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Q31991: How LINK Orders and Combines Segments

Article: Q31991
Product(s): Microsoft Programming Utilities
Version(s): MS-DOS:3.x,4.x,5.0x,5.1x,5.3,5.31.009,5.5,5.6; OS/2:5.0x,5.1x,5.3,5.31.009
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kb16bitonly
Last Modified: 30-OCT-1999

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft LINK for MS-DOS, versions 3.x, 4.x, 5.0x, 5.1x, 5.3, 5.31.009, 5.5, 5.6 
- Microsoft LINK for OS/2, versions 5.0x, 5.1x, 5.3, 5.31.009 
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Every application segment belongs to a named class such as "CODE,"
"DATA," or "BSS." LINK orders segments in the output file to place
segments that have the same class into the file contiguously. LINK
does not change the order of segment classes and, within each class,
LINK does not change the order of segments.

In an assembly language application, if a segment does not have a
class name, the linker assigns it to the null class, which is
processed as any other segment class.

If the linker command line includes the /DOSSEG option switch or
specifies a run-time library from a Microsoft language product, LINK
imposes the following order on the segments in the output file:

  code     - class names that end in "CODE"


  far data - all segment classes except for "DGROUP" and code


  DGROUP   - (this segment is the default

              data segment for the application)
              - class "BEGDATA" (a special run-time segment)
              - near initialized data (all data except
                                       for "BSS" and "STACK")
              - near BSS uninitialized data (class "BSS")
              - stack (class "STACK")

Additional query words: kbinf 3.00 3.60 4.10 5.10 5.30 5.50 5.60

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Keywords          : kb16bitonly 
Technology        : kbAudDeveloper kbZNotKeyword3 kbLINKSearch kbLINK3xDOSSearch kbLINK4xDOSSearch kbLINK50xDOSSearch kbLINK510xDOