Chapter 1. Introduction

ELF defines a linking interface for compiled application programs. ELF is described in two parts. The first part is the generic System V ABI. The second part is a processor specific supplement.

This document is the processor specific supplement for use with ELF on 64-bit PowerPCTM processor systems.

This document is not a complete System V Application Binary Interface Supplement, because it does not define any library interfaces.

In the 64-bit PowerPC ArchitectureTM, a processor can run in either of two modes: big-endian mode or little-endian mode. (See Section 3.1.3.) Accordingly, this ABI specification really defines two binary interfaces, a big-endian ABI and a little-endian ABI. Programs and (in general) data produced by programs that run on an implementation of the big-endian interface are not portable to an implementation of the little-endian interface, and vice versa. The 64-bit PowerPC ELF ABI is not the same as the 32-bit PowerPC ELF ABI, nor is it a simple extension. A system which supports the 64-bit PowerPC ELF ABI may, but need not, support the 32-bit PowerPC ELF ABI.

The 64-bit PowerPC ELF ABI is intended to use the same structure layout and calling convention rules as the 64-bit PowerOpen ABI.

1.1. How to Use the 64-bit PowerPC ELF ABI Supplement

While the generic System V ABI is the prime reference document, this document contains 64-bit PowerPC processor-specific implementation details, some of which supersedes information in the generic ABI.

As with the System V ABI, this document refers to other publicly available documents, especially the book titled IBM PowerPC User Instruction Set Architecture, all of which should be considered part of this 64-bit PowerPC Processor ABI Supplement and just as binding as the requirements and data it explicitly includes.

The following documents may be of interest to the reader of this specification: