Xen devel - Aug 2006 - update for x86_64-put-note-sections-into-a-pt_note-segment-in-vmlinux.patch

Older binutils (prior to 2.16) have a problem with the linker script resulting
from the change introducing explicit segment maps. Namely does the
respective linker not properly handle @nobits sections (i.e. .bss) sitting
between @progbits ones (i.e. .data.*). The .bss section must therefore
be moved past all initialized sections (as is already the case on i386).
Replacement patch attached.

Jan


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On Mon, 2006-08-28 at 14:15 +0100, Jan Beulich wrote:
> Older binutils (prior to 2.16) have a problem with the linker script
resulting
> from the change introducing explicit segment maps. Namely does the
> respective linker not properly handle @nobits sections (i.e. .bss) sitting
> between @progbits ones (i.e. .data.*). The .bss section must therefore
> be moved past all initialized sections (as is already the case on i386).
> Replacement patch attached.
I''ve applied this now. Sorry for the delay, it slipped off my radar...

I''m a little wary of the problem described here
http://marc.theaimsgroup.com/?l=linux-kernel&m=115629369729911&w=2 but I
was unable to reproduce it and for now it seems preferable to not
working at all with older binutils.

Ian.


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>>> Ian Campbell <ian.campbell@xensource.com> 09.09.06 21:59
>>>
>On Mon, 2006-08-28 at 14:15 +0100, Jan Beulich wrote:
>> Older binutils (prior to 2.16) have a problem with the linker script
resulting
>> from the change introducing explicit segment maps. Namely does the
>> respective linker not properly handle @nobits sections (i.e. .bss)
sitting
>> between @progbits ones (i.e. .data.*). The .bss section must therefore
>> be moved past all initialized sections (as is already the case on
i386).
>> Replacement patch attached.
>
>I''ve applied this now. Sorry for the delay, it slipped off my
radar...
>
>I''m a little wary of the problem described here
>http://marc.theaimsgroup.com/?l=linux-kernel&m=115629369729911&w=2
but I
>was unable to reproduce it and for now it seems preferable to not
>working at all with older binutils.
I discussed this at some length with Andi Kleen (as I''m of the opinion
that if that
patch introduced a problem like this, then the problem was likely just hidden
before). Since we have so little data about the problem, we''d need to
see this
again in order to analyze it more thoroughly; I would have wanted it to be put
back in even in the native kernel for this purpose, but Andi wanted to at least
delay doing so until we (internally) have a wider test window again than at this
point in time.
Therefore, should anyone run into any problems because of this change, I
would very much appreciate being explicitly notified about that.

Jan

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