This is Info file bfd.info, produced by Makeinfo version 1.68 from the
input file
/tantor/build/intel-xscale/xscale-010413/i686-pc-linux-gnulibc2.1/src/bfd/doc/bfd.texinfo.

START-INFO-DIR-ENTRY
* Bfd: (bfd).                   The Binary File Descriptor library.
END-INFO-DIR-ENTRY

   This file documents the BFD library.

   Copyright (C) 1991 Free Software Foundation, Inc.

   Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this
manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are
preserved on all copies.

   Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of
this manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, subject to the
terms of the GNU General Public License, which includes the provision
that the entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms
of a permission notice identical to this one.

   Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this
manual into another language, under the above conditions for modified
versions.


File: bfd.info,  Node: coff,  Next: elf,  Prev: aout,  Up: BFD back ends

coff backends
=============

   BFD supports a number of different flavours of coff format.  The
major differences between formats are the sizes and alignments of
fields in structures on disk, and the occasional extra field.

   Coff in all its varieties is implemented with a few common files and
a number of implementation specific files. For example, The 88k bcs
coff format is implemented in the file `coff-m88k.c'. This file
`#include's `coff/m88k.h' which defines the external structure of the
coff format for the 88k, and `coff/internal.h' which defines the
internal structure. `coff-m88k.c' also defines the relocations used by
the 88k format *Note Relocations::.

   The Intel i960 processor version of coff is implemented in
`coff-i960.c'. This file has the same structure as `coff-m88k.c',
except that it includes `coff/i960.h' rather than `coff-m88k.h'.

Porting to a new version of coff
--------------------------------

   The recommended method is to select from the existing
implementations the version of coff which is most like the one you want
to use.  For example, we'll say that i386 coff is the one you select,
and that your coff flavour is called foo.  Copy `i386coff.c' to
`foocoff.c', copy `../include/coff/i386.h' to `../include/coff/foo.h',
and add the lines to `targets.c' and `Makefile.in' so that your new
back end is used. Alter the shapes of the structures in
`../include/coff/foo.h' so that they match what you need. You will
probably also have to add `#ifdef's to the code in `coff/internal.h' and
`coffcode.h' if your version of coff is too wild.

   You can verify that your new BFD backend works quite simply by
building `objdump' from the `binutils' directory, and making sure that
its version of what's going on and your host system's idea (assuming it
has the pretty standard coff dump utility, usually called `att-dump' or
just `dump') are the same.  Then clean up your code, and send what
you've done to Cygnus. Then your stuff will be in the next release, and
you won't have to keep integrating it.

How the coff backend works
--------------------------

File layout
...........

   The Coff backend is split into generic routines that are applicable
to any Coff target and routines that are specific to a particular
target.  The target-specific routines are further split into ones which
are basically the same for all Coff targets except that they use the
external symbol format or use different values for certain constants.

   The generic routines are in `coffgen.c'.  These routines work for
any Coff target.  They use some hooks into the target specific code;
the hooks are in a `bfd_coff_backend_data' structure, one of which
exists for each target.

   The essentially similar target-specific routines are in
`coffcode.h'.  This header file includes executable C code.  The
various Coff targets first include the appropriate Coff header file,
make any special defines that are needed, and then include `coffcode.h'.

   Some of the Coff targets then also have additional routines in the
target source file itself.

   For example, `coff-i960.c' includes `coff/internal.h' and
`coff/i960.h'.  It then defines a few constants, such as `I960', and
includes `coffcode.h'.  Since the i960 has complex relocation types,
`coff-i960.c' also includes some code to manipulate the i960 relocs.
This code is not in `coffcode.h' because it would not be used by any
other target.

Bit twiddling
.............

