Direct Invocation

When you invoke the link-editor directly, you have to supply every object file and library required to create the intended output. The link-editor makes no assumptions about the object modules or libraries that you meant to use in creating the output. For example, when you issue the command:

$ ld test.o

the link-editor creates a dynamic executable named a.out using only the input file test.o. For the a.out to be a useful executable, it should include startup and exit processing code. This code can be language or operating system specific, and is usually provided through files supplied by the compiler drivers.

Additionally, you can also supply your own initialization and termination code. This code must be encapsulated and labeled correctly for it to be correctly recognized and made available to the runtime linker. This encapsulation and labeling can also be provided through files supplied by the compiler drivers.

When creating runtime objects such as executables and shared objects, you should use a compiler driver to invoke the link-editor. Invoking the link-editor directly is recommended only when creating intermediate relocatable objects using the -r option.