Linker Loader

Faculty Orientation Workshop on TE (E&TC/Elex)
Subject-System Programming and Operating System for

Revised Syllabus 2012 Course
Unit III (Linkers and Loaders and Software Tools)
Resource Person :
Mrs Rekha A Kulkarni
Asst.Prof At PICT Pune
• Scope and depth of each topic.
• Conceptual points regarding the topic.
• Suggestions on how to conduct practicals.
• What is expected to be taught in classroom.
• Reference books, notes, slides or other course material relevant to the topic.
Linkers and Loaders : Basic Loader functions,General Loader scheme,
absolute loader, Subroutine linkages, relocating loader, Direct linking
Loader,Dsign of absolute loader and direct linking loader.
• Software Tools : Software Tools for program development, editors, debug
monitors, programming environment, user interfaces.
• List of Practical (System Programming and Embedded Lab)
• Write an shell scripting on UNIX / LINUX
• Case Study :
– Android mobile operating system
– Study of System calls to list files, directories
– Study of System calls to handles process
– Basic Linux Commands
• References :
• D.M Dhamdhare Systems Programming and
operating Systems TMH
• J.J Donovan Systems Programming Mcgraw
Hill
• Leland L Beck System Software Pearson
Edition
• Android Wireless Application Development
Pearson Edition : Darcey Conder
Functions of Loader
The loader is a program which accepts the object program prepares these programs for
execution and initiates the execution.
Loader performs four tasks :

• Allocation : Allocate space in memory for the programs.
• Linking: Resole symbolic references between object programs. which combines two or
more separate object programs and supplies the information needed to allow references
between them.
• Relocation: Adjust all address dependent locations such as address constants to

correspond to the allocated space. Which modifies the object program so that it can be
loaded at an address different from the location originally specified
• Loading : Physically place the machine instructions and data into memory, brings the
object program into memory for execution
Type of loaders
– assemble-and-go loader
– absolute loader (bootstrap loader)
– relocating loader (relative loader)
– direct linking loader
Assemble-and-go Loader
• Characteristic
– the object code is stored in memory after assembly
– single JUMP instruction
• Advantage
– simple, developing environment
• Disadvantage
– whenever the assembly program is to be executed, it
has to be assembled again
– programs have to be coded in the same language
• General Loader Scheme
Object program
Source Object read y for
Translator
Program Program execution
Source
Program
Source Object
Translator
Program Program
Loader
Design of an Absolute Loader
• Absolute Program
– Advantage
• Simple and efficient
– Disadvantage
• the need for programmer to specify the actual address
• difficult to use subroutine libraries
• Program Logic
Algorithm for an absolute loader
Begin
read Header record
verify program name and length
read first Text record
while record type is not ‘E’ do
begin
{if object code is in character form, convert into internal representation}
move object code to specified location in memory
read next object program record
end
jump to address specified in End record
end
A Simple Bootstrap Loader
• Bootstrap Loader
– When a computer is first tuned on or restarted, a special
type of absolute loader, called bootstrap loader is executed
– This bootstrap loads the first program to be run by the
computer -- usually an operating system
• Example (SIC bootstrap loader)
– The bootstrap itself begins at address 0
– It loads the OS starting address 0x80
– No header record or control information, the object code
is consecutive bytes of memory
Relocating Loaders
• Motivation
– efficient sharing of the machine with larger memory and
when several independent programs are to be run
together
– support the use of subroutine libraries efficiently
• Two methods for specifying relocation
– modification record
– relocation bit
• each instruction is associated with one relocation bit
• these relocation bits in a Text record is gathered into bit masks
Modification Record
• For complex machines
• Also called RLD specification
– Relocation and Linkage Directory
Modification record
col 1: M
col 2-7: relocation address
col 8-9: length (halfbyte)
col 10: flag (+/-)
col 11-17: segment name
Relocation Bit
• For simple machines
• Relocation bit
– 0: no modification is necessary
– 1: modification is needed
Program Linking
• Goal
– Resolve the problems with EXTREF and EXTDEF from different control sections
• Linking
– 1. User, 2. Assembler, 3. Linking loader
• Example
– Program1 and Program2
– Use modification records for both relocation and linking
• address constant
• external reference
Program Logic and Data Structure
• Two Passes Logic
– Pass 1: assign addresses to all external symbols
– Pass 2: perform the actual loading, relocation, and
linking
• ESTAB (external symbol table)
• TXT
Pass 1 Program Logic
• Pass 1:
– assign addresses to all external symbols
• Variables
– PROGADDR (program load address) from OS
– CSADDR (control section address)
– CSLTH (control section length)
– ESTAB
• Fig. 3.11(a)
– Process Define Record
Pass 2 Program Logic
 Pass 1:
» perform the actual loading, relocation, and linking
 Modification record
» lookup the symbol in ESTAB
 End record for a main program
» transfer address
 Fig. 3.11(b)
» Process Text record and Modification record
Example of Object program for Direct linking
loader
• ESD,TXT,RLD,END
• ESD : External Symbol Dictionary
• TXT : Text containg actual object code.
• RLD : Relocation and linkage directory.
• END : End of the module.
SOFTWARE TOOLS
• Software tool is system program which Interfaces program
with the entity generating its input data or
• Interfaces the result of a program with the entity consuming
them.
Entity generating the data or consuming the results may be a
program or a user.
Example : A file rewriting utility organizes the data in file in a

format suitable for processing by a program.
• Software tools for
• Program Development
• User Interfaces.

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Faculty Orientation Workshop on TE (E&TC/Elex)

Subject-System Programming and Operating System for

Unit III (Linkers and Loaders and Software Tools)

Loader performs four tasks :

• Relocation: Adjust all address dependent locations such as address constants to

Example : A file rewriting utility organizes the data in file in a

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