   Each flavour of coff supported in BFD has its own header file
describing the external layout of the structures. There is also an
internal description of the coff layout, in `coff/internal.h'. A major
function of the coff backend is swapping the bytes and twiddling the
bits to translate the external form of the structures into the normal
internal form. This is all performed in the `bfd_swap'_thing_direction
routines. Some elements are different sizes between different versions
of coff; it is the duty of the coff version specific include file to
override the definitions of various packing routines in `coffcode.h'.
E.g., the size of line number entry in coff is sometimes 16 bits, and
sometimes 32 bits. `#define'ing `PUT_LNSZ_LNNO' and `GET_LNSZ_LNNO'
will select the correct one. No doubt, some day someone will find a
version of coff which has a varying field size not catered to at the
moment. To port BFD, that person will have to add more `#defines'.
Three of the bit twiddling routines are exported to `gdb';
`coff_swap_aux_in', `coff_swap_sym_in' and `coff_swap_lineno_in'. `GDB'
reads the symbol table on its own, but uses BFD to fix things up.  More
of the bit twiddlers are exported for `gas'; `coff_swap_aux_out',
`coff_swap_sym_out', `coff_swap_lineno_out', `coff_swap_reloc_out',
`coff_swap_filehdr_out', `coff_swap_aouthdr_out',
`coff_swap_scnhdr_out'. `Gas' currently keeps track of all the symbol
table and reloc drudgery itself, thereby saving the internal BFD
overhead, but uses BFD to swap things on the way out, making cross
ports much safer.  Doing so also allows BFD (and thus the linker) to
use the same header files as `gas', which makes one avenue to disaster
disappear.

Symbol reading
..............

   The simple canonical form for symbols used by BFD is not rich enough
to keep all the information available in a coff symbol table. The back
end gets around this problem by keeping the original symbol table
around, "behind the scenes".

   When a symbol table is requested (through a call to
`bfd_canonicalize_symtab'), a request gets through to
`coff_get_normalized_symtab'. This reads the symbol table from the coff
file and swaps all the structures inside into the internal form. It
also fixes up all the pointers in the table (represented in the file by
offsets from the first symbol in the table) into physical pointers to
elements in the new internal table. This involves some work since the
meanings of fields change depending upon context: a field that is a
pointer to another structure in the symbol table at one moment may be
the size in bytes of a structure at the next.  Another pass is made
over the table. All symbols which mark file names (`C_FILE' symbols)
are modified so that the internal string points to the value in the
auxent (the real filename) rather than the normal text associated with
the symbol (`".file"').

   At this time the symbol names are moved around. Coff stores all
symbols less than nine characters long physically within the symbol
table; longer strings are kept at the end of the file in the string
table. This pass moves all strings into memory and replaces them with
pointers to the strings.

   The symbol table is massaged once again, this time to create the
canonical table used by the BFD application. Each symbol is inspected
in turn, and a decision made (using the `sclass' field) about the
various flags to set in the `asymbol'.  *Note Symbols::. The generated
canonical table shares strings with the hidden internal symbol table.

   Any linenumbers are read from the coff file too, and attached to the
symbols which own the functions the linenumbers belong to.

Symbol writing
..............

   Writing a symbol to a coff file which didn't come from a coff file
will lose any debugging information. The `asymbol' structure remembers
the BFD from which the symbol was taken, and on output the back end
makes sure that the same destination target as source target is present.

   When the symbols have come from a coff file then all the debugging
information is preserved.

   Symbol tables are provided for writing to the back end in a vector
of pointers to pointers. This allows applications like the linker to
accumulate and output large symbol tables without having to do too much
byte copying.

   This function runs through the provided symbol table and patches
each symbol marked as a file place holder (`C_FILE') to point to the
next file place holder in the list. It also marks each `offset' field
in the list with the offset from the first symbol of the current symbol.

   Another function of this procedure is to turn the canonical value
form of BFD into the form used by coff. Internally, BFD expects symbol
values to be offsets from a section base; so a symbol physically at
0x120, but in a section starting at 0x100, would have the value 0x20.
Coff expects symbols to contain their final value, so symbols have
their values changed at this point to reflect their sum with their
owning section.  This transformation uses the `output_section' field of
the `asymbol''s `asection' *Note Sections::.

