Re: [RFC][PATCH][X86_64] Eliminate PLT stubs for specified external functions via -fno-plt=

[Sriraman Tallam <tmsriram@google.com>]

On Thu, Apr 30, 2015 at 8:21 PM, Alan Modra <amodra@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Thu, Apr 30, 2015 at 05:31:30PM -0700, Sriraman Tallam wrote:
>> This comes with  caveats.  This cannot be generally done for all
>> functions marked extern as it is impossible for the compiler to say if
>> a function is "truly extern" (defined in a shared library). If a
>> function is not truly extern(ends up defined in the final executable),
>> then calling it indirectly is a performance penalty as it could have
>> been a direct call.  Further, the newly created GOT entries are fixed
>> up at start-up and do not get lazily bound.
>
> I've considered something similar for PowerPC (but didn't consider
> doing do so for a subset of calls).  Losing lazy symbol resolution is
> a real problem.

With -fno-plt= option, you are choosing functions that are hot and
PLT must be avoided.  Losing lazy binding on these should be perfectly
fine because they would be called.

Thanks
Sri

The other problem you cite of indirect calls that
> could be direct can be fixed in the linker relatively easily.
> Edit this code
>    0:   ff 15 00 00 00 00       callq  *0x0(%rip)        # 0x6
>                         2: R_X86_64_GOTPCREL    foo-0x4
>    6:   ff 25 00 00 00 00       jmpq   *0x0(%rip)        # 0xc
>                         8: R_X86_64_GOTPCREL    foo-0x4
> to this
>    c:   e8 00 00 00 00          callq  0x11
>                         d: R_X86_64_PC32        foo-0x4
>   11:   90                      nop
>   12:   e9 00 00 00 00          jmpq   0x17
>                         13: R_X86_64_PC32       foo-0x4
>   17:   90                      nop
> You may need to have gcc or gas add a marker reloc to say exactly
> where an instruction starts.
>
> --
> Alan Modra
> Australia Development Lab, IBM