TIS Committee
May 1995
Tool Interface Standard (TIS)
Executable and Linking Format (ELF)
Specification
Version 1.2
i
The TIS Committee grants you a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to use the information disclosed in this Specification
to make your software TIS-compliant; no other license, express or implied, is granted or intended hereby.
The TIS Committee makes no warranty for the use of this standard.
THE TIS COMMITTEE SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS AND IMPLIED, AND ALL LIABILITY, INCLUDING CONSEQUENTIAL AND OTHER INDIRECT DAMAGES, FOR THE USE OF THESE SPECIFICATION AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN IT, INCLUDING LIABILITY FOR INFRINGEMENT OF ANY PROPRIETARY RIGHTS. THE TIS COMMITTEE
DOES NOT ASSUME ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY ERRORS THAT MAY APPEAR IN THE SPECIFICATION, NOR ANY
RESPONSIBILITY TO UPDATE THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THEM.
The TIS Committee retains the right to make changes to this specification at any time without notice.
IBM is a registered trademark and OS/2 is a trademark of International Business Machines Corporation.
The Intel logo is a registered trademark and i386 and Intel386 are trademarks of Intel Corporation and may be used only to identify
Intel products.
Microsoft, Microsoft C, MS, MS-DOS, Windows, and XENIX are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
Phoenix is a registered trademark of Phoenix Technologies, Ltd.
UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries, licensed exclusively through X/Open Company Limited.
* Other brands and names are the property of their respective owners.
iii
Preface
This Executable and Linking Format Specification, Version 1.2, is the result of the work of the
Tool Interface Standards (TIS) Committee–an association of members of the microcomputer
industry formed to work toward standardization of the software interfaces visible to
development tools for 32-bit Intel Architecture operating environments. Such interfaces
include object module formats, executable file formats, and debug record information and
formats.
The goal of the committee is to help streamline the software development process throughout
the microcomputer industry, currently concentrating on 32-bit operating environments. To that
end, the committee has developed specifications–some for file formats that are portable across
leading industry operating systems, and others describing formats for 32-bit Windows*
operating systems. Originally distributed collectively as the TIS Portable Formats
Specifications Version 1.1, these specifications are now separated and distributed individually.
TIS Committee members include representatives from Absoft, Autodesk, Borland International
Corporation, IBM Corporation, Intel Corporation, Lahey, Lotus Corporation, MetaWare
Corporation, Microtec Research, Microsoft Corporation, Novell Corporation, The Santa Cruz
Operation, and WATCOM International Corporation. PharLap Software Incorporated and
Symantec Corporation also participated in the specification definition efforts.
This specification like the others in the TIS collection of specifications is based on existing,
proven formats in keeping with the TIS Committee’s goal to adopt, and when necessary, extend
existing standards rather than invent new ones.
About ELF: Executable and Linking Format
The Executable and Linking Format was originally developed and published by UNIX System
Laboratories (USL) as part of the Application Binary Interface (ABI). The Tool Interface
Standards committee (TIS) has selected the evolving ELF standard as a portable object file
format that works on 32-bit Intel Architecture environments for a variety of operating systems.
The ELF standard is intended to streamline software development by providing developers
with a set of binary interface definitions that extend across multiple operating environments.
This should reduce the number of different interface implementations, thereby reducing the
need for recoding and recompiling code.
About This Document
This document is intended for developers who are creating object or executable files on various
32-bit environment operating systems. In order to extend ELf into different operating systems,
the current ELF version 1.2 document has been reorganized based on operating system-specific
information. It is divided into the following three books:
• Book I: Executable and Linking Format, describes the object file format called ELF. This book
also contains an appendix that describes historical references and lists processor and operating
system reserved names and words.
• Book II: Processor Specific (Intel Achitecture), conveys hardware-specific ELF information,
such as Intel Architecture information.
• Book III: Operating System Specific, describes ELF information that is operating system
dependent, such as System V Release 4 information. This book also contains an appendix that
describes ELF information that is both operating system and processor dependent.

Contents v
Contents
Preface
Book I: Executable and Linking Format (ELF)
1. Object Files
Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………….. 1-1
File Format ………………………………………………………………………………………….. 1-1
ELF Header …………………………………………………………………………………………. 1-4
ELF Identification………………………………………………………………………………….. 1-6
Sections………………………………………………………………………………………………. 1-9
Special Sections …………………………………………………………………………………… 1-15
String Table …………………………………………………………………………………………. 1-18
Symbol Table……………………………………………………………………………………….. 1-19
Symbol Values……………………………………………………………………………………… 1-22
Relocation……………………………………………………………………………………………. 1-23
2. Program Loading and Dynamic Linking
Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………….. 2-1
Program Header …………………………………………………………………………………… 2-2
Program Loading ………………………………………………………………………………….. 2-7
Dynamic Linking …………………………………………………………………………………… 2-8
A. Reserved Names
Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………….. A-1
Special Sections Names………………………………………………………………………… A-2
Dynamic Section Names ……………………………………………………………………….. A-3
Pre-existing Extensions …………………………………………………………………………. A-4
Book II: Processor Specific (Intel Architecture)
1. Object Files
Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………….. 1-1
ELF Header …………………………………………………………………………………………. 1-2
Relocation……………………………………………………………………………………………. 1-3
Contents
vi
Book III: Operating System Specific
(UNIX System V Release 4)
1. Object Files
Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………….. 1-1
Sections………………………………………………………………………………………………. 1-2
Symbol Table……………………………………………………………………………………….. 1-5
2. Program Loading and Dynamic Linking
Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………….. 2-7
Program Header …………………………………………………………………………………… 2-8
Dynamic Linking …………………………………………………………………………………… 2-12
3. Intel Architecture and System V Release 4 Dependencies
Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………….. A-1
Sections………………………………………………………………………………………………. A-2
Symbol Table……………………………………………………………………………………….. A-3
Relocation……………………………………………………………………………………………. A-4
Program Loading and Dynamic Linking……………………………………………………. A-7
Table of Contents vii
List of Figures
Book I: Executable and Linking Format (ELF)
Figure 1-1. Object File Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
Figure 1-2. 32-Bit Data Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Figure 1-3. ELF Header . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4
Figure 1-4. e_ident[] Identification Indexes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6
Figure 1-5. Data Encoding ELFDATA2LSB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8
Figure 1-6. Data Encoding ELFDATA2MSB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8
Figure 1-7. Special Section Indexes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Figure 1-8. Section Header . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10
Figure 1-9. Section Types, sh_type. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11
Figure 1-10. Section Header Table Entry: Index 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13
Figure 1-11. Section Attribute Flags, sh_flags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14
Figure 1-12. sh_link and sh_info Interpretation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14
Figure 1-13. Special Sections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15
Figure 1-14. String Table Indexes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-18
Figure 1-15. Symbol Table Entry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19
Figure 1-16. Symbol Binding, ELF32_ST_BIND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20
Figure 1-17. Symbol Types, ELF32_ST_TYPE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-21
Figure 1-18. Symbol Table Entry: Index 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-22
Figure 1-19. Relocation Entries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-23
Figure 2-1. Program Header . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Figure 2-2. Segment Types, p_type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
Figure 2-3. Note Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Figure 2-4. Example Note Segment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Figure A-1. Special Sections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-2
Figure A-2. Dynamic Array Tags, d_tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-3
Book II: Processor Specific (Intel Architecture)
Figure 1-1. Intel Identification, e_ident . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Figure 1-2. Relocatable Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3
Figure 1-3. Relocation Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4
viii Table of Contents
Book III: Operating System Specific
(UNIX System V Release 4)
Figure 1-1. sh_link and sh_info Interpretation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Figure 1-2. Special Sections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3
Figure 2-1. Segment Types, p_type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Figure 2-2. Segment Flag Bits, p_flags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
Figure 2-3. Segment Permissions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4
Figure 2-4. Text Segment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Figure 2-5. Data Segment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Figure 2-6. Dynamic Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Figure 2-7. Dynamic Array Tags, d_tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Figure 2-8. Symbol Hash Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Figure 2-9. Hashing Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Figure 2-10. Initialization Ordering Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Figure A-1. Special Sections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-2
Figure A-2. Relocatable Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-4
Figure A-3. Relocation Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-5
Figure A-4. Executable File Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-7
Figure A-5. Program Header Segments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-8
Figure A-6. Process Image Segments Example. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-9
Figure A-7. Shared Object Segment Addresses Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-10
Figure A-8. Global Offset Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-11
Figure A-9. Absolute Procedure Linkage Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-12
Figure A-10. Position-Independent Procedure Linkage Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-13
Book I:
Executable and Linking Format (ELF)

Table of Contents xi
Contents
Book I: Executable and Linking Format (ELF)
1 Object Files
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
File Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
Data Representation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Character Representations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3
ELF Header . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4
ELF Identification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6
Sections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Special Sections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15
String Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-18
Symbol Table. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19
Symbol Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-22
Relocation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-23
2 Program Loading and Dynamic Linking
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
Program Header . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Note Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Program Loading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Dynamic Linking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
A Reserved Names
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-1
Special Sections Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-2
Dynamic Section Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-3
Pre-existing Extensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-4
Contents
xii Book I: Executable and Linking Format (ELF)
Table of Contents xiii
Figures
1-1. Object File Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-1
1-2. 32-Bit Data Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-2
1-3. ELF Header . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-4
1-4. e_ident[] Identification Indexes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-6
1-5. Data Encoding ELFDATA2LSB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-8
1-6. Data Encoding ELFDATA2MSB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-8
1-7. Special Section Indexes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-9
1-8. Section Header . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-10
1-9. Section Types, sh_type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-11
1-10. Section Header Table Entry: Index 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-13
1-11. Section Attribute Flags, sh_flags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-14
1-12. sh_link and sh_info Interpretation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-14
1-13. Special Sections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-15
1-14. String Table Indexes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-18
1-15. Symbol Table Entry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-19
1-16. Symbol Binding, ELF32_ST_BIND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-20
1-17. Symbol Types, ELF32_ST_TYPE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-21
1-18. Symbol Table Entry: Index 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-22
1-19. Relocation Entries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-23
2-1. Program Header . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-2
2-2. Segment Types, p_type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-3
2-3. Note Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-5
2-4. Example Note Segment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-6
A-1. Special Sections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-2
A-2. Dynamic Array Tags, d_tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-3

OBJECT FILES 1-1
Introduction
This chapter describes the object file format, called ELF (Executable and Linking Format).
There are three main types of object files.
• A relocatable file holds code and data suitable for linking with other object files to create an
executable or a shared object file.
• An executable file holds a program suitable for execution.
• A shared object file holds code and data suitable for linking in two contexts. First, the link
editor may process it with other relocatable and shared object files to create another object file.
Second, the dynamic linker combines it with an executable file and other shared objects to
create a process image.
Created by the assembler and link editor, object files are binary representations of programs
intended to execute directly on a processor. Programs that require other abstract machines are
excluded.
After the introductory material, this chapter focuses on the file format and how it pertains to
building programs. Chapter 2 also describes parts of the object file, concentrating on the
information necessary to execute a program.
File Format
Object files participate in program linking (building a program) and program execution
(running a program). For convenience and efficiency, the object file format provides parallel
views of a file’s contents, reflecting the differing needs of these activities. Figure 1-1 shows
an object file’s organization.
Figure 1-1. Object File Format
OSD1980

ELF Header

Program Header Table optional

Section 1

Section Header Table

. . .

Sectionn

. . .

. . .

Linking View

ELF Header

Program Header Table

Segment 1

Section Header Table optional

. . .

Segment 2

Execution View

Introduction
1-2 Book I: ELF (Executable and Linking Format)
An ELF header resides at the beginning and holds a “road map” describing the file’s
organization. Sections hold the bulk of object file information for the linking view: instructions,
data, symbol table, relocation information, and so on. Descriptions of special sections appear
later in this section. Chapter 2 also describes segments and the program execution view of the
file.
A program header table, if present, tells the system how to create a process image. Files used
to build a process image (execute a program) must have a program header table; relocatable
files do not need one. A section header table contains information describing the file’s sections.
Every section has an entry in the table; each entry gives information such as the section name,
the section size, and so on. Files used during linking must have a section header table; other
object files may or may not have one.
NOTE. Although the figure shows the program header table immediately after the
ELF header, and the section header table following the sections, actual
files may differ. Moreover, sections and segments have no specified
order. Only the ELF header has a fixed position in the file.
Data Representation
As described here, the object file format supports various processors with 8-bit bytes and 32-bit
architectures. Nevertheless, it is intended to be extensible to larger (or smaller) architectures.
Object files therefore represent some control data with a machine-independent format, making
it possible to identify object files and interpret their contents in a common way. Remaining
data in an object file use the encoding of the target processor, regardless of the machine on
which the file was created.
All data structures that the object file format defines follow the “natural” size and alignment
guidelines for the relevant class. If necessary, data structures contain explicit padding to ensure
4-byte alignment for 4-byte objects, to force structure sizes to a multiple of 4, and so on. Data
also have suitable alignment from the beginning of the file. Thus, for example, a structure
containing an Elf32_Addr member will be aligned on a 4-byte boundary within the file.
For portability reasons, ELF uses no bit fields.
Figure 1-2. 32-Bit Data Types
Name Size Alignment Purpose

Elf32_Addr Elf32_Half Elf32_Off Elf32_Sword Elf32_Word unsigned char

4 2 4 4 4 1

4 2 4 4 4 1

Unsigned program address Unsigned medium integer Unsigned file offset Signed large integer Unsigned large integer Unsigned small integer