   * `coff_mangle_symbols' This routine runs though the provided symbol
table and uses the offsets generated by the previous pass and the
pointers generated when the symbol table was read in to create the
structured hierachy required by coff. It changes each pointer to a
symbol into the index into the symbol table of the asymbol.

   * `coff_write_symbols' This routine runs through the symbol table
and patches up the symbols from their internal form into the coff way,
calls the bit twiddlers, and writes out the table to the file.

`coff_symbol_type'
..................

   *Description*
The hidden information for an `asymbol' is described in a
`combined_entry_type':


     typedef struct coff_ptr_struct
     {
     
            /* Remembers the offset from the first symbol in the file for
               this symbol. Generated by coff_renumber_symbols. */
     unsigned int offset;
     
            /* Should the value of this symbol be renumbered.  Used for
               XCOFF C_BSTAT symbols.  Set by coff_slurp_symbol_table.  */
     unsigned int fix_value : 1;
     
            /* Should the tag field of this symbol be renumbered.
               Created by coff_pointerize_aux. */
     unsigned int fix_tag : 1;
     
            /* Should the endidx field of this symbol be renumbered.
               Created by coff_pointerize_aux. */
     unsigned int fix_end : 1;
     
            /* Should the x_csect.x_scnlen field be renumbered.
               Created by coff_pointerize_aux. */
     unsigned int fix_scnlen : 1;
     
            /* Fix up an XCOFF C_BINCL/C_EINCL symbol.  The value is the
               index into the line number entries.  Set by
               coff_slurp_symbol_table.  */
     unsigned int fix_line : 1;
     
            /* The container for the symbol structure as read and translated
                from the file. */
     
     union {
        union internal_auxent auxent;
        struct internal_syment syment;
      } u;
     } combined_entry_type;
     
     
     /* Each canonical asymbol really looks like this: */
     
     typedef struct coff_symbol_struct
     {
        /* The actual symbol which the rest of BFD works with */
     asymbol symbol;
     
        /* A pointer to the hidden information for this symbol */
     combined_entry_type *native;
     
        /* A pointer to the linenumber information for this symbol */
     struct lineno_cache_entry *lineno;
     
        /* Have the line numbers been relocated yet ? */
     boolean done_lineno;
     } coff_symbol_type;

`bfd_coff_backend_data'
.......................

   Special entry points for gdb to swap in coff symbol table parts:
     typedef struct
     {
       void (*_bfd_coff_swap_aux_in) PARAMS ((
            bfd            *abfd,
            PTR             ext,
            int             type,
            int             class,
            int             indaux,
            int             numaux,
            PTR             in));
     
       void (*_bfd_coff_swap_sym_in) PARAMS ((
            bfd            *abfd ,
            PTR             ext,
            PTR             in));
     
       void (*_bfd_coff_swap_lineno_in) PARAMS ((
            bfd            *abfd,
            PTR            ext,
            PTR             in));
   Special entry points for gas to swap out coff parts:
      unsigned int (*_bfd_coff_swap_aux_out) PARAMS ((
            bfd     *abfd,
            PTR     in,
            int     type,
            int     class,
            int     indaux,
            int     numaux,
            PTR     ext));
     
      unsigned int (*_bfd_coff_swap_sym_out) PARAMS ((
           bfd      *abfd,
           PTR      in,
           PTR      ext));
     
      unsigned int (*_bfd_coff_swap_lineno_out) PARAMS ((
            bfd     *abfd,
            PTR     in,
            PTR     ext));
     
      unsigned int (*_bfd_coff_swap_reloc_out) PARAMS ((
            bfd     *abfd,
            PTR     src,
            PTR     dst));
     
      unsigned int (*_bfd_coff_swap_filehdr_out) PARAMS ((
            bfd     *abfd,
            PTR     in,
            PTR     out));
     
