[PATCH 6/6] arm: move image_copy_start/end to linker symbols

Ilias Apalodimas ilias.apalodimas at linaro.org
Wed Mar 6 10:35:15 CET 2024


Hi Sam,


On Wed, 6 Mar 2024 at 10:22, Sam Edwards <cfsworks at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> On 3/4/24 02:01, Ilias Apalodimas wrote:
> > image_copy_start/end are defined as c variables in order to force the compiler
> > emit relative references. However, defining those within a section definition
> > will do the same thing.
> >
> > So let's remove the special sections from the linker scripts, the
> > variable definitions from sections.c and define them as a symbols within
> > a section.
> >
> > Signed-off-by: Ilias Apalodimas <ilias.apalodimas at linaro.org>
> Tested-by: Sam Edwards <CFSworks at gmail.com> # Binary output identical
>
> Since the __image_copy_* symbols are marking boundaries in the whole
> image as opposed to a single section, I'd find it clearer if they were
> loose in the SECTIONS { ... } block, so as not to imply that they are
> coupled to any particular section. Thoughts?

The reason I included it within a section is my understanding of the
ld (way older) manual [0].
Copy-pasting from that:

" Assignment statements may appear:
- as commands in their own right in an ld script; or
- as independent statements within a SECTIONS command; or
- as part of the contents of a section definition in a SECTIONS command.
The first two cases are equivalent in effect--both define a symbol
with an absolute address. The last case defines a symbol whose address
is relative to a particular section."
So, since we need relocatable entries, I included it within a section.

Looking at the latest ld [1] the wording has changed a bit it says
"Expressions appearing outside an output section definition treat all
numbers as absolute addresses" and it also has the following example
SECTIONS
  {
    . = 0x100;
    __executable_start = 0x100;
    .data :
    {
      . = 0x10;
      __data_start = 0x10;
      *(.data)
    }
    …
  }
both . and __executable_start are set to the absolute address 0x100 in
the first two assignments, then both . and __data_start are set to
0x10 relative to the .data section in the second two assignments.
So I assume the same behavior persists?

[0] https://ftp.gnu.org/old-gnu/Manuals/ld-2.9.1/html_mono/ld.html#SEC13
[1] https://sourceware.org/binutils/docs/ld/Expression-Section.html