Introduction
OBJECT FILES 1-3
Character Representations
This section describes the default ELF character representation and defines the standard
character set used for external files that should be portable among systems. Several external
file formats represent control information with characters. These single-byte characters use the
7-bit ASCII character set. In other words, when the ELF interface document mentions character
constants, such as, ‘/’ or ‘n’ their numerical values should follow the 7-bit ASCII guidelines.
For the previous character constants, the single-byte values would be 47 and 10, respectively.
Character values outside the range of 0 to 127 may occupy one or more bytes, according to the
character encoding. Applications can control their own character sets, using different character
set extensions for different languages as appropriate. Although TIS-conformance does not
restrict the character sets, they generally should follow some simple guidelines.
• Character values between 0 and 127 should correspond to the 7-bit ASCII code. That is,
character sets with encodings above 127 should include the 7-bit ASCII code as a subset.
• Multibyte character encodings with values above 127 should contain only bytes with values
outside the range of 0 to 127. That is, a character set that uses more than one byte per character
should not “embed” a byte resembling a 7-bit ASCII character within a multibyte, non-ASCII
character.
• Multibyte characters should be self-identifying. That allows, for example, any multibyte
character to be inserted between any pair of multibyte characters, without changing the
characters’ interpretations.
These cautions are particularly relevant for multilingual applications.
NOTE. There are naming conventions for ELF constants that have processor
ranges specified. Names such as DT_, PT_, for processor specific
extensions, incorporate the name of the processor: DT_M32_SPECIAL,
for example. However, pre-existing processor extensions not using this
convention will be supported.
Pre-existing Extensions
DT_JMP_REL
1-4 Book I: ELF (Executable and Linking Format)
ELF Header
Some object file control structures can grow, because the ELF header contains their actual sizes.
If the object file format changes, a program may encounter control structures that are larger or
smaller than expected. Programs might therefore ignore “extra” information. The treatment of
“missing” information depends on context and will be specified when and if extensions are
defined.
e_ident The initial bytes mark the file as an object file and provide machine-independent
data with which to decode and interpret the file’s contents. Complete descriptions
appear below, in “ELF Identification.”
e_type This member identifies the object file type.
Figure 1-3. ELF Header
#define EI_NIDENT 16
typedef struct {
unsigned char e_ident[EI_NIDENT];
Elf32_Half e_type;
Elf32_Half e_machine;
Elf32_Word e_version;
Elf32_Addr e_entry;
Elf32_Off e_phoff;
Elf32_Off e_shoff;
Elf32_Word e_flags;
Elf32_Half e_ehsize;
Elf32_Half e_phentsize;
Elf32_Half e_phnum;
Elf32_Half e_shentsize;
Elf32_Half e_shnum;
Elf32_Half e_shstrndx;
} Elf32_Ehdr;
Name Value Meaning

ET_NONE ET_REL ET_EXEC ET_DYN ET_CORE ET_LOPROC ET_HIPROC

0 1 2 3 4 0xff00 0xffff

No file type Relocatable file Executable file Shared object file Core file Processor-specific Processor-specific

ELF Header
OBJECT FILES 1-5
Although the core file contents are unspecified, type ET_CORE is reserved to mark
the file type. Values from ET_LOPROC through ET_HIPROC (inclusive) are
reserved for processor-specific semantics. Other values are reserved and will be
assigned to new object file types as necessary.
e_machine This member’s value specifies the required architecture for an individual file.
Other values are reserved and will be assigned to new machines as necessary.
Processor-specific ELF names use the machine name to distinguish them. For
example, the flags mentioned below use the prefix EF_; a flag named WIDGET for
the EM_XYZ machine would be called EF_XYZ_WIDGET.
e_version This member identifies the object file version.
The value 1 signifies the original file format; extensions will create new versions
with higher numbers. The value of EV_CURRENT, though given as 1 above, will
change as necessary to reflect the current version number.
e_entry This member gives the virtual address to which the system first transfers control,
thus starting the process. If the file has no associated entry point, this member holds
zero.
e_phoff This member holds the program header table’s file offset in bytes. If the file has no
program header table, this member holds zero.
e_shoff This member holds the section header table’s file offset in bytes. If the file has no
section header table, this member holds zero.
e_flags This member holds processor-specific flags associated with the file. Flag names
take the form EF_machine_flag.
e_ehsize This member holds the ELF header’s size in bytes.
Name Value Meaning

ET_NONE EM_M32 EM_SPARC EM_386 EM_68K EM_88K EM_860 EM_MIPS EM_MIPS_RS4_BE RESERVED

0 1 2 3 4 5 7 8 10 11-16

No machine AT&T WE 32100 SPARC Intel Architecture Motorola 68000 Motorola 88000 Intel 80860 MIPS RS3000 Big-Endian MIPS RS4000 Big-Endian Reserved for future use

Name Value Meaning

EV_NONE EV_CURRENT

0 1

Invalid versionn Current version

ELF Header
1-6 Book I: ELF (Executable and Linking Format)
e_phentsize This member holds the size in bytes of one entry in the file’s program header table;
all entries are the same size.
e_phnum This member holds the number of entries in the program header table. Thus the
product of e_phentsize and e_phnum gives the table’s size in bytes. If a file
has no program header table, e_phnum holds the value zero.
e_shentsize This member holds a section header’s size in bytes. A section header is one entry
in the section header table; all entries are the same size.
e_shnum This member holds the number of entries in the section header table. Thus the
product of e_shentsize and e_shnum gives the section header table’s size in
bytes. If a file has no section header table, e_shnum holds the value zero.
e_shstrndx This member holds the section header table index of the entry associated with the
section name string table. If the file has no section name string table, this member
holds the value SHN_UNDEF. See “Sections” and “String Table” below for more
information.
ELF Identification
As mentioned above, ELF provides an object file framework to support multiple processors,
multiple data encodings, and multiple classes of machines. To support this object file family,
the initial bytes of the file specify how to interpret the file, independent of the processor on
which the inquiry is made and independent of the file’s remaining contents.
The initial bytes of an ELF header (and an object file) correspond to the e_ident member.
Figure 1-4. e_ident[] Identification Indexes
Name Value Purpose

EI_MAG0 EI_MAG1 EI_MAG2 EI_MAG3 EI_CLASS EI_DATA EI_VERSION EI_PAD EI_NIDENT

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 16

File identification File identification File identification File identification File class Data encoding File version Start of padding bytes Size of e_ident[]

ELF Header
OBJECT FILES 1-7
These indexes access bytes that hold the following values.
EI_MAG0 to EI_MAG3 A file’s first 4 bytes hold a “magic number,” identifying the file as an ELF
object file.
EI_CLASS The next byte, e_ident[EI_CLASS], identifies the file’s class, or
capacity.
The file format is designed to be portable among machines of various sizes, without
imposing the sizes of the largest machine on the smallest. Class ELFCLASS32
supports machines with files and virtual address spaces up to 4 gigabytes; it uses
the basic types defined above.
Class ELFCLASS64 is incomplete and refers to the 64-bit architectures. Its
appearance here shows how the object file may change. Other classes will be defined
as necessary, with different basic types and sizes for object file data.
EI_DATA Byte e_ident[EI_DATA]specifies the data encoding of the
processor-specific data in the object file. The following encodings are
currently defined.
More information on these encodings appears below. Other values are
reserved and will be assigned to new encodings as necessary.
EI_VERSION Byte e_ident[EI_VERSION] specifies the ELF header version number.
Currently, this value must be EV_CURRENT, as explained above for
e_version.
EI_PAD This value marks the beginning of the unused bytes in e_ident. These
bytes are reserved and set to zero; programs that read object files should
ignore them. The value of EI_PAD will change in the future if currently
unused bytes are given meanings.
Name Value Meaning

ELFMAG0 ELFMAG1 ELFMAG2 ELFMAG3

0x7f ’E’ ’L’ ’F’

e_ident[EI_MAG0] e_ident[EI_MAG1] e_ident[EI_MAG2] e_ident[EI_MAG3]

Name Value Meaning

ELFCLASSNONE ELFCLASS32 ELFCLASS64

0 1 2

Invalid class 32-bit objects 64-bit objects

Name Value Meaning

ELFDATANONE ELFDATA2LSB ELFDATA2MSB

0 1 2

Invalid data encoding See below See below

ELF Header
1-8 Book I: ELF (Executable and Linking Format)
A file’s data encoding specifies how to interpret the basic objects in a file. As described above,
class ELFCLASS32 files use objects that occupy 1, 2, and 4 bytes. Under the defined encodings,
objects are represented as shown below. Byte numbers appear in the upper left corners.
Encoding ELFDATA2LSB specifies 2’s complement values, with the least significant byte
occupying the lowest address.
Encoding ELFDATA2MSB specifies 2’s complement values, with the most significant byte
occupying the lowest address.
Figure 1-5. Data Encoding ELFDATA2LSB
Figure 1-6. Data Encoding ELFDATA2MSB
OSD1981

04 0

03 1

02 2

01 3

0x01020304

02 0

01 1

0x0102
01
0
0x01
OSD1982

01 0

02 1

03 2

04 3

0x01020304

01 0

02 1

0x0102
01
0
0x01
OBJECT FILES 1-9
Sections
An object file’s section header table lets one locate all the file’s sections. The section header
table is an array of Elf32_Shdr structures as described below. A section header table index
is a subscript into this array. The ELF header’s e_shoff member gives the byte offset from
the beginning of the file to the section header table; e_shnum tells how many entries the
section header table contains; e_shentsize gives the size in bytes of each entry.
Some section header table indexes are reserved; an object file will not have sections for these
special indexes.
SHN_UNDEF This value marks an undefined, missing, irrelevant, or otherwise
meaningless section reference. For example, a symbol “defined” relative to
section number SHN_UNDEF is an undefined symbol.
NOTE. Although index 0 is reserved as the undefined value, the section header
table contains an entry for index 0. That is, if the e_shnum member of
the ELF header says a file has 6 entries in the section header table, they
have the indexes 0 through 5. The contents of the initial entry are specified
later in this section.

SHN_LORESERVE	This value specifies the lower bound of the range of reserved indexes.
SHN_LOPROC through Values in this inclusive range are reserved for processor-specific semantics.
SHN_HIPROC SHN_ABS	This value specifies absolute values for the corresponding reference. For

example, symbols defined relative to section number SHN_ABS have
absolute values and are not affected by relocation.

SHN_COMMON

Symbols defined relative to this section are common symbols, such as FORTRAN COMMON or unallocated C external variables.

Figure 1-7. Special Section Indexes
Name Value

SHN_UNDEF SHN_LORESERVE SHN_LOPROC SHN_HIPROC SHN_ABS SHN_COMMON SHN_HIRESERVE

0 0xff00 0xff00 0xff1f 0xfff1 0xfff2 0xffff

Sections
1-10 Book I: ELF (Executable and Linking Format)
SHN_HIRESERVE This value specifies the upper bound of the range of reserved indexes. The
system reserves indexes between SHN_LORESERVE and
SHN_HIRESERVE, inclusive; the values do not reference the section header
table.That is, the section header table does not contain entries for the
reserved indexes.
Sections contain all information in an object file, except the ELF header, the program header
table, and the section header table. Moreover, object files’ sections satisfy several conditions.
• Every section in an object file has exactly one section header describing it. Section headers may
exist that do not have a section.
• Each section occupies one contiguous (possibly empty) sequence of bytes within a file.
• Sections in a file may not overlap. No byte in a file resides in more than one section.
• An object file may have inactive space. The various headers and the sections might not “cover”
every byte in an object file. The contents of the inactive data are unspecified.
A section header has the following structure.
sh_name This member specifies the name of the section. Its value is an index into
the section header string table section [see “String Table” below], giving
the location of a null-terminated string.
sh_type This member categorizes the section’s contents and semantics. Section
types and their descriptions appear below.
sh_flags Sections support 1-bit flags that describe miscellaneous attributes. Flag
definitions appear below.
sh_addr If the section will appear in the memory image of a process, this member
gives the address at which the section’s first byte should reside. Otherwise,
the member contains 0.
Figure 1-8. Section Header
typedef struct {
Elf32_Word sh_name;
Elf32_Word sh_type;
Elf32_Word sh_flags;
Elf32_Addr sh_addr;
Elf32_Off sh_offset;
Elf32_Word sh_size;
Elf32_Word sh_link;
Elf32_Word sh_info;
Elf32_Word sh_addralign;
Elf32_Word sh_entsize;
} Elf32_Shdr;
Sections
OBJECT FILES 1-11
sh_offset This member’s value gives the byte offset from the beginning of the file to
the first byte in the section. One section type, SHT_NOBITS described
below, occupies no space in the file, and its sh_offset member locates
the conceptual placement in the file.

sh_size

This member gives the section’s size in bytes. Unless the section type is SHT_NOBITS, the section occupies sh_size bytes in the file. A section

of type SHT_NOBITS may have a non-zero size, but it occupies no space
in the file.

sh_link	This member holds a section header table index link, whose interpretation depends on the section type. A table below describes the values. This member holds extra information, whose interpretation depends on the section type. A table below describes the values. Some sections have address alignment constraints. For example, if a section holds a doubleword, the system must ensure doubleword alignment for the
sh_info
sh_addralign

entire section. That is, the value of sh_addr must be congruent to 0,
modulo the value of sh_addralign. Currently, only 0 and positive
integral powers of two are allowed. Values 0 and 1 mean the section has no
alignment constraints.

sh_entsize

Some sections hold a table of fixed-size entries, such as a symbol table. For such a section, this member gives the size in bytes of each entry. The

member contains 0 if the section does not hold a table of fixed-size entries.
A section header’s sh_type member specifies the section’s semantics.
Figure 1-9. Section Types, sh_type
Name Value

SHT_NULL SHT_PROGBITS SHT_SYMTAB SHT_STRTAB SHT_RELA SHT_HASH SHT_DYNAMIC SHT_NOTE SHT_NOBITS SHT_REL SHT_SHLIB SHT_DYNSYM SHT_LOPROC SHT_HIPROC SHT_LOUSER SHT_HIUSER

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 0x70000000 0x7fffffff 0x80000000 0xffffffff

Sections
1-12 Book I: ELF (Executable and Linking Format)
SHT_NULL This value marks the section header as inactive; it does not have an
associated section. Other members of the section header have undefined
values.
SHT_PROGBITS The section holds information defined by the program, whose format and
meaning are determined solely by the program.
SHT_SYMTAB and These sections hold a symbol table.
SHT_DYNSYM
SHT_STRTAB The section holds a string table.
SHT_RELA The section holds relocation entries with explicit addends, such as type
Elf32_Rela for the 32-bit class of object files. An object file may have
multiple relocation sections. See “Relocation” below for details.
SHT_HASH The section holds a symbol hash table.
SHT_DYNAMIC The section holds information for dynamic linking.
SHT_NOTE This section holds information that marks the file in some way.
SHT_NOBITS A section of this type occupies no space in the file but otherwise resembles
SHT_PROGBITS. Although this section contains no bytes, the
sh_offset member contains the conceptual file offset.
SHT_REL The section holds relocation entries without explicit addends, such as type
Elf32_Rel for the 32-bit class of object files. An object file may have
multiple relocation sections. See “Relocation” below for details.
SHT_SHLIB This section type is reserved but has unspecified semantics.
Sections
OBJECT FILES 1-13
SHT_LOPROC through Values in this inclusive range are reserved for processor-specific semantics.
SHT_HIPROC

