From: clubley@remove_me.eisner.decus.org-Earth.UFP

On 2025-08-29, Waldek Hebisch  wrote:
> Arne Vajhøj  wrote:
>> On 8/29/2025 10:14 AM, Waldek Hebisch wrote:
>>> I wonder if anybody is using GNU binutils targeting VMS.  I am
>>> trying to set up toolchain for cross-compilation (from Linux) to
>>> Alpha VMS.  Trying reasonably recent (2.43 and 2.39) binutils I
>>> get errors suggesting serious brokennes, for example when I use
>>> 'ar' to create a library and later extract a member I get changed
>>> file and 'objdump' says that extracted file is malformed.
>>>
>>> I am now trying binutils 2.21 and apparently they do not have the
>>> problem above.  But I see some weirdness and apparently '-shared'
>>> option (to create shared image) is not supported.
>>
>> I suspect very few try to build VMS executables on Linux.
>>
>> GNV got both ar and ld, but that does not help you.
>
> Where are the sources?  Working sources certainly would help.
>

Aren't they simply wrappers around the native VMS utilities ?

>> But are you sure you want to do it this way?
>>
>> My understanding is that you want to do:
>>
>> source-(compiler on Linux)->.obj->(ld on Linux)->VMS .exe
>>
>> I would go for:
>>
>> source-(compiler on Linux)->.obj->(LINK on VMS)->VMS .exe
>
> That is plan B.  Working binutils would be simpler because
> I could use existing automated process.
>

Binutils worked at one time because I was able to do the whole
sequence, including generating the final C VMS executable, on Linux.

> Actually, ATM I getting errors during gcc build.  I can use
> crude workaround to go further, but I am affraid that to get
> working compiler I need either working binutils or to examine
> all build steps involving binutils and do equvalent work in
> different way.
>

That's where I gave up. I either didn't understand the required
VMS-specific build steps or there were bits missing from the public
source kits.

Note that I have a lot of experience building cross compilers on Linux
for various embedded targets (including fixing various problems
I encountered along the way), and I have never had a fraction of the
problems I had when trying to get VMS support working.

Simon.

--
Simon Clubley, clubley@remove_me.eisner.decus.org-Earth.UFP
Walking destinations on a map are further away than they appear.

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