Loaders

Dr. Monther Aldwairi

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 Loaders
• A loader is a system program that performs
the loading function.
– many also support relocation & linking
– others have a separate linker and loader
• Basic Functions
– bringing an object program into memory
– starting its execution

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 Input
• Object program:
– contains translated instructions and data from the
source program.
– specifies addresses in memory where these items
are to be loaded.

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 Basic Functions
• Allocation: allocate space in memory for the
programs
• Linking: Resolve symbolic references between
object files
– combines two or more separate object programs
– supplies the information needed to allow
references between them

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 Basic Functions
• Relocation: Adjust all address dependent
locations, such as address constants, to
correspond to the allocated space
– modifies the object program so that it can be
loaded at an address different from the location
originally specified
• Loading: Physically place the machine
instructions and data into memory

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 Basic Functions

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 Design of an Absolute
Loader
• Its operation is very simple
– no linking or relocation
• Single pass operation
– check H record to verify that correct program has
been presented for loading
– read each T record, and move object code into
the indicated address in memory
– at E record, jump to the specified address to
begin execution of the loaded program.

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 Loader Schemes
• Compile and Go
– The assembler run in one part of memory
– place the assembled machine instructions and
data, as they are assembled, directly into their
assigned memory locations
– When the assembly is completed, the assembler
causes a transfer to the starting instruction of the
program

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 Absolute Loader

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 Disadvantages
• A portion of memory is wasted because the
memory occupied by the assembler is
unavailable to the object program.
• It is necessary to re-translate (assemble) the
user's program file every time it is run.
• It is very difficult to handle multiple segments,
especially if the source programs are in
different.

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 Disadvantages
• If changes were made to MAIN that increased its
length to more than 300 bytes
– the end of MAIN (at 100 + 300 = 400) would overlap the
start of SQRT (at 400)
– It would then be necessary to assign SQRT to a new
location
• changing its START and re-assembling it?!
• Furthermore, it would also be necessarily to
modify all other subroutines that referred to the
address of SQRT.

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 A Simple Bootstrap Loader
• Automatically executed when the computer is
first turned on
• Loads the first program to be run: usually the
O/S itself begins at address 0 in memory
– loads the O/S starting at address 80
– After all code is loaded, bootstrap jumps to
address 80.
– No H or E records, no control information

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Disadvantages of Absolute Loaders
• Actual load address must be specified
• The programmer must be careful not to assign
two subroutines to the same or overlapping
locations
• Difficult to use subroutine libraries (scientific
and mathematical) efficiently
– important to be able to select and load exactly
those routines that are needed

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Disadvantages of Absolute Loaders
• Allocation - by programmer
• Linking - by programmer
• Relocation - None required-loaded where
assembler assigned
• Loading - by loader

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 General Loader Scheme
• Linking
• Relocation
• Loading

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 Subroutine Linkages
• The main program A wishes to transfer to
subprogram B.
• The programmer, in program A, could write a
transfer instruction (e g, BSR B) to subprogram
B.
• The assembler does not know the value of this
symbol reference and will declare it as an
error

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 Externals and Entries
• The assembler pseudo-op EXT followed by a
list of symbols indicates that the symbols are
defined in other programs but referenced in
the present program
• If a symbol is defined in one program and
referenced in others,
– insert it into a symbol list following the pseudo-op
ENT.

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 MAIN ORG $10
EXT SUBROUT
BSR SUBROUT
DONE HLT

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 Relocation
• Relocating loaders or relative loaders:
– loaders that allow for program relocation.
• Two methods for specifying relocation as part
of the object program:
• 1. A Modification record
– describe each part of the object code that must be
changed when the program is relocated
– M0000_16

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 Second Method
• Bit mask: A relocation bit/byte associated
with each word of object code
– S for Absolute: does not need modification
– R for Relative: needs relocation
– X for external.
• Example
• T00106119SFE00S4003S0E01R

