10.1 Overview of Linker Processing
A linker combines one or more object files, with optional archive files, into a single executable output file. The object files contain relocatable sections of code and data which the linker will allocate into target memory. The entire process is controlled by a linker script, also known as a link command file. A linker script is required for every link.
The link process may be broken down into 5 steps:
- Loading Input Files
- Allocating Memory
- Resolving Symbols
- Computing Absolute Addresses
- Building the Output File