#### Linux From Scratch - Version 7.9

### Chapter 6. Installing Basic System Software

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# 6.13. Binutils-2.26

The Binutils package contains a linker, an assembler, and other tools for handling object files.

Approximate build time: 2.4 SBU
Required disk space: 475 MB

## 6.13.1. Installation of Binutils

Verify that the PTYs are working properly inside the chroot environment by performing a simple test:

    expect -c "spawn ls"

This command should output the following:

    spawn ls

If, instead, the output includes the message below, then the environment is not set up for proper PTY operation. This issue needs to be resolved before running the test suites for Binutils and GCC:

    The system has no more ptys.
    Ask your system administrator to create more.

Fix a problem identified upstream:

    patch -Np1 -i ../binutils-2.26-upstream_fix-2.patch

The Binutils documentation recommends building Binutils in a dedicated build directory:

    mkdir -v build
    cd       build

Prepare Binutils for compilation:

    ../configure --prefix=/usr   \
                 --enable-shared \
                 --disable-werror

Compile the package:

    make tooldir=/usr

The meaning of the make parameter:

`tooldir=/usr`

  Normally, the tooldir (the directory where the executables will ultimately be located) is set to `$(exec_prefix)/$(target_alias)`. For example, x86_64 machines would expand that to `/usr/x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu`. Because this is a custom system, this target-specific directory in `/usr` is not required. `$(exec_prefix)/$(target_alias)` would be used if the system was used to cross-compile (for example, compiling a package on an Intel machine that generates code that can be executed on PowerPC machines).

### Important

The test suite for Binutils in this section is considered critical. Do not skip it under any circumstances.

Test the results:

    make check

The test 'Link with zlib-gabi compressed debug output' is known to fail.

Install the package:

    make tooldir=/usr install

## 6.13.2. Contents of Binutils

Installed programs: addr2line, ar, as, c++filt, elfedit, gprof, ld, ld.bfd, nm, objcopy, objdump, ranlib, readelf, size, strings, and strip
Installed libraries: libbfd.{a,so} and libopcodes.{a,so}
Installed directory: /usr/lib/ldscripts

### Short Descriptions

addr2line | Translates program addresses to file names and line numbers; given an address and the name of an executable, it uses the debugging information in the executable to determine which source file and line number are associated with the address
ar | Creates, modifies, and extracts from archives
as | An assembler that assembles the output of gcc into object files
c++filt | Used by the linker to de-mangle C++ and Java symbols and to keep overloaded functions from clashing
elfedit | Updates the ELF header of ELF files
gprof | Displays call graph profile data
ld | A linker that combines a number of object and archive files into a single file, relocating their data and tying up symbol references
ld.bfd | Hard link to ld
nm | Lists the symbols occurring in a given object file
objcopy | Translates one type of object file into another
objdump | Displays information about the given object file, with options controlling the particular information to display; the information shown is useful to programmers who are working on the compilation tools
ranlib | Generates an index of the contents of an archive and stores it in the archive; the index lists all of the symbols defined by archive members that are relocatable object files
readelf | Displays information about ELF type binaries
size | Lists the section sizes and the total size for the given object files
strings | Outputs, for each given file, the sequences of printable characters that are of at least the specified length (defaulting to four); for object files, it prints, by default, only the strings from the initializing and loading sections while for other types of files, it scans the entire file
strip | Discards symbols from object files
`libbfd` | The Binary File Descriptor library
`libopcodes` | A library for dealing with opcodes—the “readable text” versions of instructions for the processor; it is used for building utilities like objdump

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