Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uflorida!gatech!mcdchg!ddsw1!nvk
From: nvk@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Norman Kohn)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.xenix,comp.unix.i386
Subject: Re: SCO externs ... too many?
Keywords: SCO XENIX extern help
Message-ID: <3364@ddsw1.MCS.COM>
Date: 22 Apr 89 22:30:24 GMT
References: <631@jc3b21.UUCP>
Reply-To: nvk@ddsw1.UUCP (Norman Kohn)
Followup-To: comp.unix.xenix
Distribution: usa
Organization: ddsw1.MCS.COM, Mundelein, IL
Lines: 25

In article <631@jc3b21.UUCP> davis@jc3b21.UUCP (William J Davis) writes:
>
>   I am current developing a LARGE application using SCO Xenix 2.3.0...
>the loader seems unable to resolve large numbers of external references...

I encountered a similar problem under microport: there obviously is
some sort of limit to symbol table size.

I addressed this by putting related externs into structs defined
in appropriate header files: e.g.,
struct {int a,b;
	char c,d,e;
	} SAMPLE;

Presumably SAMPLE.a is coded as an offset off SAMPLE, and everything
in the struct gets linked up using only a single extern entry
in the linker symbol table.  Moreover, this simplifies tracking
large groups of externs.  For ease of management, I favor putting
related programs (related by use of specific header files)
in their own libraries when possible...

-- 
Norman Kohn   		| ...ddsw1!nvk!norman
Chicago, Il.		| days/ans svc: (312) 650-6840
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