SHT_LOUSER	This value specifies the lower bound of the range of indexes reserved for application programs. This value specifies the upper bound of the range of indexes reserved for
SHT_HIUSER

application programs. Section types between SHT_LOUSER and
SHT_HIUSER may be used by the application, without conflicting with
current or future system-defined section types.
Other section type values are reserved. As mentioned before, the section header for index 0
(SHN_UNDEF) exists, even though the index marks undefined section references. This entry
holds the following.
A section header’s sh_flags member holds 1-bit flags that describe the section’s attributes.
Defined values appear below; other values are reserved.
If a flag bit is set in sh_flags, the attribute is “on” for the section. Otherwise, the attribute
is “off” or does not apply. Undefined attributes are set to zero.
SHF_WRITE The section contains data that should be writable during process execution.
Figure 1-10. Section Header Table Entry: Index 0
Name Value Note

sh_name sh_type sh_flags sh_addr sh_offset sh_size sh_link sh_info sh_addralign sh_entsize

0 SHT_NULL 0 0 0 0 SHN_UNDEF 0 0 0

No name Inactive No flags No address No file offset No size No link information No auxiliary information No alignment No entries

Figure 1-11. Section Attribute Flags, sh_flags
Name Value

SHF_WRITE SHF_ALLOC SHF_EXECINSTR SHF_MASKPROC

0x1 0x2 0x4 0xf0000000

Sections
1-14 Book I: ELF (Executable and Linking Format)

SHF_ALLOC	The section occupies memory during process execution. Some control sections do not reside in the memory image of an object file; this attribute is off for those sections. The section contains executable machine instructions. All bits included in this mask are reserved for processor-specific semantics.
SHF_EXECINSTR SHF_MASKPROC

Two members in the section header, sh_link and sh_info, hold special information,
depending on section type.
Special Sections
Various sections in ELF are pre-defined and hold program and control information. These
Sections are used by the operating system and have different types and attributes for different
operating systems.
Executable files are created from individual object files and libraries through the linking
process. The linker resolves the references (including subroutines and data references) among
the different object files, adjusts the absolute references in the object files, and relocates
instructions. The linking and loading processes, which are described in Chapter 2, require
information defined in the object files and store this information in specific sections such as
.dynamic.
Each operating system supports a set of linking models which fall into two categories:

Static	A set of object files, system libraries and library archives are statically bound, references are resolved, and an executable file is created that is completely self contained. A set of object files, libraries, system shared resources and other shared
Dynamic

libraries are linked together to create the executable. When this executable
is loaded, other shared resources and dynamic libraries must be made
available in the system for the program to run successfully.
Figure 1-12. sh_link and sh_info Interpretation
sh_type sh_link sh_info

SHT_DYNAMIC SHT_HASH SHT_REL SHT_RELA SHT_SYMTAB SHT_DYNSYM other

The section header index of the string table used by entries in the section. The section header index of the symbol table to which the hash table applies. The section header index of the associated symbol table. This information is operating system specific. SHN_UNDEF

0 0 The section header index of the section to which the relocation applies. This information is operating system specific. 0

Sections
OBJECT FILES 1-15
The general method used to resolve references at execution time for a
dynamically linked executable file is described in the linkage model used
by the operating system, and the actual implementation of this linkage
model will contain processor-specific components.
There are also sections that support debugging, such as .debug and .line, and program
control, including.bss, .data, .data1, .rodata, and .rodata1.
.bss This section holds uninitialized data that contribute to the program’s
memory image. By definition, the system initializes the data with zeros
when the program begins to run. The section occupies no file space, as
indicated by the section type, SHT_NOBITS.
.comment This section holds version control information.
.data and .data1 These sections hold initialized data that contribute to the program’s memory
image.
.debug This section holds information for symbolic debugging. The contents are
unspecified. All section names with the prefix .debug are reserved for
future use.
.dynamic This section holds dynamic linking information and has attributes such as
SHF_ALLOC and SHF_WRITE. Whether the SHF_WRITE bit is set is
determined by the operating system and processor.
.hash This section holds a symbol hash table.
Figure 1-13. Special Sections
Name Type Attributes

.bss .comment .data .data1 .debug .dynamic .hash .line .note .rodata .rodata1	SHT_NOBITS SHT_PROGBITS SHT_PROGBITS SHT_PROGBITS SHT_PROGBITS SHT_DYNAMIC SHT_HASH SHT_PROGBITS SHT_NOTE SHT_PROGBITS SHT_PROGBITS	SHF_ALLOC+SHF_WRITE none SHF_ALLOC + SHF_WRITE SHF_ALLOC + SHF_WRITE none see below SHF_ALLOC none none SHF_ALLOC SHF_ALLOC
.shstrtab .strtab .symtab .text	SHT_STRTAB SHT_STRTAB SHT_SYMTAB SHT_PROGBITS	none see below see below SHF_ALLOC + SHF_EXECINSTR

Sections
1-16 Book I: ELF (Executable and Linking Format)

.line	This section holds line number information for symbolic debugging, which describes the correspondence between the source program and the machine code. The contents are unspecified. This section holds information in the format that is described in the “Note Section” in Chapter 2. These sections hold read-only data that typically contribute to a non-writable segment in the process image. See “Program Header” in Chapter 2 for more information. This section holds section names. This section holds strings, most commonly the strings that represent the names associated with symbol table entries. If a file has a loadable segment that includes the symbol string table, the section’s attributes will include the SHF_ALLOC bit; otherwise, that bit will be off. This section holds a symbol table, as “Symbol Table” in this chapter
.note
.rodata and .rodata1
.shstrtab .strtab
.symtab

describes. If a file has a loadable segment that includes the symbol table,
the section’s attributes will include the SHF_ALLOC bit; otherwise, that bit
will be off.
.text This section holds the “text,” or executable instructions, of a program.
Section names with a dot (.) prefix are reserved for the system, although applications may use
these sections if their existing meanings are satisfactory. Applications may use names without
the prefix to avoid conflicts with system sections. The object file format lets one define sections
not in the list above. An object file may have more than one section with the same name.
OBJECT FILES 1-17
String Table
This section describes the default string table. String table sections hold null-terminated
character sequences, commonly called strings. The object file uses these strings to represent
symbol and section names. One references a string as an index into the string table section.
The first byte, which is index zero, is defined to hold a null character. Likewise, a string table’s
last byte is defined to hold a null character, ensuring null termination for all strings. A string
whose index is zero specifies either no name or a null name, depending on the context. An
empty string table section is permitted; its section header’s sh_size member would contain
zero. Non-zero indexes are invalid for an empty string table.
A section header’s sh_name member holds an index into the section header string table section,
as designated by the e_shstrndx member of the ELF header. The following figures show a
string table with 25 bytes and the strings associated with various indexes.
As the example shows, a string table index may refer to any byte in the section. A string may
appear more than once; references to substrings may exist; and a single string may be referenced
multiple times. Unreferenced strings also are allowed.
Index +0 +1 +2 +3 +4 +5 +6 +7 +8 +9
0

	n	a	m	e	.		V	a	r
i	a	b	l	e		a	b	l	e
		x	x

10 20 Figure 1-14. String Table Indexes
Index String

0 1 7 11 16 24

none name. Variable able able null string

1-18 Book I: ELF (Executable and Linking Format)
Symbol Table
An object file’s symbol table holds information needed to locate and relocate a program’s
symbolic definitions and references. A symbol table index is a subscript into this array. Index
0 both designates the first entry in the table and serves as the undefined symbol index. The
contents of the initial entry are specified later in this section.
A symbol table entry has the following format.
st_name This member holds an index into the object file’s symbol string table, which holds
the character representations of the symbol names.
st_value This member gives the value of the associated symbol. Depending on the context,
this may be an absolute value, an address, and so on; details appear below.
st_size Many symbols have associated sizes. For example, a data object’s size is the number
of bytes contained in the object. This member holds 0 if the symbol has no size or
an unknown size.
st_info This member specifies the symbol’s type and binding attributes. A list of the values
and meanings appears below. The following code shows how to manipulate the
values.
#define ELF32_ST_BIND(i) ((i)>>4)
#define ELF32_ST_TYPE(i) ((i)&0xf)
#define ELF32_ST_INFO(b,t) (((b)<<4)+((t)&0xf))
Name Value

STN_UNDEF

0

Figure 1-15. Symbol Table Entry
typedef struct {
Elf32_Word st_name;
Elf32_Addr st_value;
Elf32_Word st_size;
unsigned char st_info;
unsigned char st_other;
Elf32_Half st_shndx;
} Elf32_Sym;
Symbol Table
OBJECT FILES 1-19
st_other This member currently holds 0 and has no defined meaning.
st_shndx Every symbol table entry is “defined” in relation to some section; this member holds
the relevant section header table index. As Figure 1-7 and the related text describe,
some section indexes indicate special meanings.
A symbol’s binding determines the linkage visibility and behavior.

STB_LOCAL	Local symbols are not visible outside the object file containing their definition. Local symbols of the same name may exist in multiple files without interfering with each other. Global symbols are visible to all object files being combined. One file’s
STB_GLOBAL

definition of a global symbol will satisfy another file’s undefined reference
to the same global symbol.

STB_WEAK

Weak symbols resemble global symbols, but their definitions have lower precedence.

STB_LOPROC through Values in this inclusive range are reserved for processor-specific semantics.
STB_HIPROC
In each symbol table, all symbols with STB_LOCAL binding precede the weak and global
symbols. A symbol’s type provides a general classification for the associated entity.
Figure 1-16. Symbol Binding, ELF32_ST_BIND
Name Value

STB_LOCAL STB_GLOBAL STB_WEAK STB_LOPROC STB_HIPROC

0 1 2 13 15

Symbol Table
1-20 Book I: ELF (Executable and Linking Format)

STT_NOTYPE STT_OBJECT	The symbol’s type is not specified. The symbol is associated with a data object, such as a variable, an array, and so on. The symbol is associated with a function or other executable code. The symbol is associated with a section. Symbol table entries of this type exist primarily for relocation and normally have STB_LOCAL binding.
STT_FUNC STT_SECTION
STT_LOPROC through Values in this inclusive range are reserved for processor-specific semantics.
STT_HIPROC	If a symbol’s value refers to a specific location within a section, its section

index member, st_shndx, holds an index into the section header table.
As the section moves during relocation, the symbol’s value changes as well,
and references to the symbol continue to “point” to the same location in the
program. Some special section index values give other semantics.

STT_FILE	A file symbol has STB_LOCAL binding, its section index is SHN_ABS, and it precedes the other STB_LOCAL symbols for the file, if it is present.
The symbols in ELF object files convey specific information to the linker and loader. See the operating system sections for a description of the actual linking model used in the system.
SHN_ABS SHN_COMMON	The symbol has an absolute value that will not change because of relocation. The symbol labels a common block that has not yet been allocated. The

symbol’s value gives alignment constraints, similar to a section’s
sh_addralign member. That is, the link editor will allocate the storage
for the symbol at an address that is a multiple of st_value. The symbol’s
size tells how many bytes are required.

SHN_UNDEF

This section table index means the symbol is undefined. When the link editor combines this object file with another that defines the indicated

symbol, this file’s references to the symbol will be linked to the actual
definition.
Figure 1-17. Symbol Types, ELF32_ST_TYPE
Name Value

STT_NOTYPE STT_OBJECT STT_FUNC STT_SECTION STT_FILE STT_LOPROC STT_HIPROC

0 1 2 3 4 13 15

Symbol Table
OBJECT FILES 1-21
As mentioned above, the symbol table entry for index 0 (STN_UNDEF) is reserved; it holds the
following.
Symbol Values
Symbol table entries for different object file types have slightly different interpretations for
the st_value member.
• In relocatable files, st_value holds alignment constraints for a symbol whose section index
is SHN_COMMON.
• In relocatable files, st_value holds a section offset for a defined symbol. That is,
st_value is an offset from the beginning of the section that st_shndx identifies.
• In executable and shared object files, st_value holds a virtual address. To make these files’
symbols more useful for the dynamic linker, the section offset (file interpretation) gives way to
a virtual address (memory interpretation) for which the section number is irrelevant.
Although the symbol table values have similar meanings for different object files, the data
allow efficient access by the appropriate programs.
Figure 1-18. Symbol Table Entry: Index 0
Name Value Note

st_name st_value st_size st_info st_other st_shndx

0 0 0 0 0 SHN_UNDEF

No name Zero value No size No type, local binding No section

1-22 Book I: ELF (Executable and Linking Format)
Relocation
Relocation is the process of connecting symbolic references with symbolic definitions. For
example, when a program calls a function, the associated call instruction must transfer control
to the proper destination address at execution. In other words, relocatable files must have
information that describes how to modify their section contents, thus allowing executable and
shared object files to hold the right information for a process’s program image. Relocation
entries are these data.
r_offset This member gives the location at which to apply the relocation action. For
a relocatable file, the value is the byte offset from the beginning of the
section to the storage unit affected by the relocation. For an executable file
or a shared object, the value is the virtual address of the storage unit affected
by the relocation.
r_info This member gives both the symbol table index with respect to which the
relocation must be made, and the type of relocation to apply. For example,
a call instruction’s relocation entry would hold the symbol table index of
the function being called. If the index is STN_UNDEF, the undefined symbol
index, the relocation uses 0 as the “symbol value.” Relocation types are
processor-specific; descriptions of their behavior appear in the processor
supplement. When the text in the processor supplement refers to a
relocation entry’s relocation type or symbol table index, it means the result
of applying ELF32_R_TYPE or ELF32_R_SYM, respectively, to the
entry’s r_info member.
#define ELF32_R_SYM(i) ((i)>>8)
#define ELF32_R_TYPE(i) ((unsigned char)(i))
#define ELF32_R_INFO(s,t) (((s)<<8)+(unsigned char)(t))
r_addend This member specifies a constant addend used to compute the value to be
stored into the relocatable field.
Figure 1-19. Relocation Entries
typedef struct {
Elf32_Addr r_offset;
Elf32_Word r_info;
} Elf32_Rel;
typedef struct {
Elf32_Addr r_offset;
Elf32_Word r_info;
Elf32_Sword r_addend;
} Elf32_Rela;
Relocation
1-23 Book I: ELF (Executable and Linking Format)
As shown above, only Elf32_Rela entries contain an explicit addend. Entries of type
Elf32_Rel store an implicit addend in the location to be modified. Depending on the processor
architecture, one form or the other might be necessary or more convenient. Consequently, an
implementation for a particular machine may use one form exclusively or either form depending
on context.
A relocation section references two other sections: a symbol table and a section to modify. The
section header’s sh_info and sh_link members, described in “Sections” above, specify these
relationships. Relocation entries for different object files have slightly different interpretations
for the r_offset member.
• In relocatable files, r_offset holds a section offset. That is, the relocation section itself
describes how to modify another section in the file; relocation offsets designate a storage unit
within the second section.
• In executable and shared object files, r_offset holds a virtual address. To make these files’
relocation entries more useful for the dynamic linker, the section offset (file interpretation)
gives way to a virtual address (memory interpretation).
Although the interpretation of r_offset changes for different object files to allow efficient
access by the relevant programs, the relocation types’ meanings stay the same.

