How Linkers Use Static Libraries to Resolve References

While static libraries are useful and essential tools, they are also a source of confusion to programmers because of the way the Unix linker uses them to resolve external references. During the symbol resolution phase, the linker scans the relocatable object files and archives left to right in the same sequential order that they appear on the compiler driver's command line (The driver automatically translates any .c files on the command line into .o files.) During this scan, the linker maintains a set E of relocatable object files that will be merged to form the executable, a set U of unresolved symbols (i.e., symbols referred to but not yet defined), and a set D of symbols that have been defined in previous input files. Initially, E, U, and D are empty.

      For each input file  f  on the command line, the linker determines if  f  is an object file or an archive. If  f  is an object file, the linker adds  f  to E, updates U and D to reflect the symbol definitions and references in  f , and proceeds to the next input file.

      If  f  is an archive, the linker attempts to match the unresolved symbols in U against the symbols defined by the members of the archive. If some archive member, m, defines a symbol that resolves a reference in U, then m is added to E, and the linker updates U and D to reflect the symbol definitions and references in m. This process iterates over the member object files in the archive until a fixed point is reached where U and D no longer change. At this point, any member object files not contained in E are simply discarded and the linker proceeds to the next input file.

      If U is nonempty when the linker finishes scanning the input files on the command line, it prints an error and terminates. Otherwise, it merges and relocates the object files in E to build the output executable file.

      Unfortunately, this algorithm can result in some baffling link-time errors because the ordering of libraries and object files on the command line is significant. If the library that defines a symbol appears on the command line before the object file that references that symbol, then the reference will not be resolved and linking will fail. 

      The general rule for libraries is to place them at the end of the command line. If the members of the different libraries are independent, in that no member references a symbol defined by another member, then the libraries can be placed at the end of the command line in any order.On the other hand, if the libraries are not independent, then they must be ordered so that for each symbol s that is referenced externally by a member of an archive, at least one definition of s follows a reference to s on the command line.

Source:

Randal E. Bryant, David R. O'Hallaron(2011). COMPUTER SYSTEMS A Programmer's Perspective (Second Edition).Beijing: China Machine Press.