin.so(+0x15fa3)[0xf64e7fa3] php[0x834aa58] php(execute+0x1ce)[0x832151e] /usr/lib/php5/20090626+lfs/suhosin.so(+0x16404)[0xf64e8404] php(zend_execute_scripts+0x66)[0x82f7296] php(php_execute_script+0x1e4)[0x829b4c4] php[0x838d84b] /lib/i686/cmov/libc.so.6(__libc_start_main+0xe6)[0xf707eca6] php[0x806bbc1] ======= Memory map: ======== 08048000-0871f000 r-xp 00000000 08:01 9453192 /usr/bi n/php5 0871f000-0875e000 r--p 006d7000 08:01 9453192 /usr/bi n/php5 0875e000-08764000 rw-p 00716000 08:01 9453192 /usr/bi n/php5 08764000-0877b000 rw-p 00000000 00:00 0 0a138000-0a324000 rw-p 00000000 00:00 0 [heap] f5b00000-f5b21000 rw-p 00000000 00:00 0 f5b21000-f5c00000 ---p 00000000 00:00 0 f5ca7000-f5cc4000 r-xp 00000000 08:01 36003843 /lib/li bgcc_s.so.1 f5cc4000-f5cc5000 rw-p 0001c000 08:01 36003843 /lib/li bgcc_s.so.1 f5cc5000-f5cc6000 ---p 00000000 00:00 0 f5cc6000-f64c6000 rwxp 00000000 00:00 0 f64c6000-f64d0000 r-xp 00000000 08:01 36028681 /lib/i6 86/cmov/libnss_files-2.11.3.so f64d0000-f64d1000 r--p 00009000 08:01 36028681 /lib/i6 86/cmov/libnss_files-2.11.3.so f64d1000-f64d2000 rw-p 0000a000 08:01 36028681 /lib/i6 86/cmov/libnss_files-2.11.3.so f64d2000-f64f2000 r-xp 00000000 08:01 9504820 /usr/li b/php5/20090626+lfs/suhosin.so f64f2000-f64f6000 rw-p 0001f000 08:01 9504820 /usr/li b/php5/20090626+lfs/suhosin.so f64f6000-f64f8000 rw-p 00000000 00:00 0 f64f8000-f64fe000 r-xp 00000000 08:01 9504862 /usr/li b/php5/20090626+lfs/pdo_mysql.so f64fe000-f64ff000 r--p 00005000 08:01 9504862 /usr/li b/php5/20090626+lfs/pdo_mysql.so f64ff000-f6500000 rw-p 00006000 08:01 9504862 /usr/li b/php5/20090626+lfs/pdo_mysql.so f6500000-f6513000 r-xp 00000000 08:01 9503395 /usr/li b/php5/20090626+lfs/pdo.so f6513000-f6515000 r--p 00013000 08:01 9503395 /usr/li b/php5/20090626+lfs/pdo.so f6515000-f6516000 rw-p 00015000 08:01 9503395 /usr/li b/php5/20090626+lfs/pdo.so f6516000-f652e000 r-xp 00000000 08:01 9504863 /usr/li b/php5/20090626+lfs/mysqli.so f652e000-f6531000 r--p 00017000 08:01 9504863 /usr/li b/php5/20090626+lfs/mysqli.so f6531000-f6532000 rw-p 0001a000 08:01 9504863 /usr/li b/php5/20090626+lfs/mysqli.so f6532000-f66e5000 r-xp 00000000 08:01 12943509 /usr/li b/libmysqlclient_r.so.16.0.0 f66e5000-f66e9000 r--p 001b2000 08:01 12943509 /usr/li b/libmysqlclient_r.so.16.0.0 f66e9000-f672e000 rw-p 001b6000 08:01 12943509 /usr/li b/libmysqlclient_r.so.16.0.0 f672e000-f672f000 rw-p 00000000 00:00 0 f672f000-f6738000 