Ld error under x86 when linking boost serialization

Question

Hi all,
I am trying to compile and link boost serialization project. I am doing this work under two architectures:
- sparc using sunstudio12 libraries and CC version 5.8
- x86 using sunstudio12 libraries and CC version 5.10
Under sparc I can compile the code and generate libserialization.so, release and debug.
However, I can't generate libserialization.so under x86 environment in debug mode (release mode works)
Here are my variables:
CPPFLAGS := -w -g -DDEBUG -KPIC -features=extensions -I.
LDFLAGS := -G -Bsymbolic -Llib/x86/DEBUG -ldl -lm -lrt -lnsl -lsocket -lCstd -lCrun -I.
The link takes about 2 minutes (few sconds under sparc) and ld crash displaying this message and generating a core:
CC: Fatal error in ld: Segmentation Fault (core dumped)
make: *** [home/.../boost/lib/x86/DEBUG/libserialization.so] Error 1
I think ld crashes because I don't have enough space under the swap partition, but why is it works under sparc? and faster?
Thanks for your help,

Answer 1

One difference is debug data is due to the compiler version, not differences between sparc and x86.
C++ 5.8 (in Sun Studio 11) generates debug data in stabs format. C++ 5.10 (in Sun Studio 12u1) generates debug data in dwarf format.
By default, stabs data remains in the .o files and is not copied into the executable program.
But dwarf data is copied into the executable. The program will need more memory when it is being linked, and take up more space on disk. (You can get the same effect with stabs if you link using the -xs option.) The dwarf data in the executable does not affect the amount of memory the running program needs, since it is not loaded into the program address space.
The advantage of putting the debug data in the executable is that you do not need access to the original .o files when debugging the program. With stabs, if you delete or move the .o files, or run the program from a location where the .o files are not visible via the original path, the debugger can't find any debug data.
Dwarf format does not allow omitting the debug data from the program; debugging via debug data in .o files is not an option.