The C run-time environment (crt0)

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The C run-time environment (crt0)

To link and run C or C++ programs, you need to define a small module (usually written in assembler as ‘crt0.s’) to ensure that the hardware initializes for C conventions before calling main.

There are some examples available in the sources of GNUPro Toolkit for ‘crt0.s’ code (along with examples of system calls with sub-routines).
Look in the following path.

installdir/gnupro-99r1/src/newlib/libc/sys

installdir refers to your installation directory, by default ‘/usr/cygnus’.
For example, look in ‘.../sys/h8300hms’ for Hitachi H8/300 bare boards, or in ‘.../sys/sparclite’ for the Fujitsu SPARClite board.
More examples are in the following directory.

installdir/gnupro-98r2/src/newlib/stub

To write your own crt0.s module, you need the following information about your target.

A memory map, showing the size of available memory and memory location
Which way the stack grows
Which output format is in use

At a minimum, your crt0.s module must do the following processes.

Define the symbol, start (_start in assembler code). Execution begins at this symbol.

Set up the stack pointer, sp. It is largely up to you to choose where to store your stack within the constraints of your target’s memory map. Perhaps the simplest choice is to choose a fixed-size area somewhere in the uninitialized data section (often called ‘bss’). Remember that whether you choose the low address or the high address in this area depends on the direction your stack grows.

Initialize all memory in the uninitialized-data (‘bss’) section to zero.

The easiest way to do this is with the help of a linker script (see “Linker scripts” in Using ld in GNUPro Utilities). Use a linker script to define symbols such as ‘bss_start’ and ‘bss_end’ to record the boundaries of this section; then you can use a ‘for’ loop to initialize all memory between them in the ‘crt0.s’ module.

Call main. Nothing else will!

A more complete ‘crt0.s’ module might also do the following processes.

Define an ‘_exit’ subroutine. This is the C name; in your assembler code. Use the label, _ _exit, with two leading underbars. Its precise behavior depends on the details of your system, and on your choice. Possibilities include trapping back to the boot monitor, if there is one; or to the loader, if there is no monitor; or even back to the symbol, start.

If your target has no monitor to mediate communications with the debugger, you must set up the hardware exception handler in the ‘crt0.s’ module. See The GDB remote serial protocol in Debugging with GDB in GNUPro Debugging Tools for details on how to use the GDB generic remote-target facilities for this purpose.

Perform other hardware-dependent initialization; for example, initializing an mmu or an auxiliary floating-point chip.

Define low-level input and output subroutines. For example, the ‘crt0.s’ module is a convenient place to define the minimal assembly-level routines; see System calls in GNUPro C Library in GNUPro Libraries.

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