Cross-Compiled Linux From Scratch - Version 3.0.0-RC1-x86_64-Pure64

Chapter 10. Installing Basic System Software

10.18. Binutils-2.24

The Binutils package contains a linker, an assembler, and other tools for handling object files.

10.18.1. Installation of Binutils

Verify that the PTYs are working properly inside the build environment. Check that everything is set up correctly by performing a simple test: 

expect -c "spawn ls"

This command should give the following output: 

spawn ls

If, instead, it gives a message saying to create more ptys, then the environment is not set up for proper PTY operation. This issue needs to be resolved before running the test suites for Binutils and GCC.

The Binutils documentation recommends building Binutils outside of the source directory in a dedicated build directory: 

mkdir -v ../binutils-build
cd ../binutils-build

Prepare Binutils for compilation: 

CC="gcc -isystem /usr/include" \
LDFLAGS="-Wl,-rpath-link,/usr/lib:/lib" \
  ../binutils-2.24/configure --prefix=/usr \
    --libdir=/usr/lib --enable-shared \
    --disable-multilib --enable-64-bit-bfd

Compile the package: 

make tooldir=/usr
[Important]

Important

During make tooldir=/usr you may receive the following error message. It is safe to ignore. 

WARNING: `flex' is missing on your system. You should only
need it if you modified a `.l' file. You may need the `Flex'
package in order for those modifications to take effect. You
can get `Flex' from any GNU archive site.

The meaning of the make parameter:

tooldir=/usr

Normally, the tooldir (the directory where the executables will ultimately be located) is set to $(exec_prefix)/$(target_alias). Because this is a custom system, this target-specific directory in /usr is not required.

[Important]

Important

The test suite for Binutils is considered critical. Do not skip it under any circumstance.

The ld test suite accesses /lib64/ld-linux-x86-64.so in some of the tests. The following symbolic link will allow this: 

ln -sv /lib /lib64

Test the results: 

make check

Now remove the temporary symlink: 

rm -v /lib64

Now that the tests have completed, remove the symlinks in /usr/lib64 - they should be the only things in that directory, so we can remove it without force: 

rm -v /usr/lib64/libstd*so*
rmdir -v /usr/lib64

Install the package: 

make tooldir=/usr install

10.18.2. Contents of Binutils

Installed programs: addr2line, ar, as, c++filt, elfedit, gprof, ld, ld.bfd, nm, objcopy, objdump, ranlib, readelf, size, strings, strip
Installed libraries: libbfd.[a,so], libopcodes.[a,so]
Installed directory: /usr/lib/ldscripts

Short Descriptions

addr2line

Translates program addresses to file names and line numbers; given an address and the name of an executable, it uses the debugging information in the executable to determine which source file and line number are associated with the address

ar

Creates, modifies, and extracts from archives

as

An assembler that assembles the output of gcc into object files

c++filt

Used by the linker to de-mangle C++ and Java symbols and to keep overloaded functions from clashing

elfedit

Updates the ELF header of ELF files

gprof

Displays call graph profile data

ld

A linker that combines a number of object and archive files into a single file, relocating their data and tying up symbol references

ld.bfd

Hard link to ld

nm

Lists the symbols occurring in a given object file

objcopy

Translates one type of object file into another

objdump

Displays information about the given object file, with options controlling the particular information to display; the information shown is useful to programmers who are working on the compilation tools

ranlib

Generates an index of the contents of an archive and stores it in the archive; the index lists all of the symbols defined by archive members that are relocatable object files

readelf

Displays information about ELF type binaries

size

Lists the section sizes and the total size for the given object files

strings

Outputs, for each given file, the sequences of printable characters that are of at least the specified length (defaulting to four); for object files, it prints, by default, only the strings from the initializing and loading sections while for other types of files, it scans the entire file

strip

Discards symbols from object files

libbfd

The Binary File Descriptor library

libopcodes

A library for dealing with opcodes—the “readable text” versions of instructions for the processor; it is used for building utilities like objdump.