PROGRAM LOADING AND DYNAMIC LINKING 2-1
Introduction
This chapter describes the object file information and system actions that create running
programs. Executable and shared object files statically represent programs. To execute such
programs, the system uses the files to create dynamic program representations, or process
images. A process image has segments that hold its text, data, stack, and so on. This section
describes the program header and complements Chapter 1, by describing object file structures
that relate directly to program execution. The primary data structure, a program header table,
locates segment images within the file and contains other information necessary to create the
memory image for the program.
Given an object file, the system must load it into memory for the program to run. After the
system loads the program, it must complete the process image by resolving symbolic references
among the object files that compose the process.
2-2 Book I: ELF (Executable and Linking Format)
Program Header
An executable or shared object file’s program header table is an array of structures, each
describing a segment or other information the system needs to prepare the program for
execution. An object file segment contains one or more sections. Program headers are
meaningful only for executable and shared object files. A file specifies its own program header
size with the ELF header’s e_phentsize and e_phnum members [see “ELF Header” in
Chapter 1].
p_type This member tells what kind of segment this array element describes or how to
interpret the array element’s information. Type values and their meanings appear
below.
p_offset This member gives the offset from the beginning of the file at which the first byte
of the segment resides.
p_vaddr This member gives the virtual address at which the first byte of the segment resides
in memory.
p_paddr On systems for which physical addressing is relevant, this member is reserved for
the segment’s physical address. This member requires operating system specific
information, which is described in the appendix at the end of Book III.
p_filesz This member gives the number of bytes in the file image of the segment; it may be
zero.
p_memsz This member gives the number of bytes in the memory image of the segment; it
may be zero.
p_flags This member gives flags relevant to the segment. Defined flag values appear below.
p_align Loadable process segments must have congruent values for p_vaddr and
p_offset, modulo the page size.This member gives the value to which the
segments are aligned in memory and in the file. Values 0 and 1 mean that no
alignment is required. Otherwise, p_align should be a positive, integral power of
2, and p_addr should equal p_offset, modulo p_align.
Figure 2-1. Program Header
typedef struct {
Elf32_Word p_type;
Elf32_Off p_offset;
Elf32_Addr p_vaddr;
Elf32_Addr p_paddr;
Elf32_Word p_filesz;
Elf32_Word p_memsz;
Elf32_Word p_flags;
Elf32_Word p_align;
} Elf32_Phdr;
Program Header
PROGRAM LOADING AND DYNAMIC LINKING 2-3
Some entries describe process segments; others give supplementary information and do not
contribute to the process image.

PT_NULL	The array element is unused; other members’ values are undefined. This type lets the program header table have ignored entries. The array element specifies a loadable segment, described by p_filesz and
PT_LOAD

p_memsz. The bytes from the file are mapped to the beginning of the memory
segment. If the segment’s memory size (p_memsz) is larger than the file size
(p_filesz), the “extra” bytes are defined to hold the value 0 and to follow the
segment’s initialized area. The file size may not be larger than the memory size.
Loadable segment entries in the program header table appear in ascending order,
sorted on the p_vaddr member.
PT_DYNAMIC The array element specifies dynamic linking information. See Book III.

PT_INTERP

The array element specifies the location and size of a null-terminated path name to invoke as an interpreter. See Book III. The array element specifies the location and size of auxiliary information. This segment type is reserved but has unspecified semantics. See Book III. The array element, if present, specifies the location and size of the program header table itself, both in the file and in the memory image of the program. This segment type may not occur more than once in a file. Moreover, it may occur only if the

PT_NOTE PT_SHLIB PT_PHDR

program header table is part of the memory image of the program. If it is present,
it must precede any loadable segment entry. See “Program Interpreter” in the
appendix at the end of Book III for further information.
Figure 2-2. Segment Types, p_type
Name Value

PT_NULL PT_LOAD PT_DYNAMIC PT_INTERP PT_NOTE PT_SHLIB PT_PHDR PT_LOPROC PT_HIPROC

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 0x70000000 0x7fffffff

Program Header
2-4 Book I: ELF (Executable and Linking Format)
PT_LOPROC Values in this inclusive range are reserved for processor-specific semantics.
through PT_HIPROC
NOTE. Unless specifically required elsewhere, all program header segment types
are optional.That is, a file’s program header table may contain only those
elements relevant to its contents.
Note Section
Sometimes a vendor or system builder needs to mark an object file with special information
that other programs will check for conformance, compatibility, etc. Sections of type SHT_NOTE
and program header elements of type PT_NOTE can be used for this purpose. The note
information in sections and program header elements holds any number of entries, each of
which is an array of 4-byte words in the format of the target processor. Labels appear below
to help explain note information organization, but they are not part of the specification.
namesz and name The first namesz bytes in name contain a null-terminated character
representation of the entry’s owner or originator. There is no formal
mechanism for avoiding name conflicts. By convention, vendors use their
own name, such as “XYZ Computer Company,” as the identifier. If no name
is present, namesz contains 0. Padding is present, if necessary, to ensure
4-byte alignment for the descriptor. Such padding is not included in
namesz.
descsz and desc The first descsz bytes in desc hold the note descriptor. ELF places no
constraints on a descriptor’s contents. If no descriptor is present, descsz
contains 0. Padding is present, if necessary, to ensure 4-byte alignment for
the next note entry. Such padding is not included in descsz.
type This word gives the interpretation of the descriptor. Each originator controls
its own types; multiple interpretations of a single type value may exist.
Thus, a program must recognize both the name and the type to “understand”
a descriptor. Types currently must be non-negative. ELF does not define
what descriptors mean.
Figure 2-3. Note Information
namesz

descsz

type

name . . .

desc . . .

Program Header
PROGRAM LOADING AND DYNAMIC LINKING 2-5
To illustrate, the following note segment holds two entries.
NOTE. The system reserves note information with no name (namesz==0) and
with a zero-length name (name[0]==’’) but currently defines no
types. All other names must have at least one non-null character.
NOTE. Note information is optional. The presence of note information does not
affect a program’s TIS conformance, provided the information does not
affect the program’s execution behavior. Otherwise, the program does not
conform to the TIS ELF specification and has undefined behavior.
Program Loading
Program loading is the process by which the operating system creates or augments a process
image. The manner in which this process is accomplished and how the page management
functions for the process are handled are dictated by the operating system and processor. See
the appendix at the end of Book III for more details.
Dynamic Linking
The dynamic linking process resolves references either at process initialization time and/or at
execution time. Some basic mechanisms need to be set up for a particular linkage model to
work, and there are ELF sections and header elements reserved for this purpose. The actual
definition of the linkage model is determined by the operating system and implementation.
Therefore, the contents of these sections are both operating system and processor specific. (See
the appendix at the end of Book III.)
Figure 2-4. Example Note Segment

7
0
1
X	Y	Z
C	o		pad
7
8
3
X	Y	Z
C	o		pad
word 0
word 1

+0 +1 +2 +3
No descriptor
namesz
descsz
type
name
namesz
descsz
type
name
desc
OSD1983

RESERVED NAMES A-1
Introduction
This appendix lists the operating system and processor specific reserved names, as well as
historical names and pre-existing naming conventions.
A-2 Book I: ELF (Executable and Linking Format)
Special Sections Names
Various sections hold program and control information. Sections in the list below are specified
in Book I and Book III.
Figure A-1. Special Sections
Name
.bss
.comment
.data
.data1
.debug
.dynamic
.dynstr
.dynsym
.fini
.got
.hash
.init
.interp
.line
.note
.plt
.relname
.relaname
.rodata
.rodata1
.shstrtab
.strtab
.symtab
.text
RESERVED NAMES A-3
Dynamic Section Names
_DYNAMIC
Figure A-2. Dynamic Array Tags, d_tag
Name
DT_NULL
DT_NEEDED
DT_PLTRELSZ
DT_PLTGOT
DT_HASH
DT_STRTAB
DT_SYMTAB
DT_RELA
DT_RELASZ
DT_RELAENT
DT_STRSZ
DT_SYMENT
DT_INIT
DT_FINI
DT_SONAME
DT_RPATH
DT_SYMBOLIC
DT_REL
DT_RELSZ
DT_RELENT
DT_PLTREL
DT_DEBUG
DT_TEXTREL
DT_JMPREL
DT_BIND_NOW
DT_LOPROC
DT_HIPROC
A-4 Book I: ELF (Executable and Linking Format)
Pre-existing Extensions
There are naming conventions for ELF constants that have processor ranges specified. Names
such as DT_, PT_, for processor specific extensions, incorporate the name of the processor:
DT_M32_SPECIAL, for example. However, pre-existing processor extensions not using this
convention will be supported.
Pre-existing Extensions
DT_JMP_REL
Section names reserved for a processor architecture are formed by placing an abbreviation of
the architecture name ahead of the section name. The name should be taken from the
architecture names used for e_machine. For instance .FOO.psect is the psect section
defined by the FOO architecture. Existing extensions are called by their historical names.
Pre-existing Extensions

.sdata .sbss .lit8 .gptab .conflict

.tdesc .lit4 .reginfo .liblist

.

Book II:
Processor Specific
(Intel Architecture)

Table of Contents i
Contents
1 OBJECT FILES
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
ELF Header . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Machine Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Relocation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3
Relocation Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3
Contents
ii Book II: Processor Specific (Intel Architecture)
Table of Contents iii
Figures
1-1. Intel Identification, e_ident . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
1-2. Relocatable Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3
1-3. Relocation Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4

OBJECT FILES 1-1
Introduction
This section describes the Intel Architecture specific information necessary to comply with
the ELF object file format. This information is independent of operating system type. Further
information on Intel platforms that is both Intel Architecture and operating system dependent,
is described in Book III.
1-2 Book II: Processor Specific (Intel Architecture)
ELF Header
Machine Information
For file identification in e_ident, the Intel architecture requires the following values.
Processor identification resides in the ELF header’s e_machine member and must have the
value EM_386.
The ELF header’s e_flags member holds bit flags associated with the file. The Intel
architecture defines no flags; so this member contains zero.
Figure 1-1. Intel Identification, e_ident
Position Value

e_ident[EI_CLASS] e_ident[EI_DATA]

ELFCLASS32 ELFDATA2LSB

OBJECT FILES 1-3
Relocation
Relocation Types
Relocation entries describe how to alter the following instruction and data fields (bit numbers
appear in the lower box corners).
word32 This specifies a 32-bit field occupying 4 bytes with arbitrary byte alignment. These
values use the same byte order as other word values in the Intel architecture.
Calculations below assume the actions are transforming a relocatable file into either an
executable or a shared object file. Conceptually, the link editor merges one or more relocatable
files to form the output. It first decides how to combine and locate the input files, then updates
the symbol values, and finally performs the relocation. Relocations applied to executable or
shared object files are similar and accomplish the same result. Descriptions below use the
following notation.

A	This means the addend used to compute the value of the relocatable field.
P	This means the place (section offset or address) of the storage unit being relocated (computed using r_offset. This means the value of the symbol whose index resides in the relocation entry.
S

A relocation entry’s r_offset value designates the offset or virtual address of the first byte
of the affected storage unit. The relocation type specifies which bits to change and how to
calculate their values. The Intel architecture uses only Elf32_Rel relocation entries, the field
to be relocated holds the addend. In all cases, the addend and the computed result use the same
byte order.
Figure 1-2. Relocatable Fields
word32
31 0
OSD1975

31 01 3

02 2

03 1

04 0 0

OSD1976
0x01020304
Relocation
1-4 Book II: Processor Specific (Intel Architecture)
NOTE. Relocation types 3 through 10 are reserved. (See Book III, Appendix A.)
Figure 1-3. Relocation Types
Name Value Field Calculation

R_386_NONE R_386_32 R_386_PC32

0 1 2

none word32 word32

none S+A S+A-P

Book III:
Operating System Specific
(UNIX System V Release 4)

Table of Contents i
Contents
1 OBJECT FILES
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
Sections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Special Sections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Symbol Table. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5
2 PROGRAM LOADING AND DYNAMIC LINKING
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
Program Header . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Base Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
Segment Permissions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
Segment Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4
Dynamic Linking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Program Interpreter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Dynamic Linker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Dynamic Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Shared Object Dependencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
Global Offset Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Procedure Linkage Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Hash Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Initialization and Termination Funcitons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
A INTEL ARCHITECTURE AND SYSTEM V RELEASE 4 DEPENDENCIES
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-1
Sections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-2
Special Sections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-2
Symbol Table. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-3
Symbol Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-3
Relocation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-4
Relocation Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-4
Contents
ii
Program Loading and Dynamic Linking. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-7
Program Loading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-7
Dynamic Linking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-10
Dynamic Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-10
Global Offset Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-10
Program Interpreter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-14
Table of Contents iii
Figures
1-1. sh_link and sh_info Interpretation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-2
1-2. Special Sections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-3
2-1. Segment Types, p_type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-2
2-2. Segment Flag Bits, p_flags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-3
2-3. Segment Permissions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-4
2-4. Text Segment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-5
2-5. Data Segment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-5
2-6. Dynamic Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-8
2-7. Dynamic Array Tags, d_tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-9
2-8. Symbol Hash Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-14
2-9. Hashing Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-14
2-10. Initialization Ordering Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-16
A-1. Special Sections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-2
A-2. Relocatable Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-4
A-3. Relocation Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-5
A-4. Executable File Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-7
A-5. Program Header Segments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-8
A-6. Process Image Segments Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-9
A-7. Shared Object Segment Addresses Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-10
A-8. Global Offset Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-11
A-9. Absolute Procedure Linkage Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-12
A-10. Position-Independent Procedure Linkage Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-13
Figures
iv
OBJECT FILES 1-1
Introduction
This book describes aspects of the ELF format that are specific to application programs
designed to run on UNIX System V Release 4 or other operating systems that comply with the
System V Interface Definition.
NOTE. For information on references such as BA_OS, refer to the System V
Interface Definition, 3rd Edition.
1-2 Book III: Operating System Specific (UNIX System V Release 4)
Sections
The following sections are UNIX System V Release 4 specific:

SHT_SYMTAB and SHT_DYNSYM

These sections hold a symbol table. Currently, an object file may have only one section of each type, but this restriction may be relaxed in the future.

