C++ Segmentation Fault when using cout in static variable initialization

Question

I have a program where I use cout to emit debug information. The code is executed in the initialization of a static global variable, i.e. quite early in the program execution. When I use my own build script to build the program, it segfaults at the first use of cout (only a string literal is shifted into cout, so it cannot be the value). I used valgrind to check for earlier writes to invalid locations, but there are none (and there is also no code that would be likely to generate those writes, I dont do too much before the output). When I copy the source code to an eclipse project and let the eclipse built-in builder build it, then everything works fine. I used no weird builder settings simply compiled with -ggdb -std=c++0x, these are the only two flags.

So what can be the reason that a cout with a string literal segfaults, if there were no invalid writes before? How can the build configuration affect this?

(I am sorry I can give you no minimal example, as this example would simply compile fine at your machine, as it does for me when using the eclipse builder)

Edit: Here is the stacktrace:

0x00007ffff7b6d7d1 in std::ostream::sentry::sentry(std::ostream&) () from /usr/lib   /x86_64-linux-gnu/libstdc++.so.6
(gdb) backtrace
#0  0x00007ffff7b6d7d1 in std::ostream::sentry::sentry(std::ostream&) () from /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libstdc++.so.6
#1  0x00007ffff7b6dee9 in std::basic_ostream<char, std::char_traits<char> >& std::__ostream_insert<char, std::char_traits<char> >(std::basic_ostream<char, std::char_traits<char> >&, char const*, long) ()
from /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libstdc++.so.6
#2  0x00007ffff7b6e2ef in std::basic_ostream<char, std::char_traits<char> >& std::operator<< <std::char_traits<char> >(std::basic_ostream<char, std::char_traits<char> >&, char const*) ()
  from /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libstdc++.so.6
#3  0x00000000004021be inTest::fill (this=0x6120f8, funcs=...) at inTest.cpp:92

The last frame is my code. Line 92 simply reads:

std::cout << "Test";

Answer 1

As Luchian has pointed out, you cannot use std::cout before the first instance of ios_base::Init has been constructed. You don't have to define an instance, however; including <iostream> should be enough.

Order of initialization is defined within a single translation unit. If you include <iostream> at the top of all files which have static instances, you should be OK. If the constructor of a static object calls a function in another translation unit, however, and the output is in that translation unit, it is not sufficient to include <iostream> only in the translation unit which does the output. You must include it in the translation unit where the static variable(s) are defined. Even if they don't do any output.