      unsigned int (*_bfd_coff_swap_aouthdr_out) PARAMS ((
            bfd     *abfd,
            PTR     in,
            PTR     out));
     
      unsigned int (*_bfd_coff_swap_scnhdr_out) PARAMS ((
            bfd     *abfd,
            PTR     in,
            PTR     out));
   Special entry points for generic COFF routines to call target
dependent COFF routines:
      unsigned int _bfd_filhsz;
      unsigned int _bfd_aoutsz;
      unsigned int _bfd_scnhsz;
      unsigned int _bfd_symesz;
      unsigned int _bfd_auxesz;
      unsigned int _bfd_relsz;
      unsigned int _bfd_linesz;
      boolean _bfd_coff_long_filenames;
      boolean _bfd_coff_long_section_names;
      unsigned int _bfd_coff_default_section_alignment_power;
      void (*_bfd_coff_swap_filehdr_in) PARAMS ((
            bfd     *abfd,
            PTR     ext,
            PTR     in));
      void (*_bfd_coff_swap_aouthdr_in) PARAMS ((
            bfd     *abfd,
            PTR     ext,
            PTR     in));
      void (*_bfd_coff_swap_scnhdr_in) PARAMS ((
            bfd     *abfd,
            PTR     ext,
            PTR     in));
      void (*_bfd_coff_swap_reloc_in) PARAMS ((
            bfd     *abfd,
            PTR     ext,
            PTR     in));
      boolean (*_bfd_coff_bad_format_hook) PARAMS ((
            bfd     *abfd,
            PTR     internal_filehdr));
      boolean (*_bfd_coff_set_arch_mach_hook) PARAMS ((
            bfd     *abfd,
            PTR     internal_filehdr));
      PTR (*_bfd_coff_mkobject_hook) PARAMS ((
            bfd     *abfd,
            PTR     internal_filehdr,
            PTR     internal_aouthdr));
      flagword (*_bfd_styp_to_sec_flags_hook) PARAMS ((
            bfd     *abfd,
            PTR     internal_scnhdr,
            const char *name));
      void (*_bfd_set_alignment_hook) PARAMS ((
            bfd     *abfd,
            asection *sec,
            PTR     internal_scnhdr));
      boolean (*_bfd_coff_slurp_symbol_table) PARAMS ((
            bfd     *abfd));
      boolean (*_bfd_coff_symname_in_debug) PARAMS ((
            bfd     *abfd,
            struct internal_syment *sym));
      boolean (*_bfd_coff_pointerize_aux_hook) PARAMS ((
            bfd *abfd,
            combined_entry_type *table_base,
            combined_entry_type *symbol,
            unsigned int indaux,
            combined_entry_type *aux));
      boolean (*_bfd_coff_print_aux) PARAMS ((
            bfd *abfd,
            FILE *file,
            combined_entry_type *table_base,
            combined_entry_type *symbol,
            combined_entry_type *aux,
            unsigned int indaux));
      void (*_bfd_coff_reloc16_extra_cases) PARAMS ((
            bfd     *abfd,
            struct bfd_link_info *link_info,
            struct bfd_link_order *link_order,
            arelent *reloc,
            bfd_byte *data,
            unsigned int *src_ptr,
            unsigned int *dst_ptr));
      int (*_bfd_coff_reloc16_estimate) PARAMS ((
            bfd *abfd,
            asection *input_section,
            arelent *r,
            unsigned int shrink,
            struct bfd_link_info *link_info));
      boolean (*_bfd_coff_sym_is_global) PARAMS ((
            bfd *abfd,
            struct internal_syment *));
      boolean (*_bfd_coff_compute_section_file_positions) PARAMS ((
            bfd *abfd));
      boolean (*_bfd_coff_start_final_link) PARAMS ((
            bfd *output_bfd,
            struct bfd_link_info *info));
      boolean (*_bfd_coff_relocate_section) PARAMS ((
            bfd *output_bfd,
            struct bfd_link_info *info,
            bfd *input_bfd,
            asection *input_section,
            bfd_byte *contents,
            struct internal_reloc *relocs,
            struct internal_syment *syms,
            asection **sections));
      reloc_howto_type *(*_bfd_coff_rtype_to_howto) PARAMS ((
            bfd *abfd,
            asection *sec,
            struct internal_reloc *rel,
            struct coff_link_hash_entry *h,
            struct internal_syment *sym,
            bfd_vma *addendp));
      boolean (*_bfd_coff_adjust_symndx) PARAMS ((
            bfd *obfd,
            struct bfd_link_info *info,
            bfd *ibfd,
            asection *sec,
            struct internal_reloc *reloc,
            boolean *adjustedp));
      boolean (*_bfd_coff_link_add_one_symbol) PARAMS ((
            struct bfd_link_info *info,
            bfd *abfd,
            const char *name,
            flagword flags,
            asection *section,
            bfd_vma value,
            const char *string,
            boolean copy,
            boolean collect,
            struct bfd_link_hash_entry **hashp));
     
