Simple Resolutions

Simple symbol resolutions are by far the most common. In this case, two symbols with similar characteristics are detected, with one symbol taking precedence over the other. This symbol resolution is carried out silently by the link-editor. For example, with symbols of the same binding, a symbol reference from one file is bound to a defined, or tentative symbol definition, from another file. Or, a tentative symbol definition from one file is bound to a defined symbol definition from another file. This resolution can occur between two relocatable objects, or between a relocatable object and the first definition found in a shared object dependency.

Symbols that undergo resolution can have either a global or weak binding. Within relocatable objects, weak bindings have lower precedence than global binding. Relocatable object symbols with different bindings are resolved according to a slight alteration of the basic rules.

Weak symbols can usually be defined through the compiler, either individually or as aliases to global symbols. One mechanism uses a #pragma definition.

$ cat main.c
#pragma weak    bar
#pragma weak    foo = _foo

int             bar = 1;

int _foo()
{
        return (bar);
}
$ cc -o main.o -c main.c
$ nm -x main.o
[Index]   Value      Size      Type  Bind  Other Shndx   Name
...............
[7]     |0x00000000|0x00000004|OBJT |WEAK |0x0  |3      |bar
[8]     |0x00000000|0x00000028|FUNC |WEAK |0x0  |2      |foo
[9]     |0x00000000|0x00000028|FUNC |GLOB |0x0  |2      |_foo

Notice that the weak alias foo is assigned the same attributes as the global symbol _foo. This relationship is maintained by the link-editor and results in the symbols being assigned the same value in the output image. In symbol resolution, weak defined symbols are silently overridden by any global definition of the same name.

Another form of simple symbol resolution, interposition, occurs between relocatable objects and shared objects, or between multiple shared objects. In these cases, when a symbol is multiply-defined, the relocatable object, or the first definition between multiple shared objects, is silently taken by the link-editor. The relocatable object's definition, or the first shared object's definition, is said to interpose on all other definitions. This interposition can be used to override the functionality provided by another shared object. Multiply-defined symbols that occur between relocatable objects and shared objects, or between multiple shared objects, are treated identically. A symbols weak binding or global binding is irrelevant. By resolving to the first definition, regardless of the symbols binding, both the link-editor and runtime linker behave consistently.

The combination of weak symbols defined within a shared object together with symbol interposition over the same shared object, can provide a useful programming technique. For example, the standard C library provides several services that you are allowed to redefine. However, ANSI C defines a set of standard services that must be present on the system. These services cannot be replaced in a strictly conforming program.

The function fread(3C), for example, is an ANSI C library function. The system function read(2) is not an ANSI C library function. A conforming ANSI C program must be able to redefine read(2) and still use fread(3C) in a predictable way.

The problem here is that read(2) underlies the fread(3C) implementation in the standard C library. Therefore, a program that redefines read(2) might confuse the fread(3C) implementation. To guard against this occurrence, ANSI C states that an implementation cannot use a name that is not reserved for the implementation. Use the following #pragma directive to define just such a reserved name. Use this name to generate an alias for the function read(2).

#pragma weak read = _read

Thus, you can quite freely define your own read() function without compromising the fread(3C) implementation, which in turn is implemented to use the _read() function.

The link-editor has no difficulty with this redefinition of read(), either when linking against the shared object or archive version of the standard C library. In the former case, interposition takes its course. In the latter case, the fact that the C library's definition of read(2) is weak allows that definition to be quietly overridden.

Use the link-editor's -m option to write a list of all interposed symbol references, along with section load address information, to the standard output.