bfd/readelf: Add core file support for ARM PE notes
Enhances `readelf` and BFD to support ARM's `NT_ARM_POE` notes in core dump files.
The Binutils readelf utility and the BFD library now support processing ARM’s NT_ARM_POE (Processor Operating Environment) notes found in core dump files. This addition allows developers to inspect crucial processor state information related to the Processor Operating Environment when analyzing core dumps from ARM systems.
In Details
Support has been added for the NT_ARM_POE note type within the elfcore_grok_note function in bfd/elf.c. A new helper function, elfcore_grok_aarch_poe, is introduced to handle the conversion of this note type into a dedicated pseudo-section named .reg-aarch-poe. This integration allows readelf and other BFD-based tools to parse and display this specific ARM core dump information.
- readelf
- A utility that displays information about ELF (Executable and Linkable Format) files, including sections, symbols, and program headers. It can also display note sections.
- BFD
- Binary File Descriptor library. A low-level library used by Binutils and GDB to abstract away the differences between various object file formats (like ELF, COFF, a.out).
- Core file
- A file produced by an operating system when a process terminates abnormally due to a signal (e.g., segmentation fault). It contains a memory image of the process at the time of the crash.
- Notes (in ELF)
- Sections in ELF files that convey miscellaneous information. Common uses include storing hardware state (like register dumps in core files) or debugging information.
- NT_ARM_POE
- A specific ELF note type for ARM architectures that contains information about the Processor Operating Environment, which can include details about system configuration and status relevant at the time of a crash.