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 |  | 
 | <div class="doc_title"> | 
 |   LLVM: Frequently Asked Questions | 
 | </div> | 
 |  | 
 | <ol> | 
 |   <li><a href="#license">License</a> | 
 |   <ol> | 
 |   <li>Why are the LLVM source code and the front-end distributed under different | 
 |   licenses?</li> | 
 |   <li>Does the University of Illinois Open Source License really qualify as an | 
 |   "open source" license?</li> | 
 |   <li>Can I modify LLVM source code and redistribute the modified source?</li> | 
 |   <li>Can I modify LLVM source code and redistribute binaries or other tools | 
 |   based on it, without redistributing the source?</li> | 
 |   </ol></li> | 
 |  | 
 |   <li><a href="#source">Source code</a> | 
 |   <ol> | 
 |   <li>In what language is LLVM written?</li> | 
 |   <li>How portable is the LLVM source code?</li> | 
 |   </ol></li> | 
 |  | 
 |   <li><a href="#build">Build Problems</a> | 
 |   <ol> | 
 |   <li>When I run configure, it finds the wrong C compiler.</li> | 
 |   <li>I compile the code, and I get some error about <tt>/localhome</tt>.</li> | 
 |   <li>The <tt>configure</tt> script finds the right C compiler, but it uses the | 
 |   LLVM linker from a previous build.  What do I do?</li> | 
 |   <li>When creating a dynamic library, I get a strange GLIBC error.</li> | 
 |   <li>I've updated my source tree from CVS, and now my build is trying to use a | 
 |   file/directory that doesn't exist.</li> | 
 |   <li>I've modified a Makefile in my source tree, but my build tree keeps using | 
 |   the old version.  What do I do?</li> | 
 |   <li>I've upgraded to a new version of LLVM, and I get strange build | 
 |   errors.</li> | 
 |   <li>I've built LLVM and am testing it, but the tests freeze.</li> | 
 |   <li>Why do test results differ when I perform different types of builds?</li> | 
 |   <li>Compiling LLVM with GCC 3.3.2 fails, what should I do?</li> | 
 |   <li>When I use the test suite, all of the C Backend tests fail.  What is | 
 |       wrong?</li> | 
 |   <li>After CVS update, rebuilding gives the error "No rule to make | 
 |   target".</li> | 
 |   </ol></li> | 
 |  | 
 |   <li><a href="#cfe">Using the GCC Front End</a> | 
 |   <ol> | 
 |     <li> | 
 |     When I compile software that uses a configure script, the configure script | 
 |     thinks my system has all of the header files and libraries it is testing | 
 |     for.  How do I get configure to work correctly? | 
 |     </li> | 
 |  | 
 |     <li> | 
 |     When I compile code using the LLVM GCC front end, it complains that it | 
 |     cannot find libcrtend.a. | 
 |     </li> | 
 |  | 
 |     <li> | 
 |     How can I disable all optimizations when compiling code using the LLVM GCC front end? | 
 |     </li> | 
 |  | 
 |   </ol> | 
 |   </li> | 
 |  | 
 |   <li><a href="#cfe_code">Questions about code generated by the GCC front-end</a> | 
 |   <ol> | 
 |      <li><a href="#__main">What is this <tt>__main()</tt> call that gets inserted into | 
 |          <tt>main()</tt>?</a></li> | 
 |      <li><a href="#iosinit">What is this <tt>llvm.global_ctors</tt> and | 
 |           <tt>_GLOBAL__I__tmp_webcompile...</tt> stuff that happens when I | 
 |           #include <iostream>?</a></li> | 
 |      <li><a href="#codedce">Where did all of my code go??</a></li> | 
 |      <li><a href="#undef">What is this "<tt>undef</tt>" thing that shows up in my code?</a></li> | 
 |   </ol> | 
 |   </li> | 
 | </ol> | 
 |  | 
 | <div class="doc_author"> | 
 |   <p>Written by <a href="http://llvm.org">The LLVM Team</a></p> | 
