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Object files

ELF header

Some object file control structures can grow, because the ELF header contains their actual sizes. If the object file format changes, a program may encounter control structures that are larger or smaller than expected. Programs might therefore ignore ``extra'' information. The treatment of ``missing'' information depends on context and will be specified when and if extensions are defined.

   #define EI_NIDENT	16
   

typedef struct { unsigned char e_ident[EI_NIDENT]; Elf32_Half e_type; Elf32_Half e_machine; Elf32_Word e_version; Elf32_Addr e_entry; Elf32_Off e_phoff; Elf32_Off e_shoff; Elf32_Word e_flags; Elf32_Half e_ehsize; Elf32_Half e_phentsize; Elf32_Half e_phnum; Elf32_Half e_shentsize; Elf32_Half e_shnum; Elf32_Half e_shstrndx; } Elf32_Ehdr;

typedef struct { unsigned char e_ident[EI_NIDENT]; Elf64_Half e_type; Elf64_Half e_machine; Elf64_Word e_version; Elf64_Addr e_entry; Elf64_Off e_phoff; Elf64_Off e_shoff; Elf64_Word e_flags; Elf64_Half e_ehsize; Elf64_Half e_phentsize; Elf64_Half e_phnum; Elf64_Half e_shentsize; Elf64_Half e_shnum; Elf64_Half e_shstrndx; } Elf64_Ehdr;

ELF header


e_ident
The initial bytes mark the file as an object file and provide machine-independent data with which to decode and interpret the file's contents. Complete descriptions appear in ``ELF identification''.

e_type
This member identifies the object file type.

Name Value Meaning
ET_NONE 0 No file type
ET_REL 1 Relocatable file
ET_EXEC 2 Executable file
ET_DYN 3 Shared object file
ET_CORE 4 Core file
ET_LOOS 0xff00 Operating system-specific
ET_HIOS 0xff00 Operating system-specific
ET_LOPROC 0xff00 Processor-specific
ET_HIPROC 0xffff Processor-specific

Although the core file contents are unspecified, type ET_CORE is reserved to mark the file. Values from ET_LOOS through ET_HIOS (inclusive) are reserved for operating system-specific semantics. Values from ET_LOPROC through ET_HIPROC (inclusive) are reserved for processor-specific semantics. If meanings are specified, the processor supplement explains them. Other values are reserved and will be assigned to new object file types as necessary.


e_machine
This member's value specifies the required architecture for an individual file.

Name Value Meaning
EM_NONE 0 No machine
EM_M32 1 AT&T WE 32100
EM_SPARC 2 SPARC
EM_386 3 Intel 80386
EM_68K 4 Motorola 68000
EM_88K 5 Motorola 88000
RESERVED 6 Reserved for future use
EM_860 7 Intel 80860
EM_MIPS 8 MIPS I Architecture
EM_S370 9 IBM System/370 Processor
EM_MIPS_RS3_LE 10 MIPS RS3000 Little-endian
RESERVED 11-14 Reserved for future use
EM_PARISC 15 Hewlett-Packard PA-RISC
RESERVED 16 Reserved for future use
EM_VPP500 17 Fujitsu VPP500
EM_SPARC32PLUS 18 Enhanced instruction set SPARC
EM_960 19 Intel 80960
EM_PPC 20 PowerPC
EM_PPC64 21 64-bit PowerPC
RESERVED 22-35 Reserved for future use
EM_V800 36 NEC V800
EM_FR20 37 Fujitsu FR20
EM_RH32 38 TRW RH-32
EM_RCE 39 Motorola RCE
EM_ARM 40 Advanced RISC Machines ARM
EM_ALPHA 41 Digital Alpha
EM_SH 42 Hitachi SH
EM_SPARCV9 43 SPARC Version 9
EM_TRICORE 44 Siemens Tricore embedded processor
EM_ARC 45 Argonaut RISC Core, Argonaut Technologies Inc.
EM_H8_300 46 Hitachi H8/300
EM_H8_300H 47 Hitachi H8/300H
EM_H8S 48 Hitachi H8S
EM_H8_500 49 Hitachi H8/500
EM_IA_64 50 Intel IA-64 processor architecture
EM_MIPS_X 51 Stanford MIPS-X
EM_COLDFIRE 52 Motorola ColdFire
EM_68HC12 53 Motorola M68HC12
EM_MMA 54 Fujitsu MMA Multimedia Accelerator
EM_PCP 55 Siemens PCP
EM_NCPU 56 Sony nCPU embedded RISC processor
EM_NDR1 57 Denso NDR1 microprocessor
EM_STARCORE 58 Motorola Star*Core processor
EM_ME16 59 Toyota ME16 processor
EM_ST100 60 STMicroelectronics ST100 processor
EM_TINYJ 61 Advanced Logic Corp. TinyJ embedded processor family
Reserved 62-65 Reserved for future use
EM_FX66 66 Siemens FX66 microcontroller
EM_ST9PLUS 67 STMicroelectronics ST9+ 8/16 bit microcontroller
EM_ST7 68 STMicroelectronics ST7 8-bit microcontroller
EM_68HC16 69 Motorola MC68HC16 Microcontroller
EM_68HC11 70 Motorola MC68HC11 Microcontroller
EM_68HC08 71 Motorola MC68HC08 Microcontroller
EM_68HC05 72 Motorola MC68HC05 Microcontroller
EM_SVX 73 Silicon Graphics SVx
EM_ST19 74 STMicroelectronics ST19 8-bit microcontroller
EM_VAX 75 Digital VAX
EM_CRIS 76 Axis Communications 32-bit embedded processor
EM_JAVELIN 77 Infineon Technologies 32-bit embedded processor
EM_FIREPATH 78 Element 14 64-bit DSP Processor
EM_ZSP 79 LSI Logic 16-bit DSP Processor

Other values are reserved and will be assigned to new machines as necessary. Processor-specific ELF names use the machine name to distinguish them. For example, the flags mentioned in the next table use the prefix EF_; a flag named WIDGET for the EM_XYZ machine would be called EM_XYZ_WIDGET.


e_version
This member identifies the object file version.

Name Value Meaning
EV_NONE 0 Invalid version
EV_CURRENT 1 Current version

The value ``1'' signifies the original file format; extensions will create new versions with higher numbers. Although the value of ``EV_CURRENT'' is shown as 1 in the previous table, it will change as necessary to reflect the current version number.


e_entry
This member gives the virtual address to which the system first transfers control, thus starting the process. If the file has no associated entry point, this member holds zero.

e_phoff
This member holds the program header table's file offset in bytes. If the file has no program header table, this member holds zero.

e_shoff
This member holds the section header table's file offset in bytes. If the file has no section header table, this member holds zero.

e_flags
This member holds processor-specific flags associated with the file. Flag names take the form EF_machine_flag.

e_ehsize
This member holds the ELF header's size in bytes.

e_phentsize
This member holds the size in bytes of one entry in the file's program header table; all entries are the same size.

e_phnum
This member holds the number of entries in the program header table. Thus the product of e_phentsize and e_phnum gives the table's size in bytes. If a file has no program header table, e_phnum holds the value zero.

e_shentsize
This member holds a section header's size in bytes. A section header is one entry in the section header table; all entries are the same size.

e_shnum
This member holds the number of entries in the section header table. Thus the product of e_shentsize and e_shnum gives the section header table's size in bytes. If a file has no section header table, e_shnum holds the value zero.

e_shstrndx
This member holds the section header table index of the entry associated with the section name string table. If the file has no section name string table, this member holds the value SHN_UNDEF.


NOTE: See ``Sections'' and ``String table'' for more information.


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