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 Two Pass Direct Linking Loader
• Pass 1
– Allocate and assign each program location in core.
– Create a symbol table filling in the values of the
external symbols.
• Pass 2
– Load the actual program text.
– Perform the relocation modification of any address
constants needing to be altered.
– Resolve external references. (linking)
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 Data Structures
• External Symbol Table (ESTAB)
– stores the name and address of each external
symbol in the set of programs being loaded.
– Indicates in which program the symbol is defined.
– A hash table is generally used.
• Program Load Address (PROGADDR)
– beginning address in memory where the linked
program is to be loaded.
– supplied by the O/S
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 More Databases
• Control Section Address (CSADDR)
– starting address assigned to the CS currently being
scanned by the loader
– Its value is added to all relative addresses within
the control section to convert them to actual
addresses

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 The Algorithm
• Pass 1: concerned only w/Header records
– PROGADDR is obtained from O/S
– CSADDR is set accordingly
– All external symbols are entered into External Symbol
Table (ESTAB)
• Their addresses are obtained by adding values specified in
header to CSADDR (- First ORG?!)
– Starting address and length of each CS are determined.
CSADDR = CSADDR + CSLEN
– Print Load Map

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 ESTAB

Program/ Symbol Address Length

CS
Test 0040 0046
EXE 0060
ProgA 0086 0010
LISTA 0090
ProgB 0096 6

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 Pass II
• Does actual loading, relocation, and linking
• As each Text record is read
– The object code is moved to the specified address
(plus the current value of CSADDR)
– When “R” is encountered, the value is added or
subtracted from the indicated location in memory
– When “X” is encountered resolve symbol from ESTAB
– Last step: transfer control to loaded program to
begin execution, as indicated in the End record

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 Relocating Loaders
• Allocating subroutines to prevent
reassembling the code every time a
subroutine changes
• Binary Symbolic Subroutine (BSS) Loader
– The program length information is for allocation.
– Bit Mask is used for relocation
– The transfer vector is used to solve the problem of
linking

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Binary Symbolic Subroutine Loader
• The assembler assembles Provides the loader
– Object program + relocation information
– Prefixed with information about all other program
it references (transfer vector).
– The length of the entire program
– The length of the transfer vector portion

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 Transfer Vector
• A transfer vector consists of
– addresses containing names of the subroutines
referenced by the source program
– if a Square Root Routine (SQRT) was referenced and
was the first subroutine called, the first location in
the transfer vector could contain the symbolic name
SQRT.
– The statement calling SQRT would be translated into
a branch to the location of the transfer vector
associated with SQRT
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 The loader
• loads the text and the transfer vector
• loads each subroutine identified in the transfer
vector.
• place a transfer instruction to the corresponding
subroutine in each entry in the transfer vector.
– The execution of the call SQRT statement result in a
branch to the first location in the transfer vector
– which contains a branch to the location of SQRT.

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 Example
MAIN START LC r/s/e
EXTERNAL SORT 0 00 SORT
EXTERNAL ERR4 4 00 ERR
LOAD 1,=F9 8 01 LOAD 1,1C
BALINK C 01 BALINK 14, 0
14,SQRT 10 01 COMPARE 1,20
COMPARE 1,=F3 14 01 BNE 4
BNE ERR 18 00 HLT
HLT 1C 00 0009
=9 DATA 9 20 00 0003
=3 DATA 3
END

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 After Loading Using BSS Scheme
• Program Length 0 400 BALINK 14,448
4 404 BALINK 14,526
– 20 bytes 8 408 LOAD 1,41C
• Transfer vector C 40C BALINK 14,400
10 410 COMPARE
– 8 bytes 1,420
14 414 BNE 404
18 418 HLT
1C 41C 0009
20 420 0003

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 BSS Scheme Disadvantages
1. the transfer vector increases the size of the
object program in memory
2. the BSS loader does not facilitate access to
data segments that can be shared
– the transfer vector linkage is only useful for
transfers or BSRs
– not well suited for loading or storing external
data (data located in another procedure
segment)
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 Direct Linking Loader
• The assembler provides
1. The length of segment
2. A list of all entries and their relative location within
the segment
3. A list of all external symbols
4. Information as to where address constants are
loaded in the segment and a description of how to
revise their values.
5. The machine code translation of the source program
and the relative addresses assigned
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 Example

