errno function, error TLS/non TLS

Look at the end of http://cboard.cprogramming.com/showthread.php?t=101632 for the origin of this question.
Well, on old programs, one often meets
symbol errno, version GLIBC_2.0 not defined in file libc.so.6 with link time reference
error, so I made a little library with

Code:

---

extern int (* __errno_location);
int errno()
{
  return(*__errno_location);
    }

---

and preload this library with LD_PRELOAD. This library defines the errno function and allows me to use olds programs like Maple 5 or 7 on recent linux (Debian Etch for instance).
This work well with libc6 on debian etch (libc <= 2.3)

But since libc 2.7 there is errors at compilation. if I try to change the code in

Code:

---

extern int *__errno_location (void) __attribute__ ((__nothrow__)) __attribute__ ((__const__));
int errno ()
{
  return((*__errno_location ()));
    }

---

good compilation using gcc -O2 -c -o lib-errno.o lib-errno.c but

Code:

---

$ gcc -shared -Wl,-soname,lib-errno -o lib-errno.so lib-errno.o

---

give
errno: TLS definition in /lib/libc.so.6 section .tbss mismatches non-TLS definition in lib-errno.o section .tex

How can I make a little shared library define the errno function and so allows me to run olds programs?

It sounds like there is errno definition in libc.so.6, by the error message.

--
Mats

Hum, if you are right, this little library would be in that case useless. It's strange because if I make a gcc -E of the following file

Code:

---

#include <errno.h>
main()
{
  int i=errno;
}

---

I got

Code:

---

main()
{
  int i=(*__errno_location ());
}

---

(no errno fonction)
and

Quote:

---

~$ strings /lib/libc-2.7.so | grep errno
clnt_perrno
__errno_location
clnt_sperrno
__h_errno_location
h_errno
; errno = %s
__libc_errno != 34 || buf != ((void *)0) || size

---

Using gdb this small program, the only functions I meet are

Quote:

---

francois@hercule:~$ grep errno /tmp/gre
francois@hercule:~$ gdb main
0xb7dc9840 __errno_location
0xb7e92c90 __h_errno_location
0xb7e9f0e0 clnt_sperrno
0xb7e9f280 clnt_perrno
francois@hercule:~$

---

Yes, that's what I'd expect. There is no FUNCTION called errno, and most often, there is no variable either, because it is some sort of special (per-thread, pointer) variable.

--
Mats

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by matsp

Yes, that's what I'd expect. There is no FUNCTION called errno, and most often, there is no variable either, because it is some sort of special (per-thread, pointer) variable.

---

But why can I not make such a function?

The problem is that errno is not (normally) a function. The linker problem you are receiving says that you have the same symbol in different sections, .tbss and .tex - the latter is "code", and the former, I believe is "TLS bss", which is where uninitialized (zero-initialized) variables would end up.

--
Mats

No possibility to suppress the non function symbol?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by fran.b

No possibility to suppress the non function symbol?

---

No, and you probably shouldn't do that... [But I'm not 100% sure I understand what the actual problem is - is it that you have OLD applications that are linking to more modern C library implementations].

--
Mats

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by matsp

No, and you probably shouldn't do that... [But I'm not 100% sure I understand what the actual problem is - is it that you have OLD applications that are linking to more modern C library implementations].

---

Yes it is the problem, and I don't know an issue to this now...

Aside from recompiling the source of the application or having old libraries installed, I'm not sure what you can do to fix it. It is clearly a binary compatibility break.

--
Mats

Hum, I don't have the sources (it's a close (and rather dear) program), I use it under debian (since ham in fact) running it on woody, etch with my previous library lib-errno. In fact, now it's seems the only method is to LD_PRELOAD old libc6 or make an old libc6 environnement in a chroot . :(
I know how do that but the LD_PRELOAD of my lib-errno.so was really more simple.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by fran.b

Hum, I don't have the sources (it's a close (and rather dear) program), I use it under debian (since ham in fact) running it on woody, etch with my previous library lib-errno. In fact, now it's seems the only method is to LD_PRELOAD old libc6 or make an old libc6 environnement in a chroot . :(
I know how do that but the LD_PRELOAD of my lib-errno.so was really more simple.

---

But your hack to fix it with LD_PRELOAD of lib-errno.so is no guarantee that other things aren't broken.

Have you asked the supplier of the software for an upgrade that works with newer C library versions (or do you have to pay extra for that?)

Edit: Have you tried compiling the C library with "no-TLS" (not quite sure what the actual option to the configure script is, but basically, build a non-TLS version of the C library. If it is non-TLS, then it probably will have a (more) standard implementation of errno).

--
Mats

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by matsp

But your hack to fix it with LD_PRELOAD of lib-errno.so is no guarantee that other things aren't broken.

Have you asked the supplier of the software for an upgrade that works with newer C library versions (or do you have to pay extra for that?)

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There is an upgrade (and I know how to crack it in fact) but no money to buy it and I don't want to use my crack.

Quote:

---

Edit: Have you tried compiling the C library with "no-TLS" (not quite sure what the actual option to the configure script is, but basically, build a non-TLS version of the C library. If it is non-TLS, then it probably will have a (more) standard implementation of errno).

---

Good idea, I'm going to try this way. Thanks.

I usually define errno as

__thread int errno=0;

I know this is really bad, but my job gets done.