mcs(1)            (Software Generation System Utilities)             mcs(1)


   NAME
         mcs - manipulate the comment section of an object file.

   SYNOPSIS
         mcs [-a string] [-c] [-d] [-n name] [-p] [-V] file ...

   DESCRIPTION
         The mcs command is used to manipulate a section, by default the
         .comment section, in an ELF object file.  It is used to add to,
         delete, print, and compress the contents of a section in an ELF
         object file, and only print the contents of a section in a COFF
         object file.  mcs must be given one or more of the options described
         below.  It applies each of the options in order to each file.

         The following options are available.

         -a string
               Append string to the comment section of the ELF object files.
               If string contains embedded blanks, it must be enclosed in
               quotation marks.

         -c    Compress the contents of the comment section of the ELF object
               files.  All duplicate entries are removed.  The ordering of the
               remaining entries is not disturbed.

         -d    Delete the contents of the comment section from the ELF object
               files.  The section header for the comment section is also
               removed.

         -n name
               Specify the name of the comment section to access if other than
               .comment.  By default, mcs deals with the section named
               .comment.  This option can be used to specify another section.

         -p    Print the contents of the comment section on the standard
               output.  Each section printed is tagged by the name of the file
               from which it was extracted, using the format
               filename[member_name]: for archive files; and filename: for
               other files.

         -V    Print, on standard error, the version number of mcs.

         If the input file is an archive [see ar(4)], the archive is treated
         as a set of individual files. For example, if the -a option is
         specified, the string is appended to the comment section of each ELF
         object file in the archive; if the archive member is not an ELF
         object file, then it is left unchanged.

         If mcs is executed on an archive file the archive symbol table will
         be removed, unless only the -p option has been specified.  The
         archive symbol table must be restored by executing the ar command


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   mcs(1)            (Software Generation System Utilities)             mcs(1)


         with the -s option before the archive can be linked by the ld
         command.  mcs will produce appropriate warning messages when this
         situation arises.

   EXAMPLES
               mcs -p file            # Print file's comment section

               mcs -a string file    # Append string to file's comment section

   FILES
         TMPDIR/mcs*           temporary files

         TMPDIR                usually /var/tmp but can be redefined by
                               setting the environment variable TMPDIR [see
                               tempnam() in tmpnam(3S)].

   SEE ALSO
         ar(1), as(1), cc(1), ld(1), tmpnam(3S), ar(4).
         See the ``Object Files'' chapter in Programmer's Guide: ANSI C and
         Programming Support Tools.

   NOTES
         mcs cannot add to, delete or compress the contents of a section that
         is contained within a segment.





























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