Typically, SHT_SYMTAB provides symbols for link editing, though it may
also be used for dynamic linking. As a complete symbol table, it may
contain many symbols unnecessary for dynamic linking. Consequently, an
object file may also contain a SHT_DYNSYMsection, which holds a minimal
set of dynamic linking symbols, to save space. See “Symbol Table”
descriptions in Book I for details.

SHT_STRTAB	An object file may have multiple string table sections. See “String Table” in Book I for details. All objects participating in dynamic linking must contain a symbol hash
SHT_HASH

table. Currently, an object file may have only one hash table, but this
restriction may be relaxed in the future. See “Hash Table” in Chapter 2 for
details.
SHT_DYNAMIC Currently, an object file may have only one dynamic section, but this
restriction may be relaxed in the future. See “Dynamic Section” in
Chapter 2 for details.
Two members in the section header, sh_link and sh_info, hold special information,
depending on section type. A symbol table section’s sh_info section header member holds
the symbol table index for the first non-local symbol.
.
Special Sections
The following sections hold program and control information used in UNIX System V
Release 4. The sections in the list below are used by the system and have the indicated types
and attributes. Most of these sections are required for the linking process. The information for
dynamic linking is provided in the .dynsym, .dynstr, .interp, .hash, .dynamic, .rel,
.rela, .got and.plt sections. The actual contents of some of these sections (.plt and .got,
for example) are processor specific, but they all support the same linkage model.
Figure 1-1. sh_link and sh_info Interpretation
sh_type sh_link sh_info

SHT_SYMTAB SHT_DYNSYM

The section header index of the associated string table.

One greater than the symbol table index of the last local symbol (binding STB_LOCAL).

Sections
OBJECT FILES 1-3
The .init and .fini sections contribute to the process initialization and termination code.
.dynstr This section holds strings needed for dynamic linking, most commonly the
strings that represent the names associated with symbol table entries. See
Chapter 2 for more information.
.dynsym This section holds the dynamic linking symbol table, as “Symbol Table”
describes. See Chapter 2 for more information.
.fini This section holds executable instructions that contribute to the process
termination code. When a program exits normally, the system executes the
code in this section.
.init This section holds executable instructions that contribute to the process
initialization code. When a program starts to run, the system executes the
code in this section before calling the main program entry point (called
main for C programs).
.interp This section holds the path name of a program interpreter. If the file has a
loadable segment that includes the section, the section’s attributes will
include the SHF_ALLOC bit; otherwise, that bit will be off. See Chapter 2
for more information.
Figure 1-2. Special Sections
Name Type Attributes

.dynstr .dynsym .fini .init .interp .relname .relaname

SHT_STRTAB SHT_DYNSYM SHT_PROGBITS SHT_PROGBITS SHT_PROGBITS SHT_REL SHT_RELA

SHF_ALLOC SHF_ALLOC SHF_ALLOC + SHF_EXECINSTR SHF_ALLOC + SHF_EXECINSTR see below see below see below

Sections
1-4 Book III: Operating System Specific (UNIX System V Release 4)
.relname and These sections hold relocation information, as “Relocation” below
.relaname describes. If the file has a loadable segment that includes relocation, the
sections’ attributes will include the SHF_ALLOC bit; otherwise, that bit
will be off. Conventionally, name is supplied by the section to which the
relocations apply. Thus a relocation section for .text normally would
have the name .rel.text or .rela.text.
OBJECT FILES 1-5
Symbol Table
st_name If the value is non-zero, it represents a string table index that gives the symbol name.
Otherwise, the symbol table entry has no name.
NOTE. External C symbols have the same names in C and object files’ symbol
tables.
Function symbols (those with type STT_FUNC) in shared object files have special significance.
When another object file references a function from a shared object, the link editor
automatically creates a procedure linkage table entry for the referenced symbol. Shared object
symbols with types other than STT_FUNC will not be referenced automatically through the
procedure linkage table. See “Symbol Table” descriptions in Book I and “Function Addresses”
in the appendix at the end of this book for details.
Global and weak symbols differ in two major ways.
• When the link editor combines several relocatable object files, it does not allow multiple
definitions of STB_GLOBAL symbols with the same name. On the other hand, if a defined
global symbol exists, the appearance of a weak symbol with the same name will not cause an
error. The link editor honors the global definition and ignores the weak ones. Similarly, if a
common symbol exists (that is, a symbol whose st_shndx field holds SHN_COMMON), the
appearance of a weak symbol with the same name will not cause an error. The link editor
honors the common definition and ignores the weak ones.
• When the link editor searches archive libraries, it extracts archive members that contain
definitions of undefined global symbols. The member’s definition may be either a global or a
weak symbol. The link editor does not extract archive members to resolve undefined weak
symbols. Unresolved weak symbols have a zero value.

PROGRAM LOADING AND DYNAMIC LINKING 2-1
Introduction
This section describes the operating system specific information, including the object file
information and system actions used to create running programs on systems running the UNIX
System V Release 4 operating system.
2-2 Book III: Operating System Specific (UNIX System V Release 4)
Program Header
The following program header information is specific to UNIX System V Release 4.

p_paddr

On systems for which physical addressing is relevant, this member is reserved for the segment’s physical address. Because System V ignores physical addressing for

application programs, this member has unspecified contents for executable files and
shared objects.

p_align

Loadable process segments must have congruent values for p_vaddr and p_offset, modulo the page size.

Some entries describe process segments; others give supplementary information and do not
contribute to the process image. Segment entries may appear in any order, except as explicitly
noted below. Defined type values follow; other values are reserved for future use.

PT_LOAD

The array element specifies a loadable segment, described by p_filesz and p_memsz.

PT_DYNAMIC The array element specifies dynamic linking information. See “Dynamic Section”
below for more information.
PT_INTERP The array element specifies the location and size of a null-terminated path name to
invoke as an interpreter. This segment type is meaningful only for executable files
(though it may occur for shared objects); it may not occur more than once in a file.
If it is present, it must precede any loadable segment entry. See “Program
Interpreter” below for further information.
PT_SHLIB This segment type is reserved but has unspecified semantics. Programs that contain
an array element of this type do not conform to the ELF specification for UNIX
System V.
Figure 2-1. Segment Types, p_type
Name Value

PT_NULL PT_LOAD PT_DYNAMIC PT_INTERP PT_NOTE PT_SHLIB PT_PHDR PT_LOPROC PT_HIPROC

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 0x70000000 0x7fffffff

Program Header
PROGRAM LOADING AND DYNAMIC LINKING 2-3

PT_PHDR

The array element, if present, specifies the location and size of the program header table itself, both in the file and in the memory image of the program.

Base Address
The virtual addresses in the program headers might not represent the actual virtual addresses
of the program’s memory image. Executable files typically contain absolute code. To let the
process execute correctly, the segments must reside at the virtual addresses used to build the
executable file. On the other hand, shared object segments typically contain
position-independent code. This lets a segment’s virtual address change from one process to
another, without invalidating execution behavior. Though the system chooses virtual addresses
for individual processes, it maintains the segments’ relative positions. Because
position-independent code uses relative addressing between segments, the difference between
virtual addresses in memory must match the difference between virtual addresses in the file.
The difference between the virtual address of any segment in memory and the corresponding
virtual address in the file is thus a single constant value for any one executable or shared object
in a given process. This difference is the base address. One use of the base address is to relocate
the memory image of the program during dynamic linking.
An executable or shared object file’s base address is calculated during execution from three
values: the virtual memory load address, the maximum page size, and the lowest virtual address
of a program’s loadable segment. To compute the base address, one determines the memory
address associated with the lowest p_vaddr value for a PT_LOAD segment. This address is
truncated to the nearest multiple of the maximum page size. The corresponding p_vaddr value
itself is also truncated to the nearest multiple of the maximum page size. The base address is
the difference between the truncated memory address and the truncated p_vaddr value.
Segment Permissions
A program to be loaded by the system must have at least one loadable segment (although this
is not required by the file format). When the system creates loadable segments’ memory images,
it gives access permissions as specified in the p_flags member.
All bits included in the PF_MASKPROC mask are reserved for processor-specific semantics. If
meanings are specified, the processor supplement explains them.
If a permission bit is 0, that type of access is denied. Actual memory permissions depend on
the memory management unit, which may vary from one system to another. Although all flag
combinations are valid, the system may grant more access than requested. In no case, however,
Figure 2-2. Segment Flag Bits, p_flags

Name	Value	Meaning
PF_X PF_W PF_R PF_MASKPROC	0x1 0x2 0x4 0xf0000000	Execute Write Read Unspecified

Program Header
2-4 Book III: Operating System Specific (UNIX System V Release 4)
will a segment have write permission unless it is specified explicitly. The following table shows
both the exact flag interpretation and the allowable flag interpretation. TIS-conforming systems
may provide either.
For example, typical text segments have read and execute —but not write —permissions. Data
segments normally have read, write, and execute permissions.
Segment Contents
An object file segment comprises one or more sections, though this fact is transparent to the
program header. Whether the file segment holds one or many sections also is immaterial to
program loading. Nonetheless, various data must be present for program execution, dynamic
linking, and so on. The diagrams below illustrate segment contents in general terms. The order
and membership of sections within a segment may vary; moreover, processor-specific
constraints may alter the examples below.
Text segments contain read-only instructions and data, typically including the following
sections. Other sections may also reside in loadable segments; these examples are not meant
to give complete and exclusive segment contents.
Figure 2-3. Segment Permissions

Flag	Value	Exact	Allowable
none PF_X PF_W PF_W + PF_X PF_R PF_R + PF_X PF_R + PF_W PF_R + PF_W + PF_X	0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7	All access denied Execute only Write only Write, execute Read only Read, execute Read, write Read, write, execute	All access denied Read, execute Read, write, execute Read, write, execute Read, execute Read, execute Read, write, execute Read, write, execute

Program Header
PROGRAM LOADING AND DYNAMIC LINKING 2-5
Data segments contain writable data and instructions, typically including the following
sections.
A PT_DYNAMIC program header element points at the .dynamic section, explained in
“Dynamic Section” below. The .got and .plt sections also hold information related to
position-independent code and dynamic linking. Although the .plt appears in a text segment
above, it may reside in a text or a data segment, depending on the processor.
As “Sections” describes, the .bss section has the type SHT_NOBITS. Although it occupies no
space in the file, it contributes to the segment’s memory image. Normally, these uninitialized
data reside at the end of the segment, thereby making p_memsz larger than p_filesz.
Figure 2-4. Text Segment
.text

.rodata

.hash

.dynsym

.dynstr

.plt

.rel.got

Figure 2-5. Data Segment
.data

.dynamic

.got

.bss

2-6 Book III: Operating System Specific (UNIX System V Release 4)
Dynamic Linking
Program Interpreter
An executable file that participates in dynamic linking shall have one PT_INTERP program
header element. During exec (BA_OS), the system retrieves a path name from the PT_INTERP
segment and creates the initial process image from the interpreter file’s segments. That is,
instead of using the original executable file’s segment images, the system composes a memory
image for the interpreter. It then is the interpreter’s responsibility to receive control from the
system and provide an environment for the application program.
The interpreter receives control in one of two ways. First, it may receive a file descriptor to
read the executable file, positioned at the beginning. It can use this file descriptor to read and/or
map the executable file’s segments into memory. Second, depending on the executable file
format, the system may load the executable file into memory instead of giving the interpreter
an open file descriptor. With the possible exception of the file descriptor, the interpreter’s initial
process state matches what the executable file would have received. The interpreter itself may
not require a second interpreter. An interpreter may be either a shared object or an executable
file.
• A shared object (the normal case) is loaded as position-independent, with addresses that may
vary from one process to another; the system creates its segments in the dynamic segment area
used by mmap (KE_OS) and related services. Consequently, a shared object interpreter
typically will not conflict with the original executable file’s original segment addresses.
• An executable file is loaded at fixed addresses; the system creates its segments using the virtual
addresses from the program header table. Consequently, an executable file interpreter’s virtual
addresses may collide with the first executable file; the interpreter is responsible for resolving
conflicts.
Dynamic Linker
When building an executable file that uses dynamic linking, the link editor adds a program
header element of type PT_INTERP to an executable file, telling the system to invoke the
dynamic linker as the program interpreter.
NOTE. The locations of the system provided dynamic linkers are
processor—specific.
The executable file and the dynamic linker cooperate to create the process image for the
program, which entails the following actions:
• Adding the executable file’s memory segments to the process image;
• Adding shared object memory segments to the process image;
• Performing relocations for the executable file and its shared objects;
• Closing the file descriptor that was used to read the executable file, if one was given to the
dynamic linker;
• Transferring control to the program, making it look as if the program had received control
directly from the executable file.
Dynamic Linking
PROGRAM LOADING AND DYNAMIC LINKING 2-7
The link editor also constructs various data that assist the dynamic linker for executable and
shared object files. As shown above in “Program Header,” these data reside in loadable
segments, making them available during execution. (Note that the exact segment contents are
processor-specific.)
• A .dynamic section with type SHT_DYNAMIC holds various data. The structure residing at
the beginning of the section holds the addresses of other dynamic linking information.
• The .hash section with type SHT_HASH holds a symbol hash table.
• The .got and .plt sections with type SHT_PROGBITS hold two separate tables: the global
offset table and the procedure linkage table. Programs use the global offset table for
position-independent code. Sections below explain how the dynamic linker uses and changes
the tables to create memory images for object files.
Because every UNIX System V conforming program imports the basic system services from a
shared object library, the dynamic linker participates in every TIS ELF-conforming program
execution.
As “Program Loading” explains in the appendix at the end of this book, shared objects may
occupy virtual memory addresses that are different from the addresses recorded in the file’s
program header table. The dynamic linker relocates the memory image, updating absolute
addresses before the application gains control. Although the absolute address values would be
correct if the library were loaded at the addresses specified in the program header table, this
normally is not the case.
If the process environment contains a variable named LD_BIND_NOW with a non-null value,
the dynamic linker processes all relocation before transferring control to the program.. For
example, all the following environment entries would specify this behavior.
• LD_BIND_NOW=1
• LD_BIND_NOW=on
• LD_BIND_NOW=off
Otherwise, LD_BIND_NOW either does not occur in the environment or has a null value. The
dynamic linker is permitted to evaluate procedure linkage table entries lazily, thus avoiding
symbol resolution and relocation overhead for functions that are not called.
Dynamic Linking
2-8 Book III: Operating System Specific (UNIX System V Release 4)
Dynamic Section
If an object file participates in dynamic linking, its program header table will have an element
of type PT_DYNAMIC. This “segment” contains the .dynamic section. A special symbol,
_DYNAMIC, labels the section, which contains an array of the following structures.
For each object with this type, d_tag controls the interpretation of d_un.