 | </div> | 
 |  | 
 |  | 
 | <!-- *********************************************************************** --> | 
 | <div class="doc_section"> | 
 |   <a name="license">License</a> | 
 | </div> | 
 | <!-- *********************************************************************** --> | 
 |  | 
 | <div class="question"> | 
 | <p>Why are the LLVM source code and the front-end distributed under different | 
 | licenses?</p> | 
 | </div> | 
 | 	 | 
 | <div class="answer"> | 
 | <p>The C/C++ front-ends are based on GCC and must be distributed under the GPL. | 
 | Our aim is to distribute LLVM source code under a <em>much less restrictive</em> | 
 | license, in particular one that does not compel users who distribute tools based | 
 | on modifying the source to redistribute the modified source code as well.</p> | 
 | </div> | 
 |  | 
 | <div class="question"> | 
 | <p>Does the University of Illinois Open Source License really qualify as an | 
 | "open source" license?</p> | 
 | </div> | 
 |  | 
 | <div class="answer"> | 
 | <p>Yes, the license is <a | 
 | href="http://www.opensource.org/licenses/UoI-NCSA.php">certified</a> by the Open | 
 | Source Initiative (OSI).</p> | 
 | </div> | 
 |  | 
 | <div class="question"> | 
 | <p>Can I modify LLVM source code and redistribute the modified source?</p> | 
 | </div> | 
 |  | 
 | <div class="answer"> | 
 | <p>Yes.  The modified source distribution must retain the copyright notice and | 
 | follow the three bulletted conditions listed in the <a | 
 | href="http://llvm.org/releases/1.3/LICENSE.TXT">LLVM license</a>.</p> | 
 | </div> | 
 |  | 
 | <div class="question"> | 
 | <p>Can I modify LLVM source code and redistribute binaries or other tools based | 
 | on it, without redistributing the source?</p> | 
 | </div> | 
 |  | 
 | <div class="answer"> | 
 | <p>Yes, this is why we distribute LLVM under a less restrictive license than | 
 | GPL, as explained in the first question above.</p> | 
 | </div> | 
 |  | 
 | <!-- *********************************************************************** --> | 
 | <div class="doc_section"> | 
 |   <a name="source">Source Code</a> | 
 | </div> | 
 | <!-- *********************************************************************** --> | 
 |  | 
 | <div class="question"> | 
 | <p>In what language is LLVM written?</p> | 
 | </div> | 
 |  | 
 | <div class="answer"> | 
 | <p>All of the LLVM tools and libraries are written in C++ with extensive use of | 
 | the STL.</p> | 
 | </div> | 
 |  | 
 | <div class="question"> | 
 | <p>How portable is the LLVM source code?</p> | 
 | </div> | 
 |  | 
 | <div class="answer"> | 
 | <p>The LLVM source code should be portable to most modern UNIX-like operating | 
 | systems.  Most of the code is written in standard C++ with operating system | 
 | services abstracted to a support library.  The tools required to build and test | 
 | LLVM have been ported to a plethora of platforms.</p> | 
 |  | 
 | <p>Some porting problems may exist in the following areas:</p> | 
 |  | 
 | <ul> | 
 |  | 
 |   <li>The GCC front end code is not as portable as the LLVM suite, so it may not | 
 |   compile as well on unsupported platforms.</li> | 
 |  | 
 |   <li>The LLVM build system relies heavily on UNIX shell tools, like the Bourne | 
 |   Shell and sed.  Porting to systems without these tools (MacOS 9, Plan 9) will | 
 |   require more effort.</li> | 
 |  | 
 | </ul> | 
 |  | 
 | </div> | 
 |  | 
 | <!-- *********************************************************************** --> | 
 | <div class="doc_section"> | 
