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[2/3, ppc64, elfutils patch] eu-strip vs. func addresses for GDB inferior calls

Roland McGrath roland@hack.frob.com
Thu Mar 24 03:51:00 GMT 2011 
> the synthetic `.funcname' instructions-pointing symbols are generated on ppc64
> by BFD on its own from the function descriptor ELF symbols `funcname'.

I see.  There were previous variants of the ppc64 tools (and perhaps
still are modes) in which actual .funcname symbols were defined as
well.  I suspect that history is why BFD is organized this way.

> (DWARF symbols `funcname' point to the instructions which may be confusing.)

It is confusing if you use a noncanonical term like "DWARF symbol".  In
DWARF, there are well-defined entities like DIEs that have well-defined
attributes that are specifically about PC values, and so none of that is
confusing on its own.  It is just wrong to imagine that DWARF defines
something called a symbol that is akin to an ELF symbol.

> I agree it is only a workaround of the BFD design.

Then BFD should just be fixed.

Alan surely knows more about this particular stuff than anyone else.
His suggestions about BFD and GDB internals are probably the most useful.


Thanks,
Roland
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