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From: cary@hpclcac.HP.COM (Cary Coutant)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.hp
Subject: Re: libc.a error when linking perl3.0 on HP-UX 3.10
Message-ID: <1340086@hpclcac.HP.COM>
Date: 27 Nov 89 23:53:55 GMT
References: <127@geysir.os.is>
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Calif. Language Lab
Lines: 17

> This is essentially correct.  The assembler code for syscall.o used a short
> branch code sequence when it should use a long branch code sequence.  When
> the syscall ends up more than a short branch away, the linker complains.  I
> believe that this has been fixed in 7.0.

More precisely, the incorrect code in syscall.o was a conditional
branch to the external symbol $cerror (in cerror.o).  The linker
can fix unconditional short branches (BL instructions) whose
targets are too far away, but it cannot fix conditional branches
(COMB, etc., instructions).  A BL has a range of +/-256K, while
a COMB has a range of only +/-2K; thus the conditional branches
are legitimate only to local labels.  In 7.0, syscall() was fixed
so that it uses the BL instruction to reach $cerror.


Cary Coutant, Series 800 Linker Project Manager
HP California Languages Lab