      boolean (*_bfd_coff_link_output_has_begun) PARAMS ((
            bfd * abfd,
            struct coff_final_link_info * pfinfo));
      boolean (*_bfd_coff_final_link_postscript) PARAMS ((
            bfd * abfd,
            struct coff_final_link_info * pfinfo));
     
     } bfd_coff_backend_data;
     
     #define coff_backend_info(abfd) ((bfd_coff_backend_data *) (abfd)->xvec->backend_data)
     
     #define bfd_coff_swap_aux_in(a,e,t,c,ind,num,i) \
             ((coff_backend_info (a)->_bfd_coff_swap_aux_in) (a,e,t,c,ind,num,i))
     
     #define bfd_coff_swap_sym_in(a,e,i) \
             ((coff_backend_info (a)->_bfd_coff_swap_sym_in) (a,e,i))
     
     #define bfd_coff_swap_lineno_in(a,e,i) \
             ((coff_backend_info ( a)->_bfd_coff_swap_lineno_in) (a,e,i))
     
     #define bfd_coff_swap_reloc_out(abfd, i, o) \
             ((coff_backend_info (abfd)->_bfd_coff_swap_reloc_out) (abfd, i, o))
     
     #define bfd_coff_swap_lineno_out(abfd, i, o) \
             ((coff_backend_info (abfd)->_bfd_coff_swap_lineno_out) (abfd, i, o))
     
     #define bfd_coff_swap_aux_out(a,i,t,c,ind,num,o) \
             ((coff_backend_info (a)->_bfd_coff_swap_aux_out) (a,i,t,c,ind,num,o))
     
     #define bfd_coff_swap_sym_out(abfd, i,o) \
             ((coff_backend_info (abfd)->_bfd_coff_swap_sym_out) (abfd, i, o))
     
     #define bfd_coff_swap_scnhdr_out(abfd, i,o) \
             ((coff_backend_info (abfd)->_bfd_coff_swap_scnhdr_out) (abfd, i, o))
     
     #define bfd_coff_swap_filehdr_out(abfd, i,o) \
             ((coff_backend_info (abfd)->_bfd_coff_swap_filehdr_out) (abfd, i, o))
     
     #define bfd_coff_swap_aouthdr_out(abfd, i,o) \
             ((coff_backend_info (abfd)->_bfd_coff_swap_aouthdr_out) (abfd, i, o))
     
