This patch attempts to address this. Built and tested on i686-pc-linux-gnu
and as cross version for mmix-mmixware (and verified that the same failure
cause applies to the other mentioned architectures). The previous version
was simply overdoing its job.

One thing I'd like to note before any complaints come up: A side effect of
the change is that on a sequence like

.section .xyz, "a"
.section .xyz, "a", @progbits

a warning will now be issued on the second directive, even though implicitly
the missing section type in the first will (at a late stage during assembly)
be set to SHT_PROGBITS, too. I consider this warning valid, though, for
consistency reasons (one shouldn't use both implicit and explicit setting of
the type).

Jan

gas/
2004-12-15 Jan Beulich  <jbeulich@novell.com>

	* config/obj-elf.c (obj_elf_change_section): Only set type and
	attributes on new sections. Emit warning when type of re-declared
	section doesn't match.

gas/testsuite/
2004-12-15 Jan Beulich  <jbeulich@novell.com>

	* section5.[els]: New.

--- /home/jbeulich/src/binutils/mainline/2004-12-03.13.35/gas/config/obj-elf.c	2004-11-18 15:05:33.000000000 +0100
+++ 2004-12-03.13.35/gas/config/obj-elf.c	2004-12-14 16:07:27.000000000 +0100
@@ -622,11 +622,6 @@ obj_elf_change_section (const char *name
 	attr |= ssect->attr;
     }
 
-  if (type != SHT_NULL)
-    elf_section_type (sec) = type;
-  if (attr != 0)
-    elf_section_flags (sec) = attr;
-
   /* Convert ELF type and flags to BFD flags.  */
   flags = (SEC_RELOC
 	   | ((attr & SHF_WRITE) ? 0 : SEC_READONLY)
@@ -647,6 +642,9 @@ obj_elf_change_section (const char *name
     {
       symbolS *secsym;
 
+      elf_section_type (sec) = type;
+      elf_section_flags (sec) = attr;
+
       /* Prevent SEC_HAS_CONTENTS from being inadvertently set.  */
       if (type == SHT_NOBITS)
 	seg_info (sec)->bss = 1;
@@ -663,19 +661,26 @@ obj_elf_change_section (const char *name
       else
 	symbol_table_insert (section_symbol (sec));
     }
-  else if (attr != 0)
+  else
     {
-      /* If section attributes are specified the second time we see a
-	 particular section, then check that they are the same as we
-	 saw the first time.  */
-      if (((old_sec->flags ^ flags)
-	   & (SEC_ALLOC | SEC_LOAD | SEC_READONLY | SEC_CODE
-	      | SEC_EXCLUDE | SEC_SORT_ENTRIES | SEC_MERGE | SEC_STRINGS
-	      | SEC_LINK_ONCE | SEC_LINK_DUPLICATES_DISCARD
-	      | SEC_THREAD_LOCAL)))
-	as_warn (_("ignoring changed section attributes for %s"), name);
-      if ((flags & SEC_MERGE) && old_sec->entsize != (unsigned) entsize)
-	as_warn (_("ignoring changed section entity size for %s"), name);
+      if (type != SHT_NULL
+	  && (unsigned) type != elf_section_type (old_sec))
+	as_warn (_("ignoring changed section type for %s"), name);
+
+      if (attr != 0)
+	{
+	  /* If section attributes are specified the second time we see a
+	     particular section, then check that they are the same as we
+	     saw the first time.  */
+	  if (((old_sec->flags ^ flags)
+	       & (SEC_ALLOC | SEC_LOAD | SEC_READONLY | SEC_CODE
+		  | SEC_EXCLUDE | SEC_SORT_ENTRIES | SEC_MERGE | SEC_STRINGS
+		  | SEC_LINK_ONCE | SEC_LINK_DUPLICATES_DISCARD
+		  | SEC_THREAD_LOCAL)))
+	    as_warn (_("ignoring changed section attributes for %s"), name);
+	  if ((flags & SEC_MERGE) && old_sec->entsize != (unsigned) entsize)
+	    as_warn (_("ignoring changed section entity size for %s"), name);
+	}
     }
 
 #ifdef md_elf_section_change_hook
--- /home/jbeulich/src/binutils/mainline/2004-12-03.13.35/gas/testsuite/gas/elf/elf.exp	2004-10-06 09:35:51.000000000 +0200
+++ 2004-12-03.13.35/gas/testsuite/gas/elf/elf.exp	2004-12-14 16:07:27.000000000 +0100
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 # elf tests
 #
 
