Attempt to port PDP-11 LINKer to PC C/C++ — learning how the linker works, the hard way.
The code (partially) ported from MACRO-11 sources to C/C++. Port source: RT-11 LINK V05.45.
- Nikita Zimin (@nzeemin)
- Vladimir Voroshilov (@voroshil)
Currently the PCLINK11 links most of test OBJ files properly, but we have some troubles linking tests with libraries.
The source code is able to compile under Windows (VS2013/VS2015), and also under Linux/MacOS (gcc/clang, use the Makefile).
Command line:
pclink11 <input files and options>
Options (both /
and -
prefixes are allowed):
-EXECUTE:filespec
— Specifies the name of the memory image file-NOBITMAP
-X
— Do not emit bit map-WIDE
-W
— Produces a load map that is 132-columns wide-ALPHABETIZE
-A
— Lists global symbols on the link map in alphabetical order-SYMBOLTABLE
-STB
— Generates a symbol table file (.STB file)-MAP
— Generates map file-FORLIB
-F
— Include FORLIB.OBJ-Q:section=address
— Set section to absolute address--version
— Show the program version information--help
— Show quick help on the command line options
Input files and options are space-separated.
Examples:
pclink11 HELLO.OBJ
— link the object file, will produceHELLO.SAV
executablepclink11 -MAP -SYMBOLTABLE -EXECUTE:LD.SYS LD.OBJ SYSLIB.OBJ -X
— link object file with system library, produce map file and symbol file, save output asLD.SYS
, do not put bitmap in the first blockpclink11 TEST1.OBJ TEST2.OBJ -MAP -WIDE -A
— link two object files, generate map file with wide format, alphabetize list of symbols
Folder tests
contains more than 100 sub-folders with .OBJ files.
First, we use RT-11 simulator written by Dmitry Patronov to produce "etalon" or "original" output files, they renamed with -11
suffix — see !runtest11.cmd
command file.
Then, we run the pclink11
with to produce "our" output files, they renamed with -my
suffix — see !runtestmy.cmd
command file and testrunner
utility.
And finally, we compare "original" files with "our" files, line-to-line or byte-to-byte, using testanalyzer
utility.
"Our" MAP files differs in the first line (program name, date/time, no page number), and there's no paging, so no page header lines. SAV/SYS/REL and STB files are binary, compared byte-to-byte, should be no differences. Log files are absolutely different, we're not comparing them, but in "our" log files we're looking for "SUCCESS"/"ERROR" and so on.
First priority:
- Fix bugs for the failing test cases
Second priority:
- Need more tests, currently we have 120 test cases
- Reduce amount of logging, add option for verbosity level
- Process other command-line options, including file-specific ones
Not implemented now, and not sure we will:
- Link for foreground execution with
-R
or-FOREGROUND
option, produce .REL file - LDA output — produce a file in absolute binary loader format (option
-L
) - Overlays
- Linkage with separated instructions/data spaces