PR ld/6519

        * ld.texinfo (Orphan Sections): Mention that the linker will
        provide start and stop symbols for orphaned sections if their
        names are valid C identifiers.
        * NEWS: Add an addendum to the description of the linker feature
        for providing orphan section start and end symbols.

diff --git a/ld/ChangeLog b/ld/ChangeLog
index f50dcf9..b2ccc4f 100644 (file)
--- a/ld/ChangeLog
+++ b/ld/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,12 @@
+2008-05-21  Nick Clifton  <nickc@redhat.com>
+
+       PR ld/6519
+       * ld.texinfo (Orphan Sections): Mention that the linker will
+       provide start and stop symbols for orphaned sections if their
+       names are valid C identifiers.
+       * NEWS: Add an addendum to the description of the linker feature
+       for providing orphan section start and end symbols.
+
 2008-05-21  Maxim Kuvyrkov  <maxim@codesourcery.com>
 
        * configure.in (--enable-got): New option.  Handle it.

diff --git a/ld/NEWS b/ld/NEWS
index 9078e20..a10f222 100644 (file)
--- a/ld/NEWS
+++ b/ld/NEWS
@@ -301,11 +301,14 @@ Changes in version 2.7:
 Changes in version 2.6:
 
 * When an ELF section name is representable as a C identifier (this is not true
-  of most ELF section names), *and* the section is not explicitly handled by
-  the linker script (ie it is an orphaned section) then the linker will
-  automatically PROVIDE symbols __start_SECNAME and __stop_SECNAME, where
-  SECNAME is the section name, at the beginning and the end of the section.
-  This is used by glibc.
+of most ELF section names), the linker will automatically define symbols
+__start_SECNAME and __stop_SECNAME, where SECNAME is the section name, at the
+beginning and the end of the section.  This is used by glibc.
+
+  Addendum: Current versions of the linker (at least for version 2.18 onwards
+and possibly much earlier as well) place two restrictions on this feature:  The
+symbols are only implemented for orphaned sections, not for explicitly placed
+sections and they are PROVIDEd rather than being defined.
 
 * When an ELF section named .gnu.warning is encountered in an input file, the
 contents of the section are displayed as an error message, and the section is