binutils Newspaper
JULY 29, 2026
binutils Proposed

AIX 7.3 32-bit core file format recognition

Patch adds support for recognizing 32-bit core file formats on AIX 7.3 in BFD.

This patch addresses an issue where GDB on AIX 7.3 fails to recognize 32-bit core dump files. The problem stems from the Binary File Descriptor (BFD) library not supporting the specific core file format used in AIX 7.3. Applying this patch enables BFD to correctly identify and process these core files, resolving the GDB error.

In Details

The Binary File Descriptor (BFD) library, a core component of GNU Binutils and GDB, is responsible for handling various object file and core dump formats. This patch specifically targets AIX 7.3's 32-bit core dump format, which was not previously recognized by BFD. By adding support for this format, GDB and other tools relying on BFD can now correctly load and analyze core dumps generated on newer AIX versions.

For Context
BFD
Binary File Descriptor library, a GNU project library that provides a common interface to various object file formats.
core dump
A file containing the memory image of a process at the time it terminated abnormally. Debuggers use core dumps to analyze the state of the program.
AIX
A proprietary Unix operating system developed by IBM.
file format not recognized
An error message indicating that a tool cannot understand the structure or type of a given file.
Filed Under: binutilsbfdcore dumpaixgdb