AM6442: tiarmclang linker support for archive:file syntax

Dominic Rath

Mastermind 7810 points

Part Number: AM6442

Dear TI team,

we're working with the AM64x MCU+ SDK 07.03 and ARM-CGT-CLANG-1_1.2.1.STS to write code for R5f cores.

In order to optimize runtime performance I'm trying to place critical code in TCM.

Unfortunately I'm having problems specyfing the section mapping.

I'm trying to put certain object file from freertos.am64x.r5f.ti-arm-clang.release.lib in TCM, but I'm always getting warnings/errors for these lines in my linker script, using syntax that I've previously used with the GNU linker.

I searched for this issue on LLVM based toolchains, and found this in the LLVM 11 changelog:

"In a input section description, the filename can be specified in double quotes. archive:file syntax is added. (D72517) (D75100)"

That brought me to this bug report:

https://bugs.llvm.org/show_bug.cgi?id=44450

Which version of LLVM is ARM-CGT-CLANG-1_1.2.1.STS based on?
Is ARM-CGT-CLANG-1_1.2.1.STS affected by the above bug?
Is there any other way to specify that I want certain library members placed in a particular section?

Regards,

Dominic

over 5 years ago

+1 George Mock over 5 years ago

TI__Guru**** 253640 points

Dominic Rath said:
Which version of LLVM is ARM-CGT-CLANG-1_1.2.1.STS based on?

The tiarmclang linker is not based on the GNU or LLVM linker, but the linker from the TI ARM proprietary toolchain. Therefore, the syntax in the linker script is different. It is not completely different. You still see MEMORY and SECTIONS directives. But when you are trying to do something unusual as ...

Dominic Rath said:
trying to put certain object file from freertos.am64x.r5f.ti-arm-clang.release.lib in TCM

... then the difference matters.

For a general introduction, please see the article Linker Command File Primer. The title of the article shows one difference in terminology. What GNU or LLVM linker documentation terms the linker script, the TI linker documentation terms the linker command file.

Dominic Rath said:
Is ARM-CGT-CLANG-1_1.2.1.STS affected by the above bug?

Dominic Rath said:
Is there any other way to specify that I want certain library members placed in a particular section?

The primer article contains the sub-chapter Allocate a Single Input Section from a Library. Also see Specifying Library or Archive Members as Input to Output Sections from the tiarmclang documentation.

Thanks and regards,

-George

0 Dominic Rath over 5 years ago in reply to George Mock

Mastermind 7810 points

Hello George,

thank you very much for your fast reply.

It just never crossed my mind that tiarmclang continued to use the proprietary TI ARM linker. I tried that syntax and it works just fine.

Best regards,

Dominic

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AM6442: tiarmclang linker support for archive:file syntax