d_val d_ptr

These Elf32_Word objects represent integer values with various interpretations. These Elf32_Addr objects represent program virtual addresses. As mentioned

previously, a file’s virtual addresses might not match the memory virtual addresses
during execution. When interpreting addresses contained in the dynamic structure,
the dynamic linker computes actual addresses, based on the original file value and
the memory base address. For consistency, files do not contain relocation entries
to “correct” addresses in the dynamic structure.
The following table summarizes the tag requirements for executable and shared object files. If
a tag is marked “mandatory,” then the dynamic linking array for a TIS ELF conforming file
must have an entry of that type. Likewise, “optional” means an entry for the tag may appear
but is not required.
Figure 2-6. Dynamic Structure
typedef struct {
Elf32_Sword d_tag;
union {
Elf32_Word d_val;
Elf32_Addr d_ptr;
} d_un;
} Elf32_Dyn;
extern Elf32_Dyn _DYNAMIC[];
Dynamic Linking
PROGRAM LOADING AND DYNAMIC LINKING 2-9
Figure 2-7. Dynamic Array Tags, d_tag
Name Value d_un Executable Shared Object

DT_NULL DT_NEEDED DT_PLTRELSZ DT_PLTGOT DT_HASH DT_STRTAB DT_SYMTAB DT_RELA DT_RELASZ DT_RELAENT DT_STRSZ DT_SYMENT DT_INIT DT_FINI DT_SONAME DT_RPATH DT_SYMBOLIC DT_REL DT_RELSZ DT_RELENT DT_PLTREL DT_DEBUG DT_TEXTREL DT_JMPREL DT_BIND_NOW DT_LOPROC DT_HIPROC

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 0x70000000 0x7fffffff

ignored d_val d_val d_ptr d_ptr d_ptr d_ptr d_ptr d_val d_val d_val d_val d_ptr d_ptr d_val d_val ignored d_ptr d_val d_val d_val d_ptr ignored d_ptr ignored unspecified unspecified

mandatory optional optional optional mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory optional optional ignored optional ignored mandatory mandatory mandatory optional optional optional optional optional unspecified unspecified

mandatory optional optional optional mandatory mandatory mandatory optional optional optional mandatory mandatory optional optional optional ignored optional optional optional optional optional ignored optional optional optional unspecified unspecified

Dynamic Linking
2-10 Book III: Operating System Specific (UNIX System V Release 4)
DT_NULL An entry with a DT_NULL tag marks the end of the _DYNAMIC array.
DT_NEEDED This element holds the string table offset of a null-terminated string, giving
the name of a needed library. The offset is an index into the table recorded
in the DT_STRTAB entry. See “Shared Object Dependencies” for more
information about these names. The dynamic array may contain multiple
entries with this type. These entries’ relative order is significant, though
their relation to entries of other types is not.
DT_PLTRELSZ This element holds the total size, in bytes, of the relocation entries
associated with the procedure linkage table. If an entry of typeDT_JMPREL
is present, a DT_PLTRELSZ must accompany it.
DT_PLTGOT This element holds an address associated with the procedure linkage table
and/or the global offset table.
DT_HASH This element holds the address of the symbol hash table, described in “Hash
Table”. This hash table refers to the symbol table referenced by the
DT_SYMTAB element.
DT_STRTAB This element holds the address of the string table, described in Chapter 1.
Symbol names, library names, and other strings reside in this table.
DT_SYMTAB This element holds the address of the symbol table, described in
Chapter 1, with Elf32_Sym entries for the 32-bit class of files.
DT_RELA This element holds the address of a relocation table, described in
Chapter 1. Entries in the table have explicit addends, such asElf32_Rela
for the 32-bit file class. An object file may have multiple relocation
sections. When building the relocation table for an executable or shared
object file, the link editor catenates those sections to form a single table.
Although the sections remain independent in the object file, the dynamic
linker sees a single table. When the dynamic linker creates the process
image for an executable file or adds a shared object to the process image,
it reads the relocation table and performs the associated actions. If this
element is present, the dynamic structure must also have DT_RELASZ and
DT_RELAENT elements. When relocation is “mandatory” for a file, either
DT_RELA or DT_REL may occur (both are permitted but not required).
DT_RELASZ This element holds the total size, in bytes, of the DT_RELA relocation table.
DT_RELAENT This element holds the size, in bytes, of the DT_RELA relocation entry.
DT_STRSZ This element holds the size, in bytes, of the string table.
DT_SYMENT This element holds the size, in bytes, of a symbol table entry.
DT_INIT This element holds the address of the initialization function, discussed in
“Initialization and Termination Functions” below.
DT_FINI This element holds the address of the termination function, discussed in
“Initialization and Termination Functions” below.
Dynamic Linking
PROGRAM LOADING AND DYNAMIC LINKING 2-11
DT_SONAME This element holds the string table offset of a null-terminated string, giving
the name of the shared object. The offset is an index into the table recorded
in the DT_STRTAB entry. See “Shared Object Dependencies” below for
more information about these names.
DT_RPATH This element holds the string table offset of a null-terminated search library
search path string, discussed in “Shared Object Dependencies”. The offset
is an index into the table recorded in the DT_STRTAB entry.
DT_SYMBOLIC This element’s presence in a shared object library alters the dynamic linker’s
symbol resolution algorithm for references within the library. Instead of
starting a symbol search with the executable file, the dynamic linker starts
from the shared object itself. If the shared object fails to supply the
referenced symbol, the dynamic linker then searches the executable file and
other shared objects as usual.
DT_REL This element is similar to DT_RELA, except its table has implicit addends,
such as Elf32_Rel for the 32-bit file class. If this element is present, the
dynamic structure must also have DT_RELSZ and DT_RELENT elements.
DT_RELSZ This element holds the total size, in bytes, of the DT_REL relocation table.
DT_RELENT This element holds the size, in bytes, of the DT_REL relocation entry.
DT_PLTREL This member specifies the type of relocation entry to which the procedure
linkage table refers. The d_val member holds DT_REL or DT_RELA, as
appropriate. All relocations in a procedure linkage table must use the same
relocation.
DT_DEBUG This member is used for debugging. Its contents are not specified in this
document.
DT_TEXTREL This member’s absence signifies that no relocation entry should cause a
modification to a non-writable segment, as specified by the segment
permissions in the program header table. If this member is present, one or
more relocation entries might request modifications to a non-writable
segment, and the dynamic linker can prepare accordingly.
DT_JMPREL If present, this entries d_ptr member holds the address of relocation
entries associated solely with the procedure linkage table. Separating these
relocation entries lets the dynamic linker ignore them during process
initialization, if lazy binding is enabled. If this entry is present, the related
entries of types DT_PLTRELSZ and DT_PLTREL must also be present.
DT_BIND_NOW If present in a shared object or executable, this entry instructs the dynamic
linker to process all relocations for the object containing this entry before
transferring control to the program. The presence of this entry takes
precedence over a directive to use lazy binding for this object when
specified through the environment or via dlopen(BA_LIB).
Dynamic Linking
2-12 Book III: Operating System Specific (UNIX System V Release 4)
DT_LOPROC through DT_HIPROC
Values in this inclusive range are reserved for processor-specific semantics.
If meanings are specified, the processor supplement explains them.
Except for the DT_NULL element at the end of the array, and the relative order of DT_NEEDED
elements, entries may appear in any order. Tag values not appearing in the table are reserved.
Shared Object Dependencies
When the link editor processes an archive library, it extracts library members and copies them
into the output object file. These statically linked services are available during execution
without involving the dynamic linker. Shared objects also provide services, and the dynamic
linker must attach the proper shared object files to the process image for execution. Thus
executable and shared object files describe their specific dependencies.
When the dynamic linker creates the memory segments for an object file, the dependencies
(recorded in DT_NEEDED entries of the dynamic structure) tell what shared objects are needed
to supply the program’s services. By repeatedly connecting referenced shared objects and their
dependencies, the dynamic linker builds a complete process image. When resolving symbolic
references, the dynamic linker examines the symbol tables with a breadth-first search. That is,
it first looks at the symbol table of the executable program itself, then at the symbol tables of
the DT_NEEDED entries (in order), then at the second level DT_NEEDED entries, and so on.
Shared object files must be readable by the process; other permissions are not required.
NOTE. Even when a shared object is referenced multiple times in the dependency
list, the dynamic linker will connect the object only once to the process.
Names in the dependency list are copies either of the DT_SONAME strings or the path names of
the shared objects used to build the object file. For example, if the link editor builds an
executable file using one shared object with a DT_SONAME entry of lib1 and another shared
object library with the path name /usr/lib/lib2, the executable file will contain lib1 and
/usr/lib/lib2 in its dependency list.
If a shared object name has one or more slash (/) characters anywhere in the name, such as
/usr/lib/lib2 above or directory/file, the dynamic linker uses that string directly as
the path name. If the name has no slashes, such as lib1 above, three facilities specify shared
object path searching, with the following precedence.
• First, the dynamic array tag DT_RPATH may give a string that holds a list of directories,
separated by colons (:). For example, the string /home/dir/lib:/home/dir2/lib: tells
the dynamic linker to search first the directory /home/dir/lib, then /home/dir2/lib,
and then the current directory to find dependencies.
• Second, a variable called LD_LIBRARY_PATH in the process environment [see
exec(BA_OS)] may hold a list of directories as above, optionally followed by a semicolon (;)
and another directory list. The following values would be equivalent to the previous example:
■ LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/home/dir/lib:/home/dir2/lib:
■ LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/home/dir/lib;/home/dir2/lib:
■ LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/home/dir/lib:/home/dir2/lib:;
Dynamic Linking
PROGRAM LOADING AND DYNAMIC LINKING 2-13
All LD_LIBRARY_PATH directories are searched after those from DT_RPATH. Although some
programs (such as the link editor) treat the lists before and after the semicolon differently, the
dynamic linker does not. Nevertheless, the dynamic linker accepts the semicolon notation, with
the semantics described above.
• Finally, if the other two groups of directories fail to locate the desired library, the dynamic
linker searches /usr/lib.
NOTE. For security, the dynamic linker ignores environmental search
specifications (such as LD_LIBRARY_PATH) for set-user and set-group
ID programs. It does, however, search DT_RPATH directories and
/usr/lib. The same restriction may be applied to processes that have
more then minimal privileges on systems with installed extended security
systems.
Global Offset Table
The Global Offset Table holds the absolute addresses in private data. This makes it possible
to have the addresses available without compromising the position-independence and
sharability of program text. This table is essential in the System V environment for the dynamic
linking process to work. The actual contents and form of this table depend upon the processor,
and are described in the appendix at the end of this book.
Procedure Linkage Table
Similar to how the global offset table redirects position-independent address calculations to
absolute locations, the procedure linkage table redirects position-independent function calls to
absolute locations. The link editor cannot resolve execution transfers, such as function calls,
from one executable or shared object to another. Consequently, the link editor arranges to have
the program transfer control to entries in the procedure linkage table. The actual contents,
layout and location of the procedure linkage table is determined by the processor and are
described in the appendix at the end of this book.
Dynamic Linking
2-14 Book III: Operating System Specific (UNIX System V Release 4)
Hash Table
A hash table of Elf32_Word objects supports symbol table access. Labels appear below to
help explain the hash table organization, but they are not part of the specification.
The bucket array contains nbucket entries, and the chain array contains nchain entries;
indexes start at 0. Both bucket and chain hold symbol table indexes. Chain table entries
parallel the symbol table. The number of symbol table entries should equal nchain; so symbol
table indexes also select chain table entries. A hashing function (shown below) accepts a symbol
name and returns a value that may be used to computea bucket index. Consequently, if the
hashing function returns the value x for some name, bucket[x%nbucket] gives an index, y,
into both the symbol table and the chain table. If the symbol table entry is not the one desired,
chain[y] gives the next symbol table entry with the same hash value. One can follow the chain
links until either the selected symbol table entry holds the desired name or the chain entry
contains the value STN_UNDEF.
Initialization and Termination Functions
After the dynamic linker has built the process image and performed the relocations, each shared
object gets the opportunity to execute some initialization code. All shared object initializations
happen before the executable file gains control.
Figure 2-8. Symbol Hash Table
nbucket

nchain

bucket[0] . . . bucket[nbucket-1]

chain[0] . . . chain[nchain-1]