     #define bfd_coff_filhsz(abfd) (coff_backend_info (abfd)->_bfd_filhsz)
     #define bfd_coff_aoutsz(abfd) (coff_backend_info (abfd)->_bfd_aoutsz)
     #define bfd_coff_scnhsz(abfd) (coff_backend_info (abfd)->_bfd_scnhsz)
     #define bfd_coff_symesz(abfd) (coff_backend_info (abfd)->_bfd_symesz)
     #define bfd_coff_auxesz(abfd) (coff_backend_info (abfd)->_bfd_auxesz)
     #define bfd_coff_relsz(abfd)  (coff_backend_info (abfd)->_bfd_relsz)
     #define bfd_coff_linesz(abfd) (coff_backend_info (abfd)->_bfd_linesz)
     #define bfd_coff_long_filenames(abfd) (coff_backend_info (abfd)->_bfd_coff_long_filenames)
     #define bfd_coff_long_section_names(abfd) \
             (coff_backend_info (abfd)->_bfd_coff_long_section_names)
     #define bfd_coff_default_section_alignment_power(abfd) \
             (coff_backend_info (abfd)->_bfd_coff_default_section_alignment_power)
     #define bfd_coff_swap_filehdr_in(abfd, i,o) \
             ((coff_backend_info (abfd)->_bfd_coff_swap_filehdr_in) (abfd, i, o))
     
     #define bfd_coff_swap_aouthdr_in(abfd, i,o) \
             ((coff_backend_info (abfd)->_bfd_coff_swap_aouthdr_in) (abfd, i, o))
     
     #define bfd_coff_swap_scnhdr_in(abfd, i,o) \
             ((coff_backend_info (abfd)->_bfd_coff_swap_scnhdr_in) (abfd, i, o))
     
     #define bfd_coff_swap_reloc_in(abfd, i, o) \
             ((coff_backend_info (abfd)->_bfd_coff_swap_reloc_in) (abfd, i, o))
     
     #define bfd_coff_bad_format_hook(abfd, filehdr) \
             ((coff_backend_info (abfd)->_bfd_coff_bad_format_hook) (abfd, filehdr))
     
     #define bfd_coff_set_arch_mach_hook(abfd, filehdr)\
             ((coff_backend_info (abfd)->_bfd_coff_set_arch_mach_hook) (abfd, filehdr))
     #define bfd_coff_mkobject_hook(abfd, filehdr, aouthdr)\
             ((coff_backend_info (abfd)->_bfd_coff_mkobject_hook) (abfd, filehdr, aouthdr))
     
     #define bfd_coff_styp_to_sec_flags_hook(abfd, scnhdr, name)\
             ((coff_backend_info (abfd)->_bfd_styp_to_sec_flags_hook) (abfd, scnhdr, name))
     
     #define bfd_coff_set_alignment_hook(abfd, sec, scnhdr)\
             ((coff_backend_info (abfd)->_bfd_set_alignment_hook) (abfd, sec, scnhdr))
     
     #define bfd_coff_slurp_symbol_table(abfd)\
             ((coff_backend_info (abfd)->_bfd_coff_slurp_symbol_table) (abfd))
     
     #define bfd_coff_symname_in_debug(abfd, sym)\
             ((coff_backend_info (abfd)->_bfd_coff_symname_in_debug) (abfd, sym))
     
     #define bfd_coff_print_aux(abfd, file, base, symbol, aux, indaux)\
             ((coff_backend_info (abfd)->_bfd_coff_print_aux)\
              (abfd, file, base, symbol, aux, indaux))
     
     #define bfd_coff_reloc16_extra_cases(abfd, link_info, link_order, reloc, data, src_ptr, dst_ptr)\
             ((coff_backend_info (abfd)->_bfd_coff_reloc16_extra_cases)\
              (abfd, link_info, link_order, reloc, data, src_ptr, dst_ptr))
     
     #define bfd_coff_reloc16_estimate(abfd, section, reloc, shrink, link_info)\
             ((coff_backend_info (abfd)->_bfd_coff_reloc16_estimate)\
              (abfd, section, reloc, shrink, link_info))
     
     #define bfd_coff_sym_is_global(abfd, sym)\
             ((coff_backend_info (abfd)->_bfd_coff_sym_is_global)\
              (abfd, sym))
     
     #define bfd_coff_compute_section_file_positions(abfd)\
             ((coff_backend_info (abfd)->_bfd_coff_compute_section_file_positions)\
              (abfd))
     
