GNU Binutils

The GNU Binutils are a collection of binary tools. The main ones are:

• ld - the GNU linker.
• as - the GNU assembler.

But they also include:

• addr2line - Converts addresses into filenames and line numbers.
• ar - A utility for creating, modifying and extracting from archives.
• c++filt - Filter to demangle encoded C++ symbols.
• gprof - Displays profiling information.
• nlmconv - Converts object code into an NLM.
• nm - Lists symbols from object files.
• objcopy - Copys and translates object files.
• objdump - Displays information from object files.
• ranlib - Generates an index to the contents of an archive.
• readelf - Displays information from any ELF format object file.
• size - Lists the section sizes of an object or archive file.
• strings - Lists printable strings from files.
• strip - Discards symbols.
• windres - A compiler for Windows resource files.

Most of these programs use BFD, the Binary File Descriptor library, to do low-level manipulation. Many of them also use the opcodes library to assemble and disassemble machine instructions.

The binutils have been ported to most major Unix variants as well as Wintel systems, and their main reason for existence is to give the GNU system (and GNU/Linux) the facility to compile and link programs.

Obtaining binutils

The latest release of GNU binutils is 2.17. The various NEWS files (binutils, gas, and ld) have details of what has changed in this release.

See the SOFTWARE page for information on obtaining releases of GNU binutils and other GNU software. The current release can be downloaded from http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/binutils

If you plan to do active work on GNU binutils, you can access the development source tree by anonymous CVS:

  cvs -z 9 -d :pserver:anoncvs@sourceware.org:/cvs/src login
  {enter "anoncvs" as the password}
  cvs -z 9 -d :pserver:anoncvs@sourceware.org:/cvs/src co binutils
  

Alternatively, you can use the cvsweb interface, or the source snapshots, available as bzipped tar files via anonymous FTP from ftp://sourceware.org/pub/binutils/snapshots.

Bug reports

There is a bug-tracking system at http://sourceware.org/bugzilla/.

Mailing lists

There are three binutils mailing lists:

bug-binutils@gnu.org (archives)

For reporting bugs.

binutils@sourceware.org (archives)

For discussing binutils issues.

binutils-cvs (archives)

A read-only mailing list containing the notes from checkins to the binutils CVS repository.

You can use this form to subscribe to the binutils@sourceware.org or binutils-cvs@sourceware.org mailing lists:

Mailing list: binutils binutils-cvs Your e-mail address:
Digest version? subscribe unsubscribe

To subscribe to the bug-binutils@gnu.org mailing list, see the bug-binutils info page.

You may wish to browse the old mail archives of the gas2 and bfd mailing lists. These were the discussion lists for binutils until May 1999. Please do not send mail to them any longer.

Documentation

The documentation for binutils 2.17 is available.

Return to GNU's home page.

Please send FSF & GNU inquiries & questions to gnu@gnu.org. There are also other ways to contact the FSF.

Please send comments on these web pages to binutils@sourceware.org, send other questions to gnu@gnu.org.

Copyright (C) 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 Free Software Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301, USA

Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium, provided this notice is preserved.

Updated: Last modified: Fri Jun 23 16:46:41 EDT 2006