STRIP(1)		     GNU Development Tools		      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]
	     [--keep-file-symbols]
	     [--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.

       -s
       --strip-all
	   Remove all symbols.

       -g
       -S
       -d
       --strip-debug
	   Remove debugging symbols only.

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

       -K symbolname
       --keep-symbol=symbolname
	   When  stripping  symbols,  keep  symbol symbolname even if it would
	   normally be stripped.  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 ..)

       --keep-file-symbols
	   When    stripping   a   file,   perhaps   with   --strip-debug   or
	   --strip-unneeded, retain any symbols specifying source file	names,
	   which would otherwise get stripped.

       --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
	   dure to create these files is as follows:

	   1.
	       "foo" then...

	   1.
	       create a file containing the debugging info.

	   1.
	       stripped executable.

	   1.
	       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.
	   1.
	   1.
	   1.

	   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
	   archives, strip -v lists all members of the archive.

       @file
	   Read command-line options from file.  The options read are inserted
	   in place of the original @file option.  If file does not exist,  or
	   cannot  be read, then the option will be treated literally, and not
	   removed.

	   Options in file are separated by whitespace.  A whitespace  charac
	   ter	may  be included in an option by surrounding the entire option
	   in either single or double  quotes.	 Any  character  (including  a
	   backslash)  may  be	included  by  prefixing  the  character  to be
	   included with a backslash.  The file may itself contain  additional
	   @file options; any such options will be processed recursively.

SEE ALSO
       the Info entries for binutils.

COPYRIGHT
       Copyright  (c)  1991,  1992,  1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999,
       2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 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-2.17			  2006-06-23			      STRIP(1)