Platform independent dynamic linking
A platform independent binary object (PIBO) operable on disparate computing environments that have a selected hardware architecture without requiring rebuilding or reloading is provided. The PIBO can be parsed to generate source-code stub file. The PIBO can be loaded and linked with a cooperating computing application by an exemplary linker/loader employing the stub file. Also, the PIBO can be used in various contexts, including but not limited to, as a mechanism for dynamically linking shared objects on platforms that do not offer such native facility; in utilizing pre-written code components on platforms that otherwise would be incompatible due to a violation of platform constraints within particular code; as a mechanism for loading non object-oriented code that circumvents restrictions of multiple execution instances and repeat execution inherent in the code; and as mechanism that allows for the use of a binary object to add on functionality on a closed platform.
1 . A system for dynamically loading and linking a single binary object file across a plurality of software platforms and operating systems executing on a defined processor architecture without requiring recompiling or rebuilding of the binary object file comprising:
a platform independent dynamic library (PIDL); and
a stub file, created as a source code, operable on the plurality of software platforms to allow a binary executable program executing on at least one of the plurality of software platforms and operating systems to have access to and co-operate with the PIDL.
2 . The system as recited in claim 1 wherein the PIDL comprises any of a linked library and a platform independent code library.
3 . The system as recited in claim 2 wherein the PIDL comprises a binary object file having a selected structure.
4 . The system as recited in claim 3 wherein the PIDL selected structure comprises any of the executable and linking format (ELF) and the portable executable (PE) format.
5 . The system as recited in claim 3 further comprising a parser operating on the PIDL to generate the stub file.
6 . The system as recited in claim 5 further comprising a dynamic linker/loader operating on the PIDL to load the PIDL onto at least one of the plurality of software platforms during the loading of the binary executable program containing a cooperating computing application for execution.
7 . The system as recited in claim 6 wherein the dynamic linker/loader operates on the PIDL to link the PIDL with the cooperating computing application during the loading of the binary executable program.
8 . The system as recited in claim 6 or 7 wherein source code for a computing application cooperating with the PIDL, source code for the dynamic linker/loader, and the source code for the stub file, are compiled and linked into a binary executable program for a selected one of the plurality of software platforms.
9 . The system as recited in claim 8 wherein the selected software platform executes exclusively on a selected one of the plurality of operating systems.
10 . The system as recited in claim 6 or 7 wherein the PIDL is dynamically loaded and linked to a computing application and other libraries of a computing environment, operating on an operating system that does not natively support a binary format of the PIDL.
11 . The system as recited in claim 6 or 7 wherein the dynamic linker/loader comprises functions that are compiled with the cooperating computing application.
12 . The system as recited in claim 6 or 7 wherein the PIDL is dynamically loaded and linked by parsing a binary object library to generate source code describing symbols and properties for use in dynamically linking the PIDL with the cooperating computing application.
13 . The system as recited in claim 12 wherein the source code describing symbols and properties is compiled with the cooperating computing application having dependencies on the binary object.
14 . The system as recited in claim 13 wherein dynamic linking occurs when a cooperating computing application is loaded into the memory of a selected one of the plurality of software platforms.
15 . The system as recited in claim 14 wherein the dynamic linking occurs when a library symbol resident in the PIDL is first called by the cooperating computing application.
16 . The system as recited in claim 6 or 7 wherein the dynamic linker/loader is designed to operate on a selected one of the plurality of software platforms.
17 . The system as recited in claim 16 further comprising an interface module providing the PIDL access to the cooperating computing application.
18 . The system as recited in claim 17 wherein the interface module comprises source code to allow the PIDL to call selected functions in the cooperating computing application.
19 . The system as recited in claim 18 wherein the source code of the interface module is generated by parsing an application programming interface of the cooperating computing application.
20 . The system as recited in claim 19 wherein the source code of the interface module is compiled with the cooperating computing application for a selected one of the plurality of software platforms.
21 . The system as recited in claim 12 wherein the dynamic linker/loader handles symbol resolution and relocation to bind the cooperating computing application and the PIDL into a runnable process on the selected software platform.
22 . The system as recited in claim 21 wherein the runnable process comprises a computing application cooperating with and bound to a plurality of PIDL libraries.
23 . The system as recited in claim 22 wherein the dynamic linker/loader discriminates between PIDL files and non-PIDL files when linking files with the cooperating computing application.
24 . The system as recited in claim 23 wherein the runnable process links the cooperating computing application with a PIDL library and a dynamically linked library native to the selected software platform.
25 . The system as recited in claim 1 wherein library source code is compiled to generate the PIDL comprising any of binary code and data.
26 . A method to integrate a binary object across a plurality of software platforms and operating systems without requiring recompiling or rebuilding of the binary object comprising:
providing a platform independent library (PIL); and
providing a source-code stub file providing executable programs capable of running on the plurality of software platforms and operating systems access to cooperate with the platform independent library (PIL).