Thanks
/Ilias


>
> Thanks for the cleanup,
> Sam
>
> > ---
> >   arch/arm/cpu/armv8/u-boot.lds            | 10 ++--------
> >   arch/arm/cpu/u-boot.lds                  | 10 ++--------
> >   arch/arm/lib/sections.c                  |  2 --
> >   arch/arm/mach-rockchip/u-boot-tpl-v8.lds |  8 ++------
> >   arch/arm/mach-zynq/u-boot.lds            |  9 ++-------
> >   5 files changed, 8 insertions(+), 31 deletions(-)
> >
> > diff --git a/arch/arm/cpu/armv8/u-boot.lds b/arch/arm/cpu/armv8/u-boot.lds
> > index e737de761a9d..340acf5c043b 100644
> > --- a/arch/arm/cpu/armv8/u-boot.lds
> > +++ b/arch/arm/cpu/armv8/u-boot.lds
> > @@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ SECTIONS
> >       . = ALIGN(8);
> >       .text :
> >       {
> > -             *(.__image_copy_start)
> > +             __image_copy_start = .;
> >               CPUDIR/start.o (.text*)
> >       }
> >
> > @@ -120,13 +120,7 @@ SECTIONS
> >               *(.rel*.efi_runtime)
> >               *(.rel*.efi_runtime.*)
> >                   __efi_runtime_rel_stop = .;
> > -     }
> > -
> > -     . = ALIGN(8);
> > -
> > -     .image_copy_end :
> > -     {
> > -             *(.__image_copy_end)
> > +             __image_copy_end = .;
> >       }
> >
> >       .rela.dyn ALIGN(8) : {
> > diff --git a/arch/arm/cpu/u-boot.lds b/arch/arm/cpu/u-boot.lds
> > index df55bb716e35..7c4f9c2d4dd3 100644
> > --- a/arch/arm/cpu/u-boot.lds
> > +++ b/arch/arm/cpu/u-boot.lds
> > @@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ SECTIONS
> >       . = ALIGN(4);
> >       .text :
> >       {
> > -             *(.__image_copy_start)
> > +             __image_copy_start = .;
> >               *(.vectors)
> >               CPUDIR/start.o (.text*)
> >       }
> > @@ -151,13 +151,7 @@ SECTIONS
> >               *(.rel*.efi_runtime)
> >               *(.rel*.efi_runtime.*)
> >               __efi_runtime_rel_stop = .;
> > -     }
> > -
> > -     . = ALIGN(4);
> > -
> > -     .image_copy_end :
> > -     {
> > -             *(.__image_copy_end)
> > +             __image_copy_end = .;
> >       }
> >
> >       .rel.dyn ALIGN(4) : {
> > diff --git a/arch/arm/lib/sections.c b/arch/arm/lib/sections.c
> > index a4d4202e99f5..db5463b2bbbc 100644
> > --- a/arch/arm/lib/sections.c
> > +++ b/arch/arm/lib/sections.c
> > @@ -19,8 +19,6 @@
> >    * aliasing warnings.
> >    */
> >
> > -char __image_copy_start[0] __section(".__image_copy_start");
> > -char __image_copy_end[0] __section(".__image_copy_end");
> >   char __secure_start[0] __section(".__secure_start");
> >   char __secure_end[0] __section(".__secure_end");
> >   char __secure_stack_start[0] __section(".__secure_stack_start");
> > diff --git a/arch/arm/mach-rockchip/u-boot-tpl-v8.lds b/arch/arm/mach-rockchip/u-boot-tpl-v8.lds
> > index b7887194026e..4b480ebb0c4d 100644
> > --- a/arch/arm/mach-rockchip/u-boot-tpl-v8.lds
> > +++ b/arch/arm/mach-rockchip/u-boot-tpl-v8.lds
> > @@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ SECTIONS
> >
> >       .text : {
> >               . = ALIGN(8);
> > -             *(.__image_copy_start)
> > +             __image_copy_start = .;
> >               CPUDIR/start.o (.text*)
> >               *(.text*)
> >       }
> > @@ -42,11 +42,7 @@ SECTIONS
> >       __u_boot_list : {
> >               . = ALIGN(8);
> >               KEEP(*(SORT(__u_boot_list*)));
> > -     }
> > -
> > -     .image_copy_end : {
> > -             . = ALIGN(8);
> > -             *(.__image_copy_end)
> > +             __image_copy_end = .;
> >       }
> >
> >       .end : {
> > diff --git a/arch/arm/mach-zynq/u-boot.lds b/arch/arm/mach-zynq/u-boot.lds
> > index fcd0f42a7106..553bcf182272 100644
> > --- a/arch/arm/mach-zynq/u-boot.lds
> > +++ b/arch/arm/mach-zynq/u-boot.lds
> > @@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ SECTIONS
> >       . = ALIGN(4);
> >       .text :
> >       {
> > -             *(.__image_copy_start)
> > +             __image_copy_start = .;
> >               *(.vectors)
> >               CPUDIR/start.o (.text*)
> >       }
> > @@ -57,12 +57,7 @@ SECTIONS
> >               *(.rel*.efi_runtime)
> >               *(.rel*.efi_runtime.*)
> >               __efi_runtime_rel_stop = .;
> > -     }
> > -
> > -     . = ALIGN(8);
> > -     .image_copy_end :
> > -     {
> > -             *(.__image_copy_end)
> > +             __image_copy_end = .;
> >       }
> >
> >       .rel.dyn ALIGN(8) : {


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