Re: [vms/committed]: generate and write the GST

["h.becker" <becker dot ismaning at freenet dot de>]

Tristan Gingold wrote:

> the GST is the global symbol table, ie the symbol table in a executable.  With this patch, the linker
> is now able to write it, which is required to debug an executable.

The GST is not "required" to debug an executable.

Unfortunately the VMS terms are not always consistent. The GST is the 
global symbol table. It is written to an image (or an STB file). It is 
always written into shareable images which have a symbol vector and 
which are intended to be used in further link operations. This GST 
within the image only contains universal symbols: the symbols listed in 
a symbol vector.

Main images usually do not have a GST. They only have one, when linked 
with /DEBUG. Then the VMS linker not only collects debug information 
from objects and writes them into the image, the linker also writes a 
GST. Because there are no universal symbols, here the GST contains all 
the global symbols. (Sorry, the VMS ANALYZE/IMAGE utility will not show 
the GST of a main image). This GST is for debug purpose, but it is 
additional information and it contains only global symbols. The debug 
information usually contains local symbols as well. To make it more 
confusing, if you link a shareable image with /DEBUG the GST still 
consists only of the universal symbols.

> --- 1632,1639 ----
>           return RELC_SHR_BASE + PRIV2 (h->sym->owner, shr_index);
>         else
>           {
> !           /* Can this happen (non-relocatable symg) ?  I'd like to see
> !              an example.  */
>             abort ();
>           }
>       }
An EGSD$C_SYMG with EGSY$V_REL==0? Easily:
$ cre x.mar
whatever==4711
.end
$ mac x
$ link x/share,tt:/opt
symbol_v=(whatever=data)
^Z
$

Hartmut