Figure 2-9. Hashing Function
unsigned long
elf_hash(const unsigned char *name)
{
unsigned long h = 0, g;
while (*name)
{
h = (h << 4) + *name++;
if (g = h & 0xf0000000)
h ^= g >> 24;
h &= ~g;
}
return h;
}
Dynamic Linking
PROGRAM LOADING AND DYNAMIC LINKING 2-15
Before the initialization code for any object A is called, the initialization code for any other
objects that object A depends on are called. For these purposes, an object A depends on another
object B, if B appears in A’s list of needed objects (recorded in the DT_NEEDED entries of
the dynamic structure). The order of initialization for circular dependencies is undefined.
The initialization of objects occurs by recursing through the needed entries of each object. The
initialization code for an object is invoked after the needed entries for that object have been
processed. The order of processing among the entries of a particular list of needed objects is
unspecified
NOTE. Each processor supplement may optionally further restrict the algorithm
used to determine the order of initialization. Any such restriction, however,
may not conflict with the rules described by this specification.
The following example illustrates two of the possible correct orderings which can be generated
for the example NEEDED lists. In this example the a.out is dependent on b, d, and e. b is
dependent on d and f, while d is dependent on e and g. From this information, a dependency
graph can be drawn. The above algorithm on initialization will then allow the following
specified initialization orderings among others.
Dynamic Linking
2-16 Book III: Operating System Specific (UNIX System V Release 4)
.
Similarly, shared objects may have termination functions, which are executed with the
atexit(BA_OS) mechanism after the base process begins its termination sequence. The order
in which the dynamic linker calls termination functions is the exact reverse order of their
corresponding initialization functions. If a shared object has a termination function, but no
initialization function, the termination function will execute in the order it would have as if the
shared object’s initialization function was present. The dynamic linker ensures that it will not
execute any initialization or termination functions more than once.
Figure 2-10. Initialization Ordering Example
OSD1977
a.out
d g
b e
f
d f
b e
d g
e
a.out b d
NEEDED Lists Dependency Graph
e g d f b a.out
Init Orderings
g f e d b a.out
Dynamic Linking
PROGRAM LOADING AND DYNAMIC LINKING 2-17
Shared objects designate their initialization and termination functions through the DT_INIT
and DT_FINI entries in the dynamic structure, described in “Dynamic Section” above.
Typically, the code for these functions resides in the .init and .fini sections, mentioned in
“Sections” of Chapter 1.
NOTE. Although the atexit(BA_OS) termination processing normally will be
done, it is not guaranteed to have executed upon process death. In
particular, the process will not execute the termination processing if it
calls _exit [see exit (BA_OS)] or if the process dies because it received
a signal that it neither caught nor ignored.
The dynamic linker is not responsible for calling the executable file’s .init section or
registering the executable file’s .fini section with atexit(BA_OS). Termination functions
specified by users via the atexit(BA_OS) mechanism must be executed before any
termination functions of shared objects.
Program Header
2-18 Book III: Operating System Specific (UNIX System V Release 4)
INTEL ARCHITECTURE AND SYSTEM V RELEASE 4 DEPENDENCIES A-1
Introduction
This appendix describes the ELF features and functions that are both Intel Architecture and
System V Release 4 dependent.
A-2 Book III: Operating System Specific (UNIX System V Release 4)
Sections
Special Sections
Various sections hold program and control information. Sections in the list below are used by
the system and have the indicated types and attributes.
.got This section holds the global offset table. See “Global Offset Table” below for more
information.
.plt This section holds the procedure linkage table. See “Procedure Linkage Table”
Chapter 2 for more information.
Figure A-1. Special Sections
Name Type Attributes

.got .plt

SHT_PROGBITS SHT_PROGBITS

SHF_ALLOC+SHF_WRITE SHF_ALLOC+SHF_EXECINSTR

INTEL ARCHITECTURE AND SYSTEM V RELEASE 4 DEPENDENCIES A-3
Symbol Table
Symbol Values
If an executable file contains a reference to a function defined in one of its associated shared
objects, the symbol table section for that file will contain an entry for that symbol. The
st_shndx member of that symbol table entry contains SHN_UNDEF. This signals to the dynamic
linker that the symbol definition for that function is not contained in the executable file itself.
If that symbol has been allocated a procedure linkage table entry in the executable file, and the
st_value member for that symbol table entry is non-zero, the value will contain the virtual
address of the first instruction of that procedure linkage table entry. Otherwise, the st_value
member contains zero. This procedure linkage table entry address is used by the dynamic linker
in resolving references to the address of the function. See “Function Addresses” below for
details.
A-4 Book III: Operating System Specific (UNIX System V Release 4)
Relocation
Relocation Types
Relocation entries describe how to alter the following instruction and data fields (bit numbers
appear in the lower box corners).
word32 This specifies a 32-bit field occupying 4 bytes with arbitrary byte alignment. These
values use the same byte order as other word values in the Intel architecture.
Calculations below assume the actions are transforming a relocatable file into either an
executable or a shared object file. Conceptually, the link editor merges one or more relocatable
files to form the output. It first decides how to combine and locate the input files, then updates
the symbol values, and finally performs the relocation. Relocations applied to executable or
shared object files are similar and accomplish the same result. Descriptions below use the
following notation.

A	This means the addend used to compute the value of the relocatable field.
B	This means the base address at which a shared object has been loaded into memory during execution. Generally, a shared object file is built with a 0 base virtual address, but the execution address will be different. This means the offset into the global offset table at which the address of the relocation entry’s symbol will reside during execution. See “Global Offset Table” below for more information. This means the address of the global offset table. See “Global Offset Table” below for more information. This means the place (section offset or address) of the procedure linkage table entry
G
GOT
L

for a symbol. A procedure linkage table entry redirects a function call to the proper
destination. The link editor builds the initial procedure linkage table, and the
dynamic linker modifies the entries during execution. See “Procedure Linkage
Table” below for more information.
Figure A-2. Relocatable Fields
word32
31 0
OSD1975

31 01 3

02 2

03 1

04 0 0

OSD1976
0x01020304
Relocation
INTEL ARCHITECTURE AND SYSTEM V RELEASE 4 DEPENDENCIES A-5

P	This means the place (section offset or address) of the storage unit being relocated (computed using r_offset ). This means the value of the symbol whose index resides in the relocation entry.
S

A relocation entry’s r_offset value designates the offset or virtual address of the first byte
of the affected storage unit. The relocation type specifies which bits to change and how to
calculate their values. The Intel architecture uses only Elf32_Rel relocation entries, the field
to be relocated holds the addend. In all cases, the addend and the computed result use the same
byte order.
Some relocation types have semantics beyond simple calculation.

R_386_GLOB_DAT	This relocation type is used to set a global offset table entry to the address of the specified symbol. The special relocation type allows one to determine the correspondence between symbols and global offset table entries. The link editor creates this relocation type for dynamic linking. Its offset
R_386_JMP_SLOT

member gives the location of a procedure linkage table entry. The dynamic
linker modifies the procedure linkage table entry to transfer control to the
designated symbol’s address [see “Procedure Linkage Table” below].
R_386_RELATIVE The link editor creates this relocation type for dynamic linking. Its offset
member gives a location within a shared object that contains a value
representing a relative address. The dynamic linker computes the
corresponding virtual address by adding the virtual address at which the
shared object was loaded to the relative address. Relocation entries for this
type must specify 0 for the symbol table index.
R_386_GOTOFF This relocation type computes the difference between a symbol’s value and
the address of the global offset table. It additionally instructs the link editor
to build the global offset table.
Figure A-3. Relocation Types

Name	Value	Field	Calculation
R_386_GOT32 R_386_PLT32 R_386_COPY R_386_GLOB_DAT R_386_JMP_SLOT R_386_RELATIVE R_386_GOTOFF R_386_GOTPC	3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10	word32 word32 none word32 word32 word32 word32 word32	G + A L + A – P none S S B + A S + A – GOT GOT + A – P

Relocation
A-6 Book III: Operating System Specific (UNIX System V Release 4)
R_386_GOTPC This relocation type resembles R_386_PC32, except it uses the address
of the global offset table in its calculation. The symbol referenced in this
relocation normally is _GLOBAL_OFFSET_TABLE_, which additionally
instructs the link editor to build the global offset table.
INTEL ARCHITECTURE AND SYSTEM V RELEASE 4 DEPENDENCIES A-7
Program Loading and Dynamic Linking
Program Loading
As the system creates or augments a process image, it logically copies a file’s segment to a
virtual memory segment. When—and if— the system physically reads the file depends on the
program’s execution behavior, system load, and so on. A process does not require a physical
page unless it references the logical page during execution, and processes commonly leave
many pages unreferenced. Therefore delaying physical reads frequently obviates them,
improving system performance. To obtain this efficiency in practice, executable and shared
object files must have segment images whose file offsets and virtual addresses are congruent,
modulo the page size.
Virtual addresses and file offsets for the Intel architecture segments are congruent modulo 4KB
(0x1000) or larger powers of 2. Because 4KB is the maximum page size for the Intel
Architecture, the files will be suitable for paging regardless of physical page size.
Figure A-5 describes the Executable File Example in Figure A-4.
Figure A-4. Executable File Example
OSD1978

ELF Header

Program Header Table

Other Information

Text Segment 0x2be00 Bytes . . .

Other Information . . .

Data Segment 0x4ee00 Bytes . . .

0
0x100
0x2bf00
0x30d00
0x8048100
0x8074f00
0x8073eff
0x8079cff
File Offset File Virtual Address

Program Loading and Dynamic Linking
A-8 Book III: Operating System Specific (UNIX System V Release 4)
Although the example’s file offsets and virtual addresses are congruent modulo 4KB for both
text and data, up to four file pages hold impure text or data (depending on page size and file
system block size).
• The first text page contains the ELF header, the program header table, and other information.
• The last text page holds a copy of the beginning of data.
• The first data page has a copy of the end of text.
• The last data page may contain file information not relevant to the running process.
Logically, the system enforces the memory permissions as if each segment were complete and
separate; segments’ addresses are adjusted to ensure each logical page in the address space has
a single set of permissions. In the example above, the region of the file holding the end of text
and the beginning of data will be mapped twice: at one virtual address for text and at a different
virtual address for data.
The end of the data segment requires special handling for uninitialized data, which the system
defines to begin with zero values. Thus if a file’s last data page includes information not in the
logical memory page, the extraneous data must be set to zero, not the unknown contents of the
executable file. “Impurities” in the other three pages are not logically part of the process image;
whether the system expunges them is unspecified. The memory image for this program follows,
assuming 4 KB (0x1000 pages).
Figure A-5. Program Header Segments

Member	Text	Data
p_type p_offset p_vaddr p_paddr p_filesz p_memsz p_flags p_align	PT_LOAD 0x100 0x8048100 unspecified 0x2be00 0x2be00 PF_R+PF_X 0x1000	PT_LOAD 0x2bf00 0x8074f00 unspecified 0x4e00 0x5e24 PF_R+PF_W+PF_X 0x1000

Program Loading and Dynamic Linking
INTEL ARCHITECTURE AND SYSTEM V RELEASE 4 DEPENDENCIES A-9
One aspect of segment loading differs between executable files and shared objects. Executable
file segments typically contain absolute code. To let the process execute correctly, the segments
must reside at the virtual addresses used to build the executable file. Thus the system uses the
p_vaddr values unchanged as virtual addresses.
On the other hand, shared object segments typically contain position-independent code. This
lets a segment’s virtual address change from one process to another, without invalidating
execution behavior. Though the system chooses virtual addresses for individual processes, it
maintains the segments relative positions. Because position-independent code uses relative
addressing between segments, the difference between virtual addresses in memory must match
the difference between virtual addresses in the file. The following table shows possible shared
object virtual address assignments for several processes, illustrating constant relative
positioning. The table also illustrates the base address computations.
Figure A-6. Process Image Segments Example

Header Padding 0x100 Bytes

Text Segment 0x2be00 Bytes . . .

0x100 Bytes Data Padding

0x8048000
Text
Virtual Address Contents Segment
0x8048100
0x8073f00
OSD1979

Text Padding 0xf00 Bytes

Data Segment 0x4e00 Bytes . . .