27 . The method as recited in claim 26 further comprising generating the PIL as a object file having a selected structure.
28 . The method as recited in claim 27 further comprising selecting the object file as a file comprising any of the executable and linking format (ELF) and portable executable (PE) file structures.
29 . The method as recited in claim 28 further comprising generating the PIL for a selected hardware architecture.
30 . The method as recited in claim 29 further comprising selecting the hardware architecture from architectures comprising any of a reduced instruction set computer (RISC) and complex instruction set computer (CISC) hardware architectures.
31 . The method as recited in claim 30 further comprising parsing the PIL to generate the stub file as source code.
32 . The method as recited in claim 31 further comprising providing a dynamic linker/loader compiled with a cooperating computing application.
33 . The method as recited in claim 32 further comprising loading the PIL in an allocated memory block on a selected one of the plurality of software platforms by the dynamic linker/loader.
34 . The method as recited in claim 33 further comprising linking the PIL with a cooperating computing application for execution on selected one of the plurality of software platforms.
35 . The method as recited in claim 34 further comprising handling resolution and relocation of PIL symbols by the dynamic linker/loader.
36 . The method as recited in claim 30 further comprising providing a dynamic linker/loader for exclusive operation on a selected one of the plurality of software platforms.
37 . A computer readable medium having computer readable instructions to instruct a computer to perform a method comprising:
providing a platform independent library (PIL); and
providing a source-code stub file providing executable programs running on the plurality of software platforms and operating systems access to and means of cooperation with the platform independent library (PIL).
38 . A computer readable medium having computer readable instructions to instruct plurality of software platforms and operating systems to cooperate with a platform independent dynamic library (PIDL) comprising:
generating a PIDL having a object file comprising any of executable and linking format (ELF) and portable executable (PE) file structure;
parsing the PIDL to generate a stub file generated as source code; and
compiling the stub file with a cooperating computing application and linking the PIDL to the cooperating computing application by a dynamic loader/linker for execution.
39 . The computer readable medium as recited in claim 38 further comprising providing a application program interface providing access to the PIDL to at least one function of a cooperating computing application.
40 . The computer readable medium as recited in claim 38 further comprising compiling the stub file and a source code for the dynamic loader/linker for a selected one of the plurality of software platforms.
41 . The computer readable medium as recited in claim 40 wherein the dynamic loader/linker operates to perform symbol resolution and look up for PIDL symbols during loading of a cooperating computing application cooperating with the PIDL.
42 . The computer readable medium as recited in claim 41 further comprising determining size of the PIDL object file.
43 . The computer readable medium as recited in claim 42 further comprising allocating memory to load the PIDL object.
44 . The computer readable medium as recited in claim 43 further comprising relocating internal PIDL symbols using symbol tables and load addresses.
45 . The computer readable medium as recited in claim 44 further comprising relocating external PIDL symbols.
46 . The computer readable medium as recited in claim 45 further comprising communicating by the dynamic loader/linker to a cooperating computing application the relocated PIDL symbol addresses.
47 . A method to process a binary object for use across a plurality of software platforms and operating systems without recompiling or rebuilding the binary object for each of the plurality of the software platforms and operating systems comprising:
providing a library source code;
compiling the library source code to generate a platform independent code library (PICL) comprising an object file having a selected format;
parsing the PICL to generate a source code based stub file that describes symbols present in the PICL;
compiling the stub file with a cooperating computing application for a selected one of the plurality of software platforms;
loading the PICL in memory of the selected one of the plurality of software platforms; and
linking the PICL to resolve and relocate PICL symbols for use by the cooperating computing application executable on the selected one of the plurality of software platforms.
48 . The method as recited in claim 47 further comprising generating the stub file as a source code file that is compiled with a cooperating computing application and with source code for a dynamic linker/loader to create a binary program executable on a selected one of the plurality of software platforms.
49 . The method as recited in claim 48 further comprising selecting a object file format comprising any of the ELF and PE file formats.
50 . The method as recited in claim 49 further comprising providing a dynamic linker/loader operable exclusively on at least one of the disparate computing environments.
51 . A method to distribute a computing library update for use across disparate computing software environments operating on a defined processor architecture as a binary object that is not recompiled or rebuilt for each of the disparate computing software environments comprising:
creating a platform independent dynamic library (PIDL) operable with a source-code based stub file that is dynamically linked by a dynamic linker with a cooperating computing application prior to execution of a cooperating computing application operable on at least one of the computing environments; and
communicating the PIDL to the disparate computing environments over a communications network.
52 . The method as recited in claim 51 further comprising communicating a new version of the computing application cooperating with at least one PIDL.
53 . The method as recited in claim 52 further comprising compiling the dynamic linker with the stub file and the cooperating computing application for a selected one of the disparate software environments.
54 . The method as recited in claim 51 further comprising communicating a new version of the PIDL cooperating with the computing application.