Change the default to facilitate GC for metadata section usage, so that they
don't need SHF_LINK_ORDER or SHF_GROUP just to drop the unhelpful rule (if they
want to be unconditionally retained, use SHF_GNU_RETAIN
(`__attribute__((retain))`) or linker script `KEEP`).
The dropped SHF_GROUP special case makes the behavior of -z start-stop-gc and -z
nostart-stop-gc closer to GNU ld>=2.37 (https://sourceware.org/PR27451).
However, we default to -z start-stop-gc (which actually matches more closely to
GNU ld before 2015-10 https://sourceware.org/PR19167), which is different from
modern GNU ld (which has the unhelpful rule to work around glibc). As a
compensation, we special case `__libc_` sections as a workaround for glibc<2.34
(https://sourceware.org/PR27492).
Since -z start-stop-gc as the default actually matches the traditional GNU ld
behavior, there isn't much to be aware of. There was a systemd usage which has
been fixed by https://github.com/systemd/systemd/pull/19144
For one metadata section usage, each text section references a metadata section.
The metadata sections have a C identifier name to allow the runtime to collect them via `__start_/__stop_` symbols.
Since `__start_`/`__stop_` references are always present from live sections, the
C identifier name sections appear like GC roots, which means they cannot be
discarded by `ld --gc-sections`.
To make such sections GCable, either SHF_LINK_ORDER or a section group is needed.
SHF_LINK_ORDER is not suitable for the references can be inlined into other functions
(See D97430:
Function A (in the section .text.A) references its `__sancov_guard` section.
Function B inlines A (so now .text.B references `__sancov_guard` - this is invalid with the semantics of SHF_LINK_ORDER).
In the linking stage,
if `.text.A` gets discarded, and `__sancov_guard` is retained via the reference from `.text.B`,
the output will be invalid because `__sancov_guard` references the discarded `.text.A`.
LLD errors "sh_link points to discarded section".
)
A section group have size overhead, and is cumbersome when there is just one metadata section.
Add `-z start-stop-gc` to drop the "__start_/__stop_ references retain
non-SHF_LINK_ORDER non-SHF_GROUP C identifier name sections" rule.
We reserve the rights to switch the default in the future.
Reviewed By: phosek, jrtc27
Differential Revision: https://reviews.llvm.org/D96914
Add support for ".hidden" ".internal" ".protected" and " 0x%02x" for
other st_other bits used by some architectures.
Reviewed By: sfertile
Differential Revision: https://reviews.llvm.org/D61718
llvm-svn: 360439
__start_xxx symbol keeps section xxx alive only if it is not
SHF_LINK_ORDER. Such sections can be used for user metadata, when
__start_xxx is used to iterate over section contents at runtime, and
the liveness is determined solely by the linked (associated) section.
This was earlier implemented in r294592, and broken in r296723.
Differential Revision: https://reviews.llvm.org/D30964
llvm-svn: 298154
Fangrui Song