update_prebinding(1)    System General Commands Manual    update_prebinding(1)

NAME
     update_prebinding - Update prebinding information for newly changed files

SYNOPSIS
     update_prebinding -root directory [-debug] [-force]
                       [-pkgs package-name install-location ...]
                       [-files filename ...]

DESCRIPTION
     update_prebinding tries to synchronize prebinding information for
     libraries and executables when new files are added to a system.  Prebind-
     ing information is pre-calculated address information for libraries used
     by a given executable or library.  By pre-determining where a function in
     another library is destined to be placed, the dynamic linker does not
     have to resolve symbols at application startup time, and the application
     can launch faster.

     Because each recompilation of a library or executable may place functions
     at different addresses, a newly installed library or executable's pre-
     binding information might not match the libraries already on the disk.
     When the dynamic linker determines that prebinding information for a
     library could be invalid, it defaults to resolving all the names for that
     library, and for all libraries referenced by that library, losing any
     advantage of having the prebinding information.

     update_prebinding ensures that prebinding information is up-to-date after
     new prebound applications or new versions of system libraries are
     installed.  Given a list of the newly installed files in a package,
     update_prebinding finds all the libraries and executables that may dynam-
     ically load the changed files.  If so, the prebinding information must be
     updated, and update_prebinding performs redo_prebinding to update that
     file.  update_prebinding builds a dependency graph to minimize the files
     that must be updated, and applies a few other heuristics to only call
     redo_prebinding when necessary.

     The root argument specifies the directory tree to search for changed
     files.  This is usually the root directory.  update_prebinding will look
     for dependent libraries and executables within this directory hierarchy,
     but will not go to different file systems.  The argument allows you to
     update prebinding information for a specific file to match a non-running
     version of the operating system on another partition.  update_prebinding
     uses the root to find the system libraries for that version of the OS.
     The root argument is not intended to limit update_prebinding's effect to
     a particular set of executables; instead, you must specify the changed
     files using -files or -pkgs.

     The pkgs argument specifies the packages containing the files to be
     updated.  update_prebinding uses this list to determine the files that
     must change, and thus identify the scope of updates necessary.  After the
     option name, list every package that changed, along with its install root
     so that update_prebinding can find the newly installed files.

     If no packages are named on the command line, then update_prebinding
     scans the entire directory hierarchy from the named root looking for exe-
     cutables, then prebinds all executables from least dependent to most.

     The files option allows a list of changed files to be provided as subse-
     quent arguments instead of a list of packages.  Any libraries or executa-
     bles in the root directory that depend on these files will also be re-
     prebound.

     The debug option does not actually change prebinding, but merely goes
     through the effort of figuring out what will change, and lists the files
     it would update if allowed.

     By default, update_prebinding only changes a file if the prebinding is
     out of date.  The -force option ensures that all files examined are re-
     prebound, even if the prebinding is otherwise up-to-date.  The command
     update_prebinding -root / -force will prebind all binaries on the root
     volume, even if otherwise correct.

Issues
     update_prebinding (and redo_prebinding) only work on applications and
     libraries that have been compiled and linked with the prebinding informa-
     tion added.  Applications that have not been prebound still gain the ben-
     efits of prebinding as long as the system libraries used by the applica-
     tion have been correctly prebound.

     Updating prebinding for a given library or application can fail if any of
     its dependent libraries are invalid -- not prebound, expected load
     address conflicting with other loaded libraries, or missing architecture
     in a fat library.  To test if an application is able to use prebinding
     information, set the environment variable DYLD_PREBIND_DEBUG.  (See
     dyld(1) for details on this option.)

     update_prebinding does not actually execute /usr/bin/redo_prebinding when
     re-prebinding files, but instead contains equivalent code.  .Pp

SEE ALSO
     dyld(1) redo_prebinding(1)

BSD                            February 14, 2001                           BSD