egcs 1.0.3a-2 crosscompiler behavior

egcs 1.0.3a-2 crosscompiler behavior

[Brady Brown]

I have several steps in my build process where I use the linker to link
a pure binary file (usually a zipped image) into a relocatable elf file,
which is then linked with other elf files to create a final image. I am
running the mipsel-linux cross compiler tool chain on an i386. After
upgrading the tools to egcs 1.0.3a-2 the linking of this binary file
fails.

Example:
mipsel-linux-ld -T link.script -r -b binary image.gz -o image.o

link.script file contents are:
OUTPUT_FORMAT("elf32-littlemips")
OUTPUT_ARCH(mips)
SECTIONS
{
    .data :
    {
        image_start = .;
        *(.data)
        image_end = .;
      }
}

The normal output from the old linker was:
mipsel-linux-ld: image.gz: compiled for a little endian system and
target is little endian

The new linker gives:
mipsel-linux-ld: image.gz: compiled for a little endian system and
target is big endian
File in wrong format: failed to merge target specific data of file
image.gz?
make[1]: *** [image.o] Error 1

I have been unable to figure out why the linker thinks the target is big
endian and have yet to find a way to get this to work. Any ideas?
--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Brady Brown (bbrown@ti.com)       Work:(801)619-6103
Texas Instruments: Broadband Access Group
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Re: egcs 1.0.3a-2 crosscompiler behavior

[Ulf Carlsson]

Hi Brady,

This is fixed in the current CVS version of binutils.  I have no idea
what version of ld you are running, but if you look at the function
_bfd_mips_elf_merge_private_bfd_data in elf32-mips.c you'll see that
the check ibfd->xvec->byteorder != BFD_ENDIAN_UNKOWN is forgotten in
the if statement.

Ulf

Brady Brown writes:
 > I have several steps in my build process where I use the linker to link
 > a pure binary file (usually a zipped image) into a relocatable elf file,
 > which is then linked with other elf files to create a final image. I am
 > running the mipsel-linux cross compiler tool chain on an i386. After
 > upgrading the tools to egcs 1.0.3a-2 the linking of this binary file
 > fails.
 > 
 > Example:
 > mipsel-linux-ld -T link.script -r -b binary image.gz -o image.o
 > 
 > link.script file contents are:
 > OUTPUT_FORMAT("elf32-littlemips")
 > OUTPUT_ARCH(mips)
 > SECTIONS
 > {
 >     .data :
 >     {
 >         image_start = .;
 >         *(.data)
 >         image_end = .;
 >       }
 > }
 > 
 > The normal output from the old linker was:
 > mipsel-linux-ld: image.gz: compiled for a little endian system and
 > target is little endian
 > 
 > The new linker gives:
 > mipsel-linux-ld: image.gz: compiled for a little endian system and
 > target is big endian
 > File in wrong format: failed to merge target specific data of file
 > image.gz?
 > make[1]: *** [image.o] Error 1
 > 
 > I have been unable to figure out why the linker thinks the target is big
 > endian and have yet to find a way to get this to work. Any ideas?
 > --
 > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 > Brady Brown (bbrown@ti.com)       Work:(801)619-6103
 > Texas Instruments: Broadband Access Group
 > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 > 
 >