ARM BPABI: Base Platform Arm Binary Interface

From ARM Linker user manual:

http://infocenter.arm.com/help/index.jsp?topic=/com.arm.doc.dui0206g/Babcabdi.html

6.1. Introduction

The Base Platform ABI for the ARM Architecture [BPABI] governs the format and content of executable and shared object files generated by static linkers. It supports platform-specific executable files using post linking and provides a base standard that is used to derive a platform ABI. The standard defines three platform families based on the shared object model:

• Bare metal

• DLL-like

• System V release 4 (SVr4).

The linker conforms to the BPABI and so enables you to:

• link a collection of objects and libraries into a:

  • Bare metal executable image

  • BPABI DLL or SVr4 shared object

  • BPABI or SVr4 executable file.

• link a collection of objects against shared libraries

• partially link a collection of objects into an object that can be used as input to a subsequent link step.