[RFC][PATCH] Fix AIX core file handling: prevent crashes during GDB quit

[Alan Modra]

On Tue, Mar 24, 2026 at 08:08:36PM +0530, Aditya Vidyadhar Kamath wrote:
> 1. AIX core files store a pointer to 'struct core_dumpxx' in abfd->tdata.any
> 2. COFF object files store a pointer to 'struct coff_data_type' in the same field

Correct.  However other COFF/PE core files can be read as for object
files, for instance bfd/coff-x86_64.c has as part of its bfd_target:

  /* Note that we allow an object file to be treated as a core file as well.  */
  {				/* bfd_check_format.  */
    _bfd_dummy_target,
    amd64coff_object_p,
    bfd_generic_archive_p,
    amd64coff_object_p
  },

This means a bfd_core will have the expected coff_data_type for
x86_64, and thus

> 3. The condition checked: (bfd_get_format(abfd) == bfd_object ||
>                             bfd_get_format(abfd) == bfd_core)

is correct for x86_64 and other targets.  xcoff is the odd one out
here.  The proper fix will involve an xcoff specific free_cached_info.

void
_bfd_xcoff_bfd_free_cached_info (bfd *abfd)
{
  /* xcoff bfd_core does not have a coff_tdata.  */
  if (bfd_get_format (abfd) == bfd_object)
    return _bfd_coff_free_cached_info (abfd);

  return _bfd_generic_bfd_free_cached_info (abfd);
}

I have a patch in my tree which I'll push after testing, probably
tomorrow.

-- 
Alan Modra