0x1024 Zero Bytes Uninitialized Data

0x2dc Zero Bytes Page Padding

0x8074000
Data
0x8074f00
0x8079d00
0x807ad24
Program Loading and Dynamic Linking
A-10 Book III: Operating System Specific (UNIX System V Release 4)
Dynamic Linking
Dynamic Section
Dynamic section entries give information to the dynamic linker. Some of this information is
processor-specific, including the interpretation of some entries in the dynamic structure.
DT_PLTGOT On the Intel architecture, this entry’s d_ptr member gives the address of the first
entry in the global offset table. As mentioned below, the first three global offset
table entries are reserved, and two are used to hold procedure linkage table
information.
Global Offset Table
Position-independent code cannot, in general, contain absolute virtual addresses. Global offset
tables hold absolute addresses in private data, thus making the addresses available without
compromising the position-independence and sharability of a program’s text. A program
references its global offset table using position-independent addressing and extracts absolute
values, thus redirecting position-independent references to absolute locations.
Initially, the global offset table holds information as required by its relocation entries [see
“Relocation” in Chapter 1]. After the system creates memory segments for a loadable object
file, the dynamic linker processes the relocation entries, some of which will be type
R_386_GLOB_DAT referring to the global offset table. The dynamic linker determines the
associated symbol values, calculates their absolute addresses, and sets the appropriate memory
table entries to the proper values. Although the absolute addresses are unknown when the link
editor builds an object file, the dynamic linker knows the addresses of all memory segments
and can thus calculate the absolute addresses of the symbols contained therein.
If a program requires direct access to the absolute address of a symbol, that symbol will have
a global offset table entry. Because the executable file and shared objects have separate global
offset tables, a symbol’s address may appear in several tables. The dynamic linker processes
all the global offset table relocations before giving control to any code in the process image,
thus ensuring the absolute addresses are available during execution.
Figure A-7. Shared Object Segment Addresses Example

Source	Text	Data	Base Address
File Process 1 Process 2 Process 3 Process 4	0x200 0x80000200 0x80081200 0x900c0200 0x900c6200	0x2a400 0x8002a400 0x800ab400 0x900ea400 0x900f0400	0x0 0x80000000 0x80081000 0x900c0000 0x900c6000

Program Loading and Dynamic Linking
INTEL ARCHITECTURE AND SYSTEM V RELEASE 4 DEPENDENCIES A-11
The table’s entry zero is reserved to hold the address of the dynamic structure, referenced with
the symbol _DYNAMIC. This allows a program, such as the dynamic linker, to find its own
dynamic structure without having yet processed its relocation entries. This is especially
important for the dynamic linker, because it must initialize itself without relying on other
programs to relocate its memory image. On the Intel architecture, entries one and two in the
global offset table also are reserved. “Procedure Linkage Table” below describes them.
The system may choose different memory segment addresses for the same shared object in
different programs; it may even choose different library addresses for different executions of
the same program. Nonetheless, memory segments do not change addresses once the process
image is established. As long as a process exists, its memory segments reside at fixed virtual
addresses.
A global offset table’s format and interpretation are processor-specific. For the Intel
architecture, the symbol _GLOBAL_OFFSET_TABLE_ may be used to access the table.
The symbol _GLOBAL_OFFSET_TABLE_ may reside in the middle of the .got section,
allowing both negative and non-negative “subscripts” into the array of addresses.
Function Addresses
References to the address of a function from an executable file and the shared objects associated
with it might not resolve to the same value. References from within shared objects will normally
be resolved by the dynamic linker to the virtual address of the function itself. References from
within the executable file to a function defined in a shared object will normally be resolved by
the link editor to the address of the procedure linkage table entry for that function within the
executable file.
To allow comparisons of function addresses to work as expected, if an executable file references
a function defined in a shared object, the link editor will place the address of the procedure
linkage table entry for that function in its associated symbol table entry. [See “Symbol Values”
in Chapter 1]. The dynamic linker treats such symbol table entries specially. If the dynamic
linker is searching for a symbol, and encounters a symbol table entry for that symbol in the
executable file, it normally follows the rules below.
1. If the st_shndx member of the symbol table entry is not SHN_UNDEF, the dynamic linker has
found a definition for the symbol and uses its st_value member as the symbol’s address.
2. If the st_shndx member is SHN_UNDEF and the symbol is of type STT_FUNC and the
st_value member is not zero, the dynamic linker recognizes this entry as special and uses the
st_value member as the symbol’s address.
3. Otherwise, the dynamic linker considers the symbol to be undefined within the executable file
and continues processing.
Figure A-8. Global Offset Table
extern Elf32_Addr _GLOBAL_OFFSET_TABLE_[];
Program Loading and Dynamic Linking
A-12 Book III: Operating System Specific (UNIX System V Release 4)
Some relocations are associated with procedure linkage table entries. These entries are used
for direct function calls rather than for references to function addresses. These relocations are
not treated in the special way described above because the dynamic linker must not redirect
procedure linkage table entries to point to themselves.
Procedure Linkage Table
Much as the global offset table redirects position-independent address calculations to absolute
locations, the procedure linkage table redirects position-independent function calls to absolute
locations. The link editor cannot resolve execution transfers (such as function calls) from one
executable or shared object to another. Consequently, the link editor arranges to have the
program transfer control to entries in the procedure linkage table. On the Intel architecture,
procedure linkage tables reside in shared text, but they use addresses in the private global offset
table. The dynamic linker determines the destinations’ absolute addresses and modifies the
global offset table’s memory image accordingly. The dynamic linker thus can redirect the entries
without compromising the position-independence and sharability of the program’s text.
Executable files and shared object files have separate procedure linkage tables.
Figure A-9. Absolute Procedure Linkage Table

pushl jmp	got_plus_4 *got_plus_8
nop; nop nop; nop
jmp pushl jmp jmp pushl jmp …	*name1_in_GOT $offset [email protected] *name2_in_GOT $offset [email protected]

Figure A-10. Position-Independent Procedure Linkage Table

pushl jmp	4(%ebx) *8(%ebx)
nop; nop nop; nop
jmp pushl jmp jmp pushl jmp …	*[email protected](%ebx) $offset [email protected] *[email protected](%ebx) $offset [email protected]

Program Loading and Dynamic Linking
INTEL ARCHITECTURE AND SYSTEM V RELEASE 4 DEPENDENCIES A-13
NOTE. As the figures show, the procedure linkage table instructions use different
operand addressing modes for absolute code and for
position-independent code. Nonetheless, their interfaces to the dynamic
linker are the same.
Following the steps below, the dynamic linker and the program “cooperate” to resolve symbolic
references through the procedure linkage table and the global offset table.
1. When first creating the memory image of the program, the dynamic linker sets the second and
the third entries in the global offset table to special values. Steps below explain more about these
values.
2. If the procedure linkage table is position-independent, the address of the global offset table must
reside in %ebx . Each shared object file in the process image has its own procedure linkage
table, and control transfers to a procedure linkage table entry only from within the same object
file. Consequently, the calling function is responsible for setting the global offset table base
register before calling the procedure linkage table entry.
3. For illustration, assume the program calls name1, which transfers control to the label .PLT1 .
4. The first instruction jumps to the address in the global offset table entry for name1. Initially, the
global offset table holds the address of the following pushl instruction, not the real address of
name1.
5. Consequently, the program pushes a relocation offset (offset) on the stack. The relocation
offset is a 32-bit, non-negative byte offset into the relocation table. The designated relocation
entry will have type R_386_JMP_SLOT, and its offset will specify the global offset table entry
used in the previous jmp instruction. The relocation entry also contains a symbol table index,
thus telling the dynamic linker what symbol is being referenced, name1 in this case.
6. After pushing the relocation offset, the program then jumps to .PLT0, the first entry in the
procedure linkage table. The pushl instruction places the value of the second global offset
table entry (got_plus_4 or 4(%ebx)) on the stack, thus giving the dynamic linker one word of
identifying information. The program then jumps to the address in the third global offset table
entry (got_plus_8 or 8(%ebx)), which transfers control to the dynamic linker.
7. When the dynamic linker receives control, it unwinds the stack, looks at the designated
relocation entry, finds the symbol’s value, stores the “real” address for name1 in its global offset
table entry, and transfers control to the desired destination.
8. Subsequent executions of the procedure linkage table entry will transfer directly to name1,
without calling the dynamic linker a second time. That is, the jmp instruction at .PLT1 will
transfer to name1, instead of “falling through” to the pushl instruction.
The LD_BIND_NOW environment variable can change dynamic linking behavior. If its value is
non-null, the dynamic linker evaluates procedure linkage table entries before transferring
control to the program. That is, the dynamic linker processes relocation entries of type
R_3862_JMP_SLOT during process initialization. Otherwise, the dynamic linker evaluates
procedure linkage table entries lazily, delaying symbol resolution and relocation until the first
execution of a table entry.
Program Loading and Dynamic Linking
A-14 Book III: Operating System Specific (UNIX System V Release 4)
NOTE. Lazy binding generally improves overall application performance,
because unused symbols do not incur the dynamic linking overhead.
Nevertheless, two situations make lazy binding undesirable for some
applications. First, the initial reference to a shared object function takes
longer than subsequent calls, because the dynamic linker intercepts the
call to resolve the symbol. Some applications cannot tolerate this
unpredictability. Second, if an error occurs and the dynamic linker cannot
resolve the symbol, the dynamic linker will terminate the program. Under
lazy binding, this might occur at arbitrary times. Once again, some
applications cannot tolerate this unpredictability. By turning off lazy
binding, the dynamic linker forces the failure to occur during process
initialization, before the application receives control.
Program Interpreter
There is one valid program interpreter for programs conforming to the ELF specification for
the Intel architecture: /usr/lib/libc.so.1
1
Index

Book I: Executable and Linkable Format

M

2’s complement, 1-7
A
Absolute symbols, 1-9
Alignment, section, 1-11
ASCII, 1-3
Assembler, 1-1
B-C
Byte order, 1-7
Character sets, 1-3
Common symbols, 1-9
D
Data representation, 1-2, 1-7
Dynamic library. See Shared object file
Dynamic linking, symbol table, 1-12
E
ELF, 1-1
Entry point. See Process, entry point
Executable file, 1-1
F
File, object, 1-1
Formats, object file, 1-1
FORTRAN, 1-9
H-L
Hash table, 1-16
Library
Dynamic. See Shared object file
Shared. See Shared object file
Link editor, 1-1
Magic marker, 1-5
Magic number, 1-7
Multibyte characters, 1-3
O
Object file. See also Archive file, Executable file, Relocatable
file, Shared object file
Data representation, 1-2
Data types, 1-2
ELF header, 1-2, 1-4
Extensions, 1-5
Format, 1-1
Program header, 2-2
Program loading, 2-2
Relocation, 1-14, 1-23
Section, 1-9
Alignment, 1-11
Attributes, 1-14
Header, 1-2, 1-9
Names, 1-17
Types, 1-11
Segment, 2-1, 2-2
Special sections, 1-15, A-2
String table, 1-18, 1-19
Symbol table, 1-19
Type, 1-4
Version, 1-5
P
Process
Entry point, 1-5
Image, 2-1, 2-2
Virtual addressing, 2-2
Processor-specific information, 1-21, 1-23
Program
Header, 2-1, 2-2
Interpreter, 1-16
Loading, 2-1
R
Relocatable file, 1-1
Relocation. See Object file
2
Index
S-T
Segment
Object file, 2-1, 2-2
Process, 2-1
Program header, 2-2
Shared library. See Shared object file
Shared object file, 1-1
String table. See Object file
Symbol table. See Object file
Symbols. See also Hash table
Absolute, 1-9
Binding, 1-20
Common, 1-9
Type, 1-21
Undefined, 1-9
Value, 1-22
TIS conformance, 1-3, 2-6
U-V
Undefined behavior, 1-12, 2-6
Undefined symbols, 1-9
Unspecified property, 1-2, 1-10, 1-12, 1-16, 2-2, 2-5
Virtual addressing, 2-2
Book II: Processor Specific
(Intel Architecture)
A-F
Archive file 1-2
File, object. See Object file
O
Object file 1-2. See also Executable file, Relocatable file
ELF header 1-2
Relocation 1-3
R-S
Relocation. See Object file
Shared object file 1-2
Book III: Operating System Specific
(UNIX System V Release 4)
_DYNAMIC. See Dynamic linking
A
ABI conformance 2-8, 2-15
Absolute code A-9
Address, virtual A-7
Alignment, executable file A-7
Archive file 1-5
Assembler, symbol names 1-5
B-C
Base address 2-14, A-4, A-9
Definition 2-9
C language, assembly names 1-5
D
Data, uninitialized A-8
Dynamic library. See Shared object file
Dynamic linker 2-13. See also Dynamic linking, Link editor,
Shared object file
Dynamic linking 2-12, A-10. See also Dynamic linker, Hash
table, Procedure linkage table
_DYNAMIC 2-14
Base address 2-9
Environment 2-13, 2-18, A-14
Hash function 2-20
Initialization function 2-16, 2-20
Lazy binding 2-13, A-14
LD_BIND_NOW 2-13, A-14
LD_LIBRARY_PATH 2-18
Relocation 2-16, A-10, A-13
String table 2-16
Symbol resolution 2-18
Symbol table 1-2, 1-3, 2-16
Termination function 2-16, 2-20
Dynamic segments A-9
E
ELF 1-1
Environment 2-13, 2-18, A-14
exec(BA_OS) 2-12, 2-13, 2-18
Paging A-7
Executable file, segments A-9
exit 2-23
Index
3
F-G
File offset A-7
File, object. See Object file
Global offset table 2-13, A-2, A-4, A-5, A-6, A-10
H-I
Hash function 2-20
Hash table 1-2, 2-13, 2-16, 2-20
Intel architecture A-7
Interpreter. See Program interpreter
J-L
jmp instruction A-12, A-13
Lazy binding 2-13, A-14
ld(SD_CMD). See Link editor
LD_BIND_NOW 2-13, A-14
LD_LIBRARY_PATH 2-18
Library
Dynamic. See Shared object file
Shared. See Shared object file
Link editor 1-5, 2-13, 2-16, 2-19, A-10. See also Dynamic
linker
M
main 1-3
Memory management 2-9
mmap(KE_OS) 2-12
O
Object file 1-1. See also Archive file, Dynamic linking, Executable File, Relocatable file, Shared object file
Archive file 1-5
Hash table 2-13, 2-16, 2-20
Program header 2-8
Program loading 2-8
Relocation 1-2, 2-16, A-4
Section A-2
Segment 2-8, A-7
Shared object file 2-12
Special sections 1-2, A-2
String table 1-2
Symbol table 1-2, 1-5
P
Page size A-7
Paging A-7
Paging, performance A-7
Performance, paging A-7
Permissions, process segments. See Segment permissions
Position-independent code 2-13, A-9
Procedure linkage table 1-5, 2-13, 2-16, 2-17, A-2, A-4, A-5,
A-10, A-12
Process
Entry point 1-3, 2-20
Image 2-8
Processor-specific 2-12
Information 2-9, 2-10, 2-18, A-7, A-10, A-11, A-12
Program
Header 2-8
Interpreter 1-3, 2-12
Loading 2-7, A-7
pushl instruction A-12, A-13
R-S
Relocation. See Object file
Section, object file A-7
Segment
Dynamic 2-14
Object file 2-8
Permissions 2-9, A-8
Process 2-12, 2-18, A-7, A-11
Set-user ID programs 2-19
Shared library. See Shared object file
Shared object file. See also Dynamic linking, Object file
Functions 1-5
Segments A-9
Symbol names, C and assembly 1-5
Symbol table. See Object file
Symbols, shared object file functions 1-5
Symbols, value 1-5
T
These 2-18
TIS conformance 2-10
U-Z
Undefined behavior A-8
Uninitialized data A-8
Unspecified property 2-8, 2-9, 2-17, 2-18, A-8
Zero, uninitialized data A-8
4
Index