r-xp 00000000 08:01 9504864 /usr/li b/php5/20090626+lfs/mysql.so f6738000-f673a000 r--p 00008000 08:01 9504864 /usr/li b/php5/20090626+lfs/mysql.so f673a000-f673b000 rw-p 0000a000 08:01 9504864 /usr/li b/php5/20090626+lfs/mysql.so f673b000-f6742000 r-xp 00000000 08:01 12943513 /usr/li b/libltdl.so.7.2.1 f6742000-f6743000 rw-p 00007000 08:01 12943513 /usr/li b/libltdl.so.7.2.1 f6743000-f6768000 r-xp 00000000 08:01 12943526 /usr/li b/libmcrypt.so.4.4.8 f6768000-f676b000 rw-p 00025000 08:01 12943526 /usr/li b/libmcrypt.so.4.4.8 f676b000-f6770000 rw-p 00000000 00:00 0 f6770000-f6778000 r-xp 00000000 08:01 9504871 /usr/li b/php5/20090626+lfs/mcrypt.so f6778000-f677a000 r--p 00007000 08:01 9504871 /usr/li b/php5/20090626+lfs/mcrypt.so f677a000-f677b000 rw-p 00009000 08:01 9504871 /usr/li b/php5/20090626+lfs/mcrypt.so f677b000-f677f000 r-xp 00000000 08:01 9451699 /usr/li b/libXdmcp.so.6.0.0 f677f000-f6780000 rw-p 00003000 08:01 9451699 /usr/li b/libXdmcp.so.6.0.0 f6780000-f6782000 r-xp 00000000 08:01 9451697 /usr/li b/libXau.so.6.0.0 f6782000-f6783000 rw-p 00001000 08:01 9451697 /usr/li b/libXau.so.6.0.0 f6783000-f67a7000 r-xp 00000000 08:01 9446554 /usr/li b/libexpat.so.1.5.2 f67a7000-f67a9000 rw-p 00023000 08:01 9446554 /usr/li b/libexpat.so.1.5.2 f67a9000-f67c1000 r-xp 00000000 08:01 9451701 /usr/li b/libxcb.so.1.1.0 f67c1000-f67c2000 rw-p 00017000 08:01 9451701 /usr/li b/libxcb.so.1.1.0 f67c2000-f67ef000 r-xp 00000000 08:01 12943437 /usr/li b/libfontconfig.so.1.4.4 f67ef000-f67f1000 rw-p 0002c000 08:01 12943437 /usr/li b/libfontconfig.so.1.4.4 f67f1000-f6810000 r-xp 00000000 08:01 9450805 /usr/li b/libjpeg.so.62.0.0 f6810000-f6811000 rw-p 0001e000 08:01 9450805 /usr/li b/libjpeg.so.62.0.0 f6811000-f6834000 r-xp 00000000 08:01 36004292 /lib/li bpng12.so.0.44.0 f6834000-f6835000 rw-p 00022000 08:01 36004292 /lib/li bpng12.so.0.44.0 f6835000-f6844000 r-xp 00000000 08:01 12943524 /usr/li b/libXpm.so.4.11.0 f6844000-f6845000 rw-p 0000e000 08:01 12943524 /usr/li b/libXpm.so.4.11.0 f6845000-f695e000 r-xp 00000000 08:01 9451705 /usr/li b/libX11.so.6.3.0 f695e000-f6962000 rw-p 00118000 08:01 9451705 /usr/li b/libX11.so.6.3.0 f6962000-f69d6000 r-xp 00000000 08:01 9450803 /usr/li b/libfreetype.so.6.6.0 f69d6000-f69da000 rw-p 00073000 08:01 9450803 /usr/li b/libfreetype.so.6.6.0 f69da000-f6a16000 r-xp 00000000 08:01 12943529 /usr/li b/libt1.so.5.1.2Aborted root@dellT710:/var/www# thanks again george