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Re: [PATCH] Fix distinction of 32/64bit addresses in MIPS gas
Richard Sandiford wrote:
> Thiemo Seufer <ica2_ts@csv.ica.uni-stuttgart.de> writes:
> > How could it do that? The o32 ABI does _not_ specify this flag,
> > a file without any ABI flags set is a valid o32 file. I can't
> > see what the use of the O32 header flag could be.
>
> Ok, that hadn't twigged, sorry!
>
> So, if I've understood you correctly, your take seems to be:
>
> - O32 doesn't define an ABI bit for ELF, so every ELF file without
> an ABI flag set should be compatible with O32.
Not exactly. Most tools will _regard_ it as o32, even if it isn't.
> Whereas mine is:
>
> - O32 doesn't define an ABI bit for ELF, so users dosn't have that
> safety net if they use the wrong options. They need to remember
> to use the appropriate command-line switches, like -mabi=32.
ABI header flags were invented for remembering it. It would be nice
if the linker had a chance to find out what the file actually is.
> Fleshing that out a bit, I think:
>
> GAS has historically supported all sorts of wierd and wonderful
> combinations that don't have any representation in the ELF header
> flags. And for which no ABI flags will be set. I don't think that's
> reason enough not to allow them. GAS should generate whatever code
> the command line tells it to, whether or not those options can be
> determined from the output file.
One NO_ABI_FLAG as a catchall would be enough to let at least the
GNU tools know what the file is _not_.
[snip]
> > AFAICS my patch doesn't break the limited 64bit support.
>
> Like you said in your previous mail, it means that $gp is now assumed to
> be a 32-bit rather than 64-bit value.
This is always assumed for everything loaded in 32bit address space.
> There might be dynamic loaders
> out there that handle the R_MIPS_64 extension, which could replace them
> with genuine 64-bit (as opposed to sign-extended 32-bit) addresses.
They can't, because R_MIPS_64 holds only 32bit in this case.
[snip]
> > Yes, it inflates the number of variants without need.
>
> ...I really don't see why maintaining the old variant is a problem. All
> the main part of your patch did was change the definition of the
> HAVE_32BIT_ADDRESSES macro, it didn't really seem to simplify the code
> as such.
It didn't increase complexity while providing all what I need
for full 64bit support. That's the advantage over a
32BIT -- HALF_64BIT -- FULL_64BIT approach.
[snip]
> I still don't see why you need to do that, sorry! Sometimes these things
> take a while to sink in. In what situation would the two be different?
> Like you say, they should be inverses.
Full 64bit support requires a 64bit object format to work, half
64bit support doesn't have one and has it's code in 32bit space.
This means for e.g. "dli" a expansion to
lui $a, %highest(sym)
lui $b, %hi(sym)
daddiu $a, %higher(sym)
daddiu $b, %lo(sym)
dsll32 $a, 0
daddu $a, $a, $b
for 64bit addresses, while 32bit addresses should use
lui $a, %hi(sym)
addiu $a, %lo(sym)
for performance and code size. The half 64bit version currently
uses
lui $a, %hi(sym)
daddiu $a, %lo(sym)
which does exactly the same but pretends to use 64bit addresses.
I hope it got clearer now.
Thiemo