Link with network library functions

Question

Hi C gurus,
we have a problem compiling software from outside with the latest Studio 12.3 compiler. We have the following command
CC -m64 -xlang=f90,c99 -o mars mars.o -L/usr/lib libmars.a /soft/ECMWF/emos-64_i86pc/libemosR64.a -L/opt/solarisstudio12.3/lib -lsunmath -L/soft/EC MWF/grib_api-64_i386/lib -lgrib_api -L/soft/jasper-64_i86pc/lib -ljasper -lm
and get linker errors like
Undefined first referenced
symbol in file
bind libmars.a(tcp.o)
sys_nerr libmars.a(environ.o)
getsockname libmars.a(server.o)
accept libmars.a(netbase.o)
xdr_string libmars.a(marsxdr.o)
xdr_pointer libmars.a(marsxdr.o)
listen libmars.a(server.o)
gethostbyaddr libmars.a(tcp.o)
gethostbyname libmars.a(tcp.o)
socket libmars.a(tcp.o)
xdr_bytes libmars.a(marsxdr.o)
getdomainname libmars.a(environ.o)
setsockopt libmars.a(tcp.o)
connect libmars.a(tcp.o)
xdrrec_create libmars.a(netbase.o)
xdrmem_create libmars.a(account.o)
xdrrec_skiprecord libmars.a(queue.o)
xdr_free libmars.a(queue.o)
xdr_long libmars.a(marsxdr.o)
inet_addr libmars.a(tcp.o)
inet_ntoa libmars.a(tcp.o)
sys_errlist libmars.a(environ.o)
xdrrec_endofrecord libmars.a(queue.o)
xdr_int libmars.a(marsxdr.o)
shutdown libmars.a(webbase.o)
Some of this function are Network library function. See http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E19683-01/817-0696/6mgfrf0gr/index.html
Do we miss some options or flags the CC command line?
Any help or hints are warmly welcome
Anton

Answer 1

You say you are having trouble with Studio 12.3. Did this code work before with some earlier Studio version? I suspect not, because you need to link system libraries that are not on the CC command line that you show.
First, some general comments.
1. The -xlang=f90 option should be used if and only if you are linking Fortran 90 binaries to your program. Ditto for -xlang=c99 and C 99.
2. Never use -L options that point into /usr/lib or into the compiler installation area. The CC driver knows where to find default system libraries and in what order to search for them. Specifying these directories with -L can cause the wrong libraries to be linked. If you added those options because they seemed to solve a linking problem, something else is wrong, and should be fixed.
Now some specifics about missing libraries.
Check the man page for a missing function, and see if the man page lists a library that needs to be linked. Unfortunately, not all man pages are so helpful. Let's track down one set of functions as an example of how to find the missing library.
A set of missing functions starts with "xdr". Let's try "man xdr_string". Although the page does not tell you what library to link, the man page is in section 3NSL, and some xdr functions in the "see also" are in the same section. Is there a library with nsl in its name?
% cd /usr/lib
% ls -R | grep nsl
libnsl.so
% nm libnsl.so | grep xdr_
[ long list of xdr functions]So we know we need to add -lnsl to the CC command line. Repeat this process until done.
The author of an application library usually knows what system libraries to link, and a helpful programmer would include this information in README or man page for the application libraries that you are using. Did you check for documentation first?