thorpej@wasabisystems.com ("Jason R Thorpe") writes:
> In order to fix the installboot problem, we're going to need a
> cross-nlist(3).  This should not be that hard to do, and having
> it would eliminate the need to have a BFD'ified mdsetimage(8) (and
> dbsym(8), although that is not yet in the tree).

Uh, I don't think that's true, is it?

nlist(3) provides only symbol->va (and other stuff) translation.

what mdsetimage and dbsym also need is information about the locations
in the binaries of those symbols.

You'd need to invent a new nlist-like interface to do this.


Also, it's possible to solve "the installboot problem" via (IMO
better) means.  E.g. actually having an identifiable structure in the
binary which contains the info you want, rather than relying on
symbols and the object format of a particular file on disk.

I don't see why e.g. the x86 installboot couldn't/shouldn't use a
similar technique to what the Alpha uses, for instance.



cgd