 |   <a name="build">Build Problems</a> | 
 | </div> | 
 | <!-- *********************************************************************** --> | 
 |  | 
 | <div class="question"> | 
 | <p>When I run configure, it finds the wrong C compiler.</p> | 
 | </div> | 
 |  | 
 | <div class="answer"> | 
 |  | 
 | <p>The <tt>configure</tt> script attempts to locate first <tt>gcc</tt> and then | 
 | <tt>cc</tt>, unless it finds compiler paths set in <tt>CC</tt> and <tt>CXX</tt> | 
 | for the C and C++ compiler, respectively.</p> | 
 |  | 
 | <p>If <tt>configure</tt> finds the wrong compiler, either adjust your | 
 | <tt>PATH</tt> environment variable or set <tt>CC</tt> and <tt>CXX</tt> | 
 | explicitly.</p> | 
 |  | 
 | </div> | 
 |  | 
 | <div class="question"> | 
 | <p>I compile the code, and I get some error about <tt>/localhome</tt>.</p> | 
 | </div> | 
 |  | 
 | <div class="answer"> | 
 |  | 
 | <p>There are several possible causes for this.  The first is that you didn't set | 
 | a pathname properly when using <tt>configure</tt>, and it defaulted to a | 
 | pathname that we use on our research machines.</p> | 
 |  | 
 | <p>Another possibility is that we hardcoded a path in our Makefiles.  If you see | 
 | this, please email the LLVM bug mailing list with the name of the offending | 
 | Makefile and a description of what is wrong with it.</p> | 
 |  | 
 | </div> | 
 |  | 
 | <div class="question"> | 
 | <p>The <tt>configure</tt> script finds the right C compiler, but it uses the | 
 | LLVM linker from a previous build.  What do I do?</p> | 
 | </div> | 
 |  | 
 | <div class="answer"> | 
 | <p>The <tt>configure</tt> script uses the <tt>PATH</tt> to find executables, so | 
 | if it's grabbing the wrong linker/assembler/etc, there are two ways to fix | 
 | it:</p> | 
 |  | 
 | <ol> | 
 | 		 | 
 |   <li><p>Adjust your <tt>PATH</tt> environment variable so that the correct | 
 |   program appears first in the <tt>PATH</tt>.  This may work, but may not be | 
 |   convenient when you want them <i>first</i> in your path for other | 
 |   work.</p></li> | 
 |  | 
 |   <li><p>Run <tt>configure</tt> with an alternative <tt>PATH</tt> that is | 
 |   correct. In a Borne compatible shell, the syntax would be:</p> | 
 | 		 | 
 |       <p><tt>PATH=[the path without the bad program] ./configure ...</tt></p> | 
 |  | 
 |       <p>This is still somewhat inconvenient, but it allows <tt>configure</tt> | 
 |       to do its work without having to adjust your <tt>PATH</tt> | 
 |       permanently.</p></li> | 
 | 	 | 
 | </ol> | 
 |  | 
 | </div> | 
 |  | 
 | <div class="question"> | 
 | <p>When creating a dynamic library, I get a strange GLIBC error.</p> | 
 | </div> | 
 |  | 
 | <div class="answer"> | 
 | <p>Under some operating systems (i.e. Linux), libtool does not work correctly if | 
 | GCC was compiled with the --disable-shared option.  To work around this, install | 
 | your own version of GCC that has shared libraries enabled by default.</p> | 
 | </div> | 
 |  | 
 | <div class="question"> | 
 | <p>I've updated my source tree from CVS, and now my build is trying to use a | 
 | file/directory that doesn't exist.</p> | 
 | </div> | 
 |  | 
 | <div class="answer"> | 
 | <p>You need to re-run configure in your object directory.  When new Makefiles | 
 | are added to the source tree, they have to be copied over to the object tree in | 
 | order to be used by the build.</p> | 
 | </div> | 
 |  | 
 | <div class="question"> | 
 | <p>I've modified a Makefile in my source tree, but my build tree keeps using the | 