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 Assembler records
• External Symbol Dictionary (ESD) record:
Entries and Externals
• (TXT) records control the actual object code
translated version of the source program.
• The Relocation and Linkage Directory (RLD)
records relocation information
• The END record specifies the starting address
for execution

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 ESD and RLD
• SD: Segment Definition
• Local Definition
• External Reference

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 Disadvantages of Direct Linking
• It is necessary to allocate, relocate, link, and
load all of the subroutines each time in order
to execute a program
– loading process can be extremely time consuming.
• Though smaller than the assembler, the loader
absorbs a considerable amount of space
– Dividing the loading process into two separate
programs a binder and a module loader can solve
these problems.
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 Binder
• A binder is a program that performs the same
functions as the direct linking loader
– allocation, relocation, and linking
• Outputs the text in a file rather than memory
– called a load module.
• The module loader merely has to physically
load the module into memory.

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 Binder Classes
• Core image builder:
– Produces a load module that looks very much like a
"snapshot" or "image" of a section of core,
– Called Core image module.
• Link editor, can keep track of the relocation
Information
– The load module can be further relocated
– The module loader must perform allocation and
relocation as well as loading
– No linking.

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 Disadvantage
• If a subroutine is referenced but never executed
– if the programmer had placed a call statement in the
program but was never executed because of a
condition that branched around it
– the loader would still incur the overhead or linking
the subroutine.
• All of these schemes require the programmer to
explicitly name all procedures that might be
called.

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 Dynamic Loading
• If the total amount of memory required by all
subroutines exceeds the amount available
• The module loader loads the only the
procedures as they are needed.
– Allocating an overlay structure
• The Flipper or overlay supervisor is the
portion of the loader that actually intercepts
the "calls" and loads the necessary procedure.

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 Example
• Suppose a program consisting of five
subprograms (A{20k},B{20k}, C{30k}, D{10k}, and
E{20k}) that require 100K bytes of core.
– Subprogram A only calls B, D and E;
– subprogram B only calls C and E;
– subprogram D only calls E
– subprogram C and E do not call any other routines
• Note that procedures B and D are never in used
the same time; neither are C and E.
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 Longest Path Overlay Structure
100k vs 70k needed

A B C
20K 20K 30K

D E
10K 20K

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 Dynamic Linking
• The loading and linking of external references are
postponed until execution time.
• The loader loads only the main program
• If the main program should
– execute a branch to an external address,
– reference an external variable
• The loader is called
– Only then has the segment containing the external
reference loaded.
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 Design of Direct Linking Loader

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 Algorithm
• Pass 1
– Allocate Segments
• Initial Program Load Address (IPLA)
• Assign each segment the next table location after the
preceding segment.
– Define Symbols
• SD
• LD
• ER?!

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 Pass 2: load text and relocate/link
• ESD record types is processed differently.
– SD The LENGTH of the segment is temporarily
saved in the variable SLENGTH.
– LD does not require any processing during pass 2.
– ER The Global External Symbol Table (GEST) is
searched for match with the ER symbol
– If found in the GEST, Substitute value
– If it is not found  error

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 Pass 2
• TXT: the text is copied from the record to the
relocated core location (PLA + ADDR).
• RLD: The value to be used for relocation and
linking is extracted from the GEST
– If Flag is Plus the value is added, if Flag is minus the
value is subtracted from the address constant
• The relocated address of the address constant
is the sum of the PLA and the ADDR field
specified on the RLD record.
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 Pass 2
• END: The execution start address is relocated
by the PLA
– The Program Load Address is incremented by the
length of the segment and saved in SLENGTH,
becoming the PLA for the next segment.
• LDT/E0F record
– The loader transfers control to the loaded program
at the address specified by current contents of the
execution, address variable (EXADDR)

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 Final Exam

14/1/2008 ‫ االثنين‬10:45-12:45
Salah Al-Deen

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