ld --base-file option, dlltool generated exp files

[Tom Kacvinsky]

Hi,

On Sun, May 14, 2023 at 2:44 PM Tom Kacvinsky <tkacvins@gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi NIck,
>
> On Wed, May 10, 2023 at 7:38 AM Nick Clifton <nickc@redhat.com> wrote:
>
>> Hi Tom,
>>
>> > What I found through lots of experimentation is that either the base
>> file
>> > generated by ld or the exp file generated by dlltool is off and is
>> making
>> > a DLL that causes our applications to crash
>>
>> > The reason I say it's either the base file or the exp file is that I can
>> > take my export definition file (a .def file) and generate an import
>> library
>> > and exp file using Microsoft's lib tool, and that exp file makes the
>> final
>> > link produce a DLL that does not have an issue.
>>
>> > I have a way around the problem without using a base file (just pass the
>> > .def file directly to ld so that an export table is generated), but I
>> > wanted to report this issue.
>>
>> Thank you for doing this.  It always helps when problems are reported,
>> even
>> if we do not have a solution available.
>>
>> Please could you file a bug report here:
>>
>>    https://sourceware.org/bugzilla/enter_bug.cgi?product=binutils
>>
>>
> I haven't yet done so as I am fighting getting at least the major versions
> of
> binutils between which things broke.  I think that would help to have in
> the
> bug report.
>
> But it appears it is going to be more involved than I thought.  I thought
> I was
> going to get away with building all of our code with one binutils (using
> the
> version of binutils I know works) and then just swapping versions of
> binutils
> used for making the DLL until I find the version that broke.  But that
> process
> ends up producing a DLL Windows does not like.  :-(. So, I have to build
> the
> entire GCC + binutils toolchain, with the binutils version changing and GCC
> remaining fixed.  This will take a while.
>

Filed bug https://sourceware.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=30448 as I found
the versions between which things broke.  I think I even have a problematic
commit.

Regards,

Tom