 | old version.  What do I do?</p> | 
 | </div> | 
 |  | 
 | <div class="answer"> | 
 |  | 
 | <p>If the Makefile already exists in your object tree, you | 
 | can just run the following command in the top level directory of your object | 
 | tree:</p> | 
 |  | 
 | <p><tt>./config.status <relative path to Makefile></tt><p> | 
 |  | 
 | <p>If the Makefile is new, you will have to modify the configure script to copy | 
 | it over.</p> | 
 |  | 
 | </div> | 
 |  | 
 | <div class="question"> | 
 | <p>I've upgraded to a new version of LLVM, and I get strange build errors.</p> | 
 | </div> | 
 |  | 
 | <div class="answer"> | 
 |  | 
 | <p>Sometimes, changes to the LLVM source code alters how the build system works. | 
 | Changes in libtool, autoconf, or header file dependencies are especially prone | 
 | to this sort of problem.</p> | 
 |  | 
 | <p>The best thing to try is to remove the old files and re-build.  In most | 
 | cases, this takes care of the problem.  To do this, just type <tt>make | 
 | clean</tt> and then <tt>make</tt> in the directory that fails to build.</p> | 
 |  | 
 | </div> | 
 |  | 
 | <div class="question"> | 
 | <p>I've built LLVM and am testing it, but the tests freeze.</p> | 
 | </div> | 
 |  | 
 | <div class="answer"> | 
 |  | 
 | <p>This is most likely occurring because you built a profile or release | 
 | (optimized) build of LLVM and have not specified the same information on the | 
 | <tt>gmake</tt> command line.</p> | 
 |  | 
 | <p>For example, if you built LLVM with the command:</p> | 
 |  | 
 | <p><tt>gmake ENABLE_PROFILING=1</tt> | 
 |  | 
 | <p>...then you must run the tests with the following commands:</p> | 
 |  | 
 | <p><tt>cd llvm/test<br>gmake  ENABLE_PROFILING=1</tt></p> | 
 |  | 
 | </div> | 
 |  | 
 | <div class="question"> | 
 | <p>Why do test results differ when I perform different types of builds?</p> | 
 | </div> | 
 |  | 
 | <div class="answer"> | 
 |  | 
 | <p>The LLVM test suite is dependent upon several features of the LLVM tools and | 
 | libraries.</p> | 
 |  | 
 | <p>First, the debugging assertions in code are not enabled in optimized or | 
 | profiling builds.  Hence, tests that used to fail may pass.</p> | 
 | 	 | 
 | <p>Second, some tests may rely upon debugging options or behavior that is only | 
 | available in the debug build.  These tests will fail in an optimized or profile | 
 | build.</p> | 
 |  | 
 | </div> | 
 |  | 
 | <div class="question"> | 
 | <p>Compiling LLVM with GCC 3.3.2 fails, what should I do?</p> | 
 | </div> | 
 |  | 
 | <div class="answer"> | 
 | <p>This is <a href="http://gcc.gnu.org/PR?13392">a bug in GCC</a>, and  | 
 |    affects projects other than LLVM.  Try upgrading or downgrading your GCC.</p> | 
 | </div> | 
 |  | 
 | <div class="question"> | 
 | <p>After CVS update, rebuilding gives the error "No rule to make target".</p> | 
 | </div> | 
 |  | 
 | <div class="answer"> | 
 | <p>If the error is of the form:</p> | 
 |  | 
 | <div class="doc_code"> | 
 | <tt> | 
 | gmake[2]: *** No rule to make target `/path/to/somefile', needed by | 
 | `/path/to/another/file.d'.<br> | 
 | Stop. | 
 | </tt> | 
 | </div> | 
 |  | 
 | <p>This may occur anytime files are moved within the CVS repository or removed | 
 | entirely.  In this case, the best solution is to erase all <tt>.d</tt> files, | 
 | which list dependencies for source files, and rebuild:</p> | 
 |  | 
 | <div class="doc_code"> | 
 | <pre> | 
 | % cd $LLVM_OBJ_DIR | 
 | % rm -f `find . -name \*\.d`  | 
 | % gmake  | 
 | </pre> | 
 | </div> | 
 |  | 
