conv(CP)                       6 January 1993                       conv(CP)


 Name

    conv - common object file converter

 Syntax

    conv [ -a ] [ -o ] [ -p ] [ -s ] -t target [ - | files ]

 Description

    The conv command converts object files in the Common Object File Format
    (COFF) from their current byte ordering to the byte ordering of the tar-
    get machine.  The converted file is written to file.v.  conv can be used
    on either the source (sending) or target (receiving) machine.

    Command line options are:

    -         Indicates that the names of files should be read from standard
              input.

    -a        If the input file is an archive, produce the output file in the
              System V Release 2.0 portable archive format.

    -o        If the input file is an archive, produce the output file in the
              old (pre-System V) archive format.

    -p        If the input file is an archive, produce the output file in the
              System V Release 1.0 random access archive format.

    -s        ``Preswab'' all characters in the object file.  This is useful
              only for 3B20 computer object files which are to be ``swab-
              dumped'' from a DEC machine to a 3B20 computer.

    -t target Convert the object file to the byte ordering of the machine
              (target) to which the object file is being shipped.  This may
              be another host or a target machine.  Legal values for target
              are: pdp, vax, ibm, x86, b16, n3b, mc68, and m32.

    The conv command is meant to ease the problems created by a multi-host,
    cross-compilation development environment. The conv command is best used
    within a procedure for shipping object files from one machine to another.

    The conv command will recognize and produce archive files in three for-
    mats: the pre-System V format, the System V Release 1.0 random access
    format, and the System V Release 2.0 portable ASCII format.  By default,
    conv will create the output archive file in the same format as the input
    file.  To produce an output file in a different format than the input
    file, use the -a, -o, or -p options.  If the output archive format is the
    same as the input format, the archive symbol table will be converted,
    otherwise the symbol table will be stripped from the archive.  The ar(CP)
    command with its -t and -s options must be used on the target machine to
    recreate the archive symbol table.

 Example

    To ship object files from a VAX computer system to a 3B2 computer, exe-
    cute the following commands:

       conv -t m32 *.out
       uucp *.out.v my3b2!~/rje/


 Diagnostics

    The diagnostics are self-explanatory.  Fatal diagnostics on the command
    lines cause termination.  Fatal diagnostics on an input file cause the
    program to continue to the next input file.

 Notes

    The conv command will not convert archives from one format to another if
    both the source and target machines have the same byte ordering.  The
    system tool convert(CP) should be used for this purpose.

 See also

    a.out(FP), ar(CP), ar(FP), convert(CP)

 Standards conformance

    conv is conformant with:
    AT&T SVID Issue 2.