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8. BFD glossary

This is a short glossary of some BFD terms.

a.out
The a.out object file format. The original Unix object file format. Still used on SunOS, though not Solaris. Supports only three sections.

archive
A collection of object files produced and manipulated by the `ar' program.

backend
The implementation within BFD of a particular object file format. The set of functions which appear in a particular target vector.

BFD
The BFD library itself. Also, each object file, archive, or executable opened by the BFD library has the type `bfd *', and is sometimes referred to as a bfd.

COFF
The Common Object File Format. Used on Unix SVR3. Used by some embedded targets, although ELF is normally better.

DLL
A shared library on Windows.

dynamic linker
When a program linked against a shared library is run, the dynamic linker will locate the appropriate shared library and arrange to somehow include it in the running image.

dynamic object
Another name for an ELF shared library.

ECOFF
The Extended Common Object File Format. Used on Alpha Digital Unix (formerly OSF/1), as well as Ultrix and Irix 4. A variant of COFF.

ELF
The Executable and Linking Format. The object file format used on most modern Unix systems, including GNU/Linux, Solaris, Irix, and SVR4. Also used on many embedded systems.

executable
A program, with instructions and symbols, and perhaps dynamic linking information. Normally produced by a linker.

LMA
Load Memory Address. This is the address at which a section will be loaded. Compare with VMA, below.

NLM
NetWare Loadable Module. Used to describe the format of an object which be loaded into NetWare, which is some kind of PC based network server program.

object file
A binary file including machine instructions, symbols, and relocation information. Normally produced by an assembler.

object file format
The format of an object file. Typically object files and executables for a particular system are in the same format, although executables will not contain any relocation information.

PE
The Portable Executable format. This is the object file format used for Windows (specifically, Win32) object files. It is based closely on COFF, but has a few significant differences.

PEI
The Portable Executable Image format. This is the object file format used for Windows (specifically, Win32) executables. It is very similar to PE, but includes some additional header information.

relocations
Information used by the linker to adjust section contents. Also called relocs.

section
Object files and executable are composed of sections. Sections have optional data and optional relocation information.

shared library
A library of functions which may be used by many executables without actually being linked into each executable. There are several different implementations of shared libraries, each having slightly different features.

symbol
Each object file and executable may have a list of symbols, often referred to as the symbol table. A symbol is basically a name and an address. There may also be some additional information like the type of symbol, although the type of a symbol is normally something simple like function or object, and should be confused with the more complex C notion of type. Typically every global function and variable in a C program will have an associated symbol.

target vector
A set of functions which implement support for a particular object file format. The `bfd_target' structure.

Win32
The current Windows API, implemented by Windows 95 and later and Windows NT 3.51 and later, but not by Windows 3.1.

XCOFF
The eXtended Common Object File Format. Used on AIX. A variant of COFF, with a completely different symbol table implementation.

VMA
Virtual Memory Address. This is the address a section will have when an executable is run. Compare with LMA, above.


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