| 1 | README for LD | 
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| 2 |  | 
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| 3 | This is the GNU linker.  It is distributed with other "binary | 
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| 4 | utilities" which should be in ../binutils.  See ../binutils/README for | 
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| 5 | more general notes, including where to send bug reports. | 
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| 6 |  | 
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| 7 | There are many features of the linker: | 
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| 8 |  | 
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| 9 | * The linker uses a Binary File Descriptor library (../bfd) | 
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| 10 | that it uses to read and write object files.  This helps | 
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| 11 | insulate the linker itself from the format of object files. | 
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| 12 |  | 
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| 13 | * The linker supports a number of different object file | 
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| 14 | formats.  It can even handle multiple formats at once: | 
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| 15 | Read two input formats and write a third. | 
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| 16 |  | 
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| 17 | * The linker can be configured for cross-linking. | 
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| 18 |  | 
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| 19 | * The linker supports a control language. | 
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| 20 |  | 
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| 21 | * There is a user manual (ld.texinfo), as well as the | 
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| 22 | beginnings of an internals manual (ldint.texinfo). | 
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| 23 |  | 
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| 24 | Installation | 
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| 25 | ============ | 
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| 26 |  | 
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| 27 | See ../binutils/README. | 
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| 28 |  | 
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| 29 | If you want to make a cross-linker, you may want to specify | 
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| 30 | a different search path of -lfoo libraries than the default. | 
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| 31 | You can do this by setting the LIB_PATH variable in ./Makefile | 
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| 32 | or using the --with-lib-path configure switch. | 
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| 33 |  | 
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| 34 | To build just the linker, make the target all-ld from the top level | 
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| 35 | directory (one directory above this one). | 
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| 36 |  | 
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| 37 | Porting to a new target | 
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| 38 | ======================= | 
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| 39 |  | 
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| 40 | See the ldint.texinfo manual. | 
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| 41 |  | 
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| 42 | Reporting bugs etc | 
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| 43 | =========================== | 
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| 44 |  | 
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| 45 | See ../binutils/README. | 
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| 46 |  | 
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| 47 | Known problems | 
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| 48 | ============== | 
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| 49 |  | 
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| 50 | The Solaris linker normally exports all dynamic symbols from an | 
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| 51 | executable.  The GNU linker does not do this by default.  This is | 
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| 52 | because the GNU linker tries to present the same interface for all | 
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| 53 | similar targets (in this case, all native ELF targets).  This does not | 
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| 54 | matter for normal programs, but it can make a difference for programs | 
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| 55 | which try to dlopen an executable, such as PERL or Tcl.  You can make | 
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| 56 | the GNU linker export all dynamic symbols with the -E or | 
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| 57 | --export-dynamic command line option. | 
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| 58 |  | 
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| 59 | HP/UX 9.01 has a shell bug that causes the linker scripts to be | 
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| 60 | generated incorrectly.  The symptom of this appears to be "fatal error | 
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| 61 | - scanner input buffer overflow" error messages.  There are various | 
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| 62 | workarounds to this: | 
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| 63 | * Build and install bash, and build with "make SHELL=bash". | 
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| 64 | * Update to a version of HP/UX with a working shell (e.g., 9.05). | 
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| 65 | * Replace "(. ${srcdir}/scripttempl/${SCRIPT_NAME}.sc)" in | 
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| 66 | genscripts.sh with "sh ${srcdir}..." (no parens) and make sure the | 
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| 67 | emulparams script used exports any shell variables it sets. | 
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