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strip(1)

NAME

       strip - Discard symbols from object files.

SYNOPSIS

       strip [-F bfdname |--target=bfdname]
	     [-I bfdname |--input-target=bfdname]
	     [-O bfdname |--output-target=bfdname]
	     [-s|--strip-all]
	     [-S|-g|-d|--strip-debug]
	     [-K symbolname |--keep-symbol=symbolname]
	     [-N symbolname |--strip-symbol=symbolname]
	     [-w|--wildcard]
	     [-x|--discard-all] [-X |--discard-locals]
	     [-R sectionname |--remove-section=sectionname]
	     [-o file] [-p|--preserve-dates]
	     [--only-keep-debug]
	     [-v |--verbose] [-V|--version]
	     [--help] [--info]
	     objfile...

DESCRIPTION

       GNU  strip discards all symbols from object files objfile.  The list of
       object files may include archives.  At least one object	file  must  be
       given.

       strip  modifies	the  files  named in its argument, rather than writing
       modified copies under different names.

OPTIONS

       -F bfdname
       --target=bfdname
	   Treat the original objfile as a file with the  object  code	format
	   bfdname, and rewrite it in the same format.

       --help
	   Show a summary of the options to strip and exit.

       --info
	   Display  a list showing all architectures and object formats avail-
	   able.

       -I bfdname
       --input-target=bfdname
	   Treat the original objfile as a file with the  object  code	format
	   bfdname.

       -O bfdname
       --output-target=bfdname
	   Replace objfile with a file in the output format bfdname.

       -R sectionname
       --remove-section=sectionname
	   Remove  any	section  named sectionname from the output file.  This
	   option may be given more than once.	Note that  using  this	option
	   inappropriately may make the output file unusable.
       --strip-debug
	   Remove debugging symbols only.

       --strip-unneeded
	   Remove all symbols that are not needed for relocation processing.

       -K symbolname
       --keep-symbol=symbolname
	   Keep  only symbol symbolname from the source file.  This option may
	   be given more than once.

       -N symbolname
       --strip-symbol=symbolname
	   Remove symbol symbolname from the source file. This option  may  be
	   given  more than once, and may be combined with strip options other
	   than -K.

       -o file
	   Put the stripped output in file, rather than replacing the existing
	   file.  When this argument is used, only one objfile argument may be
	   specified.

       -p
       --preserve-dates
	   Preserve the access and modification dates of the file.

       -w
       --wildcard
	   Permit regular expressions in symbolnames  used  in	other  command
	   line  options.   The question mark (?), asterisk (*), backslash (\)
	   and square brackets ([]) operators can be used anywhere in the sym-
	   bol	name.  If the first character of the symbol name is the excla-
	   mation point (!) then the sense of the switch is reversed for  that
	   symbol.  For example:

		     -w -K !foo -K fo*

	   would  cause strip to only keep symbols that start with the letters
	   ``fo'', but to discard the symbol ``foo''.

       -x
       --discard-all
	   Remove non-global symbols.

       -X
       --discard-locals
	   Remove compiler-generated local symbols.  (These usually start with
	   L or ..)

       --only-keep-debug
	   Strip  a  file,  removing  any  sections  that would be stripped by
	   --strip-debug and leaving the debugging sections.

	   The intention is that this option will be used in conjunction  with
	   --add-gnu-debuglink	to  create  a  two  part  executable.	One  a
	   stripped binary which will occupy less space in RAM and in  a  dis-
	   tribution and the second a debugging information file which is only
	   needed if debugging abilities are required.	The  suggested	proce-
	   1.<Run "objcopy --strip-debug foo" to create a>
	       stripped executable.

	   1.<Run "objcopy --add-gnu-debuglink=foo.dbg foo">
	       to  add	a  link  to  the debugging info into the stripped exe-
	       cutable.

	   Note - the choice of ".dbg" as an extension for the debug info file
	   is  arbitrary.  Also the "--only-keep-debug" step is optional.  You
	   could instead do this:

	   1.<Link the executable as normal.>
	   1.<Copy "foo" to  "foo.full">
	   1.<Run "strip --strip-debug foo">
	   1.<Run "objcopy --add-gnu-debuglink=foo.full foo">

	   ie the file pointed to by the --add-gnu-debuglink can be  the  full
	   executable.	 It  does  not	have  to  be  a  file  created	by the
	   --only-keep-debug switch.

       -V
       --version
	   Show the version number for strip.

       -v
       --verbose
	   Verbose output: list all object files modified.  In the case of ar-
	   chives, strip -v lists all members of the archive.

SEE ALSO

       the Info entries for binutils.

COPYRIGHT

       Copyright  (c)  1991, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 2000, 2001, 2002,
       2003 Free Software Foundation, Inc.

       Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify	this  document
       under  the  terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
       any later version published by the Free Software  Foundation;  with  no
       Invariant  Sections,  with no Front-Cover Texts, and with no Back-Cover
       Texts.  A copy of the license is included in the section entitled ``GNU
       Free Documentation License''.

binutils-2.14.91		  2004-04-09			      STRIP(1)

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