-proc run_list_test { name suffix opts readelf_pipe } {
+proc run_list_test { name suffix opts readelf_opts readelf_pipe } {
     global READELF
     global srcdir subdir
     set testname "elf $name list"
@@ -14,8 +14,8 @@ proc run_list_test { name suffix opts re
 	verbose "output is [file_contents "dump.out"]" 2
 	return
     }
-    send_log "$READELF -s dump.o > dump.out\n"
-    catch "exec $READELF -s dump.o $readelf_pipe > dump.out\n" comp_output
+    send_log "$READELF $readelf_opts dump.o $readelf_pipe > dump.out\n"
+    catch "exec $READELF $readelf_opts dump.o $readelf_pipe > dump.out\n" comp_output
     if ![string match "" $comp_output] then {
 	send_log "$comp_output\n"
 	fail $testname
@@ -57,9 +57,10 @@ if { ([istarget "*-*-*elf*"]		
     run_dump_test "group1b" 
     run_dump_test "section0" 
     run_dump_test "section1" 
-    run_list_test "section2" "$target_machine" "-al" ""
-    run_dump_test "section3"
+    run_list_test "section2" "$target_machine" "-al" "-s" ""
+    run_dump_test "section3" 
     run_dump_test "section4"
+    run_list_test "section5" "" "-al" "-SW" "| grep \"\\\\.test\\\[\\\[:digit:\\\]\\\]\""
     run_dump_test "symver" 
-    run_list_test "type" "" "" "| grep \"1 \\\[FONT\\\]\""
+    run_list_test "type" "" "" "-s" "| grep \"1 \\\[FONT\\\]\""
 }
--- /home/jbeulich/src/binutils/mainline/2004-12-03.13.35/gas/testsuite/gas/elf/section5.e	1970-01-01 01:00:00.000000000 +0100
+++ 2004-12-03.13.35/gas/testsuite/gas/elf/section5.e	2004-12-06 11:57:54.000000000 +0100
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+.* \.test0[ 	]+PROGBITS[ 	]+([[:xdigit:]]+[ 	]+){4}[ 	]+[[:digit:]]+.*
+.* \.test1[ 	]+PROGBITS[ 	]+([[:xdigit:]]+[ 	]+){4}[ 	]+[[:digit:]]+.*
+.* \.rela?\.test1[ 	]+RELA?[ 	]+.*
+.* \.test2[ 	]+PROGBITS[ 	]+([[:xdigit:]]+[ 	]+){4}[ 	]+[[:digit:]]+.*
+.* \.rela?\.test2[ 	]+RELA?[ 	]+.*
+.* \.test3[ 	]+PROGBITS[ 	]+([[:xdigit:]]+[ 	]+){4}WA[ 	]+[[:digit:]]+.*
+.* \.rela?\.test3[ 	]+RELA?[ 	]+.*
+.* \.test4[ 	]+NOBITS[ 	]+([[:xdigit:]]+[ 	]+){4}WA[ 	]+[[:digit:]]+.*
--- /home/jbeulich/src/binutils/mainline/2004-12-03.13.35/gas/testsuite/gas/elf/section5.l	1970-01-01 01:00:00.000000000 +0100
+++ 2004-12-03.13.35/gas/testsuite/gas/elf/section5.l	2004-08-27 18:09:29.000000000 +0200
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+.*: Assembler messages:
+.*:7: Warning: .*
+.*:7: Warning: .*
+.*:10: Warning: .*
+.*:13: Warning: .*
+.*:16: Warning: .*
+.*:18: Warning: .*
+.*:20: Warning: .*
+.*:22: Warning: .*
+.*:24: Warning: .*
+.*GAS.*
+
+
+[ 	]+[[:digit:]]+[ 	]+.section[ 	]+.test0[ 	]*
+[ 	]+[[:digit:]]+[ 	]+.section[ 	]+.test1,[ 	]*"",[ 	]*@progbits[ 	]*
+[ 	]+[[:digit:]]+[ 	]+.section[ 	]+.test2[ 	]*
+[ 	]+[[:digit:]]+[ 	]+.section[ 	]+.test3,[ 	]*"aw"[ 	]*
+[ 	]+[[:digit:]]+[ 	]+.section[ 	]+.test4,[ 	]*"aw",[ 	]*@nobits[ 	]*
+[ 	]+[[:digit:]]+[ 	]*
+[ 	]+[[:digit:]]+[ 	]+.section[ 	]+.test1,[ 	]*"aw",[ 	]*@nobits[ 	]*
+[ 	]+[[:digit:]]+[ 	]+.*
+[ 	]+[[:digit:]]+[ 	]*
+[ 	]+[[:digit:]]+[ 	]+.section[ 	]+.test2,[ 	]*"w"[ 	]*
+[ 	]+[[:digit:]]+[ 	]+.*
+[ 	]+[[:digit:]]+[ 	]*
+[ 	]+[[:digit:]]+[ 	]+.section[ 	]+.test3,[ 	]*"aw",[ 	]*@progbits[ 	]*
+[ 	]+[[:digit:]]+[ 	]+.*
+[ 	]+[[:digit:]]+[ 	]*
+[ 	]+[[:digit:]]+[ 	]+.section[ 	]+.test4,[ 	]*"aw"[ 	]*
+[ 	]+[[:digit:]]+[ 	]*
+[ 	]+[[:digit:]]+[ 	]+.section[ 	]+.data,[ 	]*"a"[ 	]*
+[ 	]+[[:digit:]]+[ 	]*
+[ 	]+[[:digit:]]+[ 	]+.section[ 	]+.bss,[ 	]*"a"[ 	]*
+[ 	]+[[:digit:]]+[ 	]*
+[ 	]+[[:digit:]]+[ 	]+.section[ 	]+.data,[ 	]*"aw",[ 	]*@nobits[ 	]*
+[ 	]+[[:digit:]]+[ 	]*
+[ 	]+[[:digit:]]+[ 	]+.section[ 	]+.bss,[ 	]*"aw",[ 	]*@progbits[ 	]*
--- /home/jbeulich/src/binutils/mainline/2004-12-03.13.35/gas/testsuite/gas/elf/section5.s	1970-01-01 01:00:00.000000000 +0100
+++ 2004-12-03.13.35/gas/testsuite/gas/elf/section5.s	2004-08-27 18:06:16.000000000 +0200
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+.section	.test0
+.section	.test1, "", @progbits
+.section	.test2
+.section	.test3, "aw"
+.section	.test4, "aw", @nobits
+
+.section	.test1, "aw", @nobits
+test1:	.long	test1
+
+.section	.test2, "w"
+test2:	.long	test2
+
+.section	.test3, "aw", @progbits
+test3:	.long	test3
+
+.section	.test4, "aw"
+
+.section	.data, "a"
+
+.section	.bss, "a"
+
+.section	.data, "aw", @nobits
+
+.section	.bss, "aw", @progbits