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Common Object File Format (COFF)

Standard UNIX system a.out header

By default, files produced by the link editor for a UNIX system always have a standard UNIX system a.out header in the optional header field. The UNIX system a.out header is 28 bytes. The fields of the optional header are described in ``Optional header contents''.

Optional header contents

Bytes Declaration Name Description
0-1 short magic Magic number
2-3 short vstamp Version stamp
4-7 long int tsize Size of text in bytes
8-11 long int dsize Size of initialized data in bytes
12-15 long int bsize Size of uninitialized data in bytes
16-19 long int entry Entry point
20-23 long int text_start Base address of text
24-27 long int data_start Base address of data

Whereas the magic number in the file header specifies the machine on which the object file runs, the magic number in the optional header supplies information telling the operating system on that machine how that file should be executed. The magic numbers recognized by SCO operating systems are given in ``UNIX system magic numbers''.

UNIX system magic numbers

Value Meaning
0407 Text segment is not write-protected or sharable; data segment is contiguous with the text segment.
0410 Data segment starts at the next segment following the text segment and the text segment is write-protected.
0413 Text and data segments are aligned within a.out so it can be directly paged.
0443 Defines a.out to be a target shared library.


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© 2003 Caldera International, Inc. All rights reserved.
SCO OpenServer Release 5.0.7 -- 11 February 2003