 | <p>In other cases, it may be necessary to run <tt>make clean</tt> before | 
 | rebuilding.</p> | 
 | </div> | 
 |  | 
 | <!-- *********************************************************************** --> | 
 | <div class="doc_section"> | 
 |   <a name="cfe">Using the GCC Front End</a> | 
 | </div> | 
 |  | 
 | <div class="question"> | 
 | <p> | 
 | When I compile software that uses a configure script, the configure script | 
 | thinks my system has all of the header files and libraries it is testing for. | 
 | How do I get configure to work correctly? | 
 | </p> | 
 | </div> | 
 |  | 
 | <div class="answer"> | 
 | <p> | 
 | The configure script is getting things wrong because the LLVM linker allows | 
 | symbols to be undefined at link time (so that they can be resolved during JIT | 
 | or translation to the C back end).  That is why configure thinks your system | 
 | "has everything." | 
 | </p> | 
 | <p> | 
 | To work around this, perform the following steps: | 
 | </p> | 
 |  | 
 | <ol> | 
 |   <li> | 
 |   Make sure the CC and CXX environment variables contains the full path to the | 
 |   LLVM GCC front end. | 
 |   </li> | 
 |  | 
 |   <li> | 
 |   Make sure that the regular C compiler is first in your PATH. | 
 |   </li> | 
 |  | 
 |   <li> | 
 |   Add the string "-Wl,-native" to your CFLAGS environment variable. | 
 |   </li> | 
 | </ol> | 
 |  | 
 | <p> | 
 | This will allow the gccld linker to create a native code executable instead of | 
 | a shell script that runs the JIT.  Creating native code requires standard | 
 | linkage, which in turn will allow the configure script to find out if code is | 
 | not linking on your system because the feature isn't available on your system. | 
 | </p> | 
 | </div> | 
 |  | 
 | <div class="question"> | 
 | <p> | 
 | When I compile code using the LLVM GCC front end, it complains that it cannot | 
 | find libcrtend.a. | 
 | </p> | 
 | </div> | 
 |  | 
 | <div class="answer"> | 
 | <p> | 
 | The only way this can happen is if you haven't installed the runtime library. To | 
 | correct this, do:</p> | 
 | <pre> | 
 |   % cd llvm/runtime | 
 |   % make clean ; make install-bytecode | 
 | </pre> | 
 | </div> | 
 |  | 
 | <div class="question"> | 
 | <p> | 
 | How can I disable all optimizations when compiling code using the LLVM GCC front end? | 
 | </p> | 
 | </div> | 
 |  | 
 | <div class="answer"> | 
 | <p> | 
 | Passing "-Wa,-disable-opt -Wl,-disable-opt" will disable *all* cleanup and | 
 | optimizations done at the llvm level, leaving you with the truly horrible | 
 | code that you desire. | 
 | </p> | 
 | </div> | 
 |  | 
 | <!-- *********************************************************************** --> | 
 | <div class="doc_section"> | 
 |   <a name="cfe_code">Questions about code generated by the GCC front-end</a> | 
 | </div> | 
 |  | 
 | <div class="question"><p> | 
 | <a name="__main"></a> | 
 | What is this <tt>__main()</tt> call that gets inserted into <tt>main()</tt>? | 
 | </p></div> | 
 |  | 
 | <div class="answer"> | 
 | <p> | 
 | The <tt>__main</tt> call is inserted by the C/C++ compiler in order to guarantee | 
 | that static constructors and destructors are called when the program starts up | 
 | and shuts down.  In C, you can create static constructors and destructors by | 
 | using GCC extensions, and in C++ you can do so by creating a global variable | 
 | whose class has a ctor or dtor. | 
 | </p> | 
 |  | 
 | <p> | 
 | The actual implementation of <tt>__main</tt> lives in the | 
 | <tt>llvm/runtime/GCCLibraries/crtend/</tt> directory in the source-base, and is | 
