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Preface
This Executable and Linking Format Specification, Version 1.2, is the result of the work of the
Tool Interface Standards (TIS) Committee--an association of members of the microcomputer
industry formed to work toward standardization of the software interfaces visible to
development tools for 32-bit Intel Architecture operating environments. Such interfaces
include object module formats, executable file formats, and debug record information and
formats.
The goal of the committee is to help streamline the software development process throughout
the microcomputer industry, currently concentrating on 32-bit operating environments. To that
end, the committee has developed specifications--some for file formats that are portable across
leading industry operating systems, and others describing formats for 32-bit Windows
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operating systems. Originally distributed collectively as the TIS Portable Formats
Specifications Version 1.1, these specifications are now separated and distributed individually.
TIS Committee members include representatives from Absoft, Autodesk, Borland International
Corporation, IBM Corporation, Intel Corporation, Lahey, Lotus Corporation, MetaWare
Corporation, Microtec Research, Microsoft Corporation, Novell Corporation, The Santa Cruz
Operation, and WATCOM International Corporation. PharLap Software Incorporated and
Symantec Corporation also participated in the specification definition efforts.
This specification like the others in the TIS collection of specifications is based on existing,
proven formats in keeping with the TIS Committee's goal to adopt, and when necessary, extend
existing standards rather than invent new ones.
About ELF: Executable and Linking Format
The Executable and Linking Format was originally developed and published by UNIX System
Laboratories (USL) as part of the Application Binary Interface (ABI). The Tool Interface
Standards committee (TIS) has selected the evolving ELF standard as a portable object file
format that works on 32-bit Intel Architecture environments for a variety of operating systems.
The ELF standard is intended to streamline software development by providing developers
with a set of binary interface definitions that extend across multiple operating environments.
This should reduce the number of different interface implementations, thereby reducing the
need for recoding and recompiling code.
About This Document
This document is intended for developers who are creating object or executable files on various
32-bit environment operating systems. In order to extend ELf into different operating systems,
the current ELF version 1.2 document has been reorganized based on operating system-specific
information. It is divided into the following three books:
• Book I: Executable and Linking Format, describes the object file format called ELF. This book
also contains an appendix that describes historical references and lists processor and operating
system reserved names and words.
• Book II: Processor Specific (Intel Achitecture), conveys hardware-specific ELF information,
such as Intel Architecture information.
• Book III: Operating System Specific, describes ELF information that is operating system
dependent, such as System V Release 4 information. This book also contains an appendix that
describes ELF information that is both operating system and processor dependent.