     #define bfd_coff_start_final_link(obfd, info)\
             ((coff_backend_info (obfd)->_bfd_coff_start_final_link)\
              (obfd, info))
     #define bfd_coff_relocate_section(obfd,info,ibfd,o,con,rel,isyms,secs)\
             ((coff_backend_info (ibfd)->_bfd_coff_relocate_section)\
              (obfd, info, ibfd, o, con, rel, isyms, secs))
     #define bfd_coff_rtype_to_howto(abfd, sec, rel, h, sym, addendp)\
             ((coff_backend_info (abfd)->_bfd_coff_rtype_to_howto)\
              (abfd, sec, rel, h, sym, addendp))
     #define bfd_coff_adjust_symndx(obfd, info, ibfd, sec, rel, adjustedp)\
             ((coff_backend_info (abfd)->_bfd_coff_adjust_symndx)\
              (obfd, info, ibfd, sec, rel, adjustedp))
     #define bfd_coff_link_add_one_symbol(info,abfd,name,flags,section,value,string,cp,coll,hashp)\
             ((coff_backend_info (abfd)->_bfd_coff_link_add_one_symbol)\
              (info, abfd, name, flags, section, value, string, cp, coll, hashp))
     
     #define bfd_coff_link_output_has_begun(a,p) \
             ((coff_backend_info (a)->_bfd_coff_link_output_has_begun) (a,p))
     #define bfd_coff_final_link_postscript(a,p) \
             ((coff_backend_info (a)->_bfd_coff_final_link_postscript) (a,p))

Writing relocations
...................

   To write relocations, the back end steps though the canonical
relocation table and create an `internal_reloc'. The symbol index to
use is removed from the `offset' field in the symbol table supplied.
The address comes directly from the sum of the section base address and
the relocation offset; the type is dug directly from the howto field.
Then the `internal_reloc' is swapped into the shape of an
`external_reloc' and written out to disk.

Reading linenumbers
...................

   Creating the linenumber table is done by reading in the entire coff
linenumber table, and creating another table for internal use.

   A coff linenumber table is structured so that each function is
marked as having a line number of 0. Each line within the function is
an offset from the first line in the function. The base of the line
number information for the table is stored in the symbol associated
with the function.

   The information is copied from the external to the internal table,
and each symbol which marks a function is marked by pointing its...

   How does this work ?

Reading relocations
...................

   Coff relocations are easily transformed into the internal BFD form
(`arelent').

   Reading a coff relocation table is done in the following stages:

   * Read the entire coff relocation table into memory.

   * Process each relocation in turn; first swap it from the external
     to the internal form.

   * Turn the symbol referenced in the relocation's symbol index into a
     pointer into the canonical symbol table.  This table is the same
     as the one returned by a call to `bfd_canonicalize_symtab'. The
     back end will call that routine and save the result if a
     canonicalization hasn't been done.

   * The reloc index is turned into a pointer to a howto structure, in
     a back end specific way. For instance, the 386 and 960 use the
     `r_type' to directly produce an index into a howto table vector;
     the 88k subtracts a number from the `r_type' field and creates an
     addend field.


File: bfd.info,  Node: elf,  Prev: coff,  Up: BFD back ends

ELF backends
============

   BFD support for ELF formats is being worked on.  Currently, the best
supported back ends are for sparc and i386 (running svr4 or Solaris 2).

   Documentation of the internals of the support code still needs to be
written.  The code is changing quickly enough that we haven't bothered
yet.

`bfd_elf_find_section'
......................

   *Synopsis*
     struct elf_internal_shdr *bfd_elf_find_section (bfd *abfd, char *name);
   *Description*
Helper functions for GDB to locate the string tables.  Since BFD hides
string tables from callers, GDB needs to use an internal hook to find
them.  Sun's .stabstr, in particular, isn't even pointed to by the
.stab section, so ordinary mechanisms wouldn't work to find it, even if
we had some.