 | linked in automatically when you link the program. | 
 | </p> | 
 | </div> | 
 |  | 
 | <!--=========================================================================--> | 
 |  | 
 | <div class="question"> | 
 | <a name="iosinit"></a> | 
 | <p> What is this <tt>llvm.global_ctors</tt> and | 
 | <tt>_GLOBAL__I__tmp_webcompile...</tt> stuff that happens when I #include | 
 | <iostream>?</p> | 
 | </div> | 
 |  | 
 | <div class="answer"> | 
 |  | 
 | <p>If you #include the <iostream> header into a C++ translation unit, the | 
 | file will probably use the <tt>std::cin</tt>/<tt>std::cout</tt>/... global | 
 | objects.  However, C++ does not guarantee an order of initialization between | 
 | static objects in different translation units, so if a static ctor/dtor in your | 
 | .cpp file used <tt>std::cout</tt>, for example, the object would not necessarily | 
 | be automatically initialized before your use.</p> | 
 |  | 
 | <p>To make <tt>std::cout</tt> and friends work correctly in these scenarios, the | 
 | STL that we use declares a static object that gets created in every translation | 
 | unit that includes <tt><iostream></tt>.  This object has a static | 
 | constructor and destructor that initializes and destroys the global iostream | 
 | objects before they could possibly be used in the file.  The code that you see | 
 | in the .ll file corresponds to the constructor and destructor registration code. | 
 | </p> | 
 |  | 
 | <p>If you would like to make it easier to <b>understand</b> the LLVM code | 
 | generated by the compiler in the demo page, consider using <tt>printf()</tt> | 
 | instead of <tt>iostream</tt>s to print values.</p> | 
 |  | 
 | </div> | 
 |  | 
 | <!--=========================================================================--> | 
 |  | 
 | <div class="question"><p> | 
 | <a name="codedce"></a> | 
 | Where did all of my code go?? | 
 | </p></div> | 
 |  | 
 | <div class="answer"> | 
 | <p> | 
 | If you are using the LLVM demo page, you may often wonder what happened to all | 
 | of the code that you typed in.  Remember that the demo script is running the | 
 | code through the LLVM optimizers, so if your code doesn't actually do anything | 
 | useful, it might all be deleted. | 
 | </p> | 
 |  | 
 | <p> | 
 | To prevent this, make sure that the code is actually needed.  For example, if | 
 | you are computing some expression, return the value from the function instead of | 
 | leaving it in a local variable.  If you really want to constrain the optimizer, | 
 | you can read from and assign to <tt>volatile</tt> global variables. | 
 | </p> | 
 | </div> | 
 |  | 
 | <!--=========================================================================--> | 
 |  | 
 | <div class="question"><p> | 
 | <a name="undef"></a> | 
 | <p>What is this "<tt>undef</tt>" thing that shows up in my code? | 
 | </p></div> | 
 |  | 
 | <div class="answer"> | 
 | <p> | 
 | <a href="LangRef.html#undef"><tt>undef</tt></a> is the LLVM way of representing | 
 | a value that is not defined.  You can get these if you do not initialize a  | 
 | variable before you use it.  For example, the C function:</p> | 
 |  | 
 | <div class="doc_code"> | 
 |   <tt>int X() { int i; return i; }</tt> | 
 | </div> | 
 |  | 
 | <p>Is compiled to "<tt>ret int undef</tt>" because "i" never has a value  | 
 | specified for it. | 
 | </p> | 
 | </div> | 
 |  | 
 | <!-- *********************************************************************** --> | 
 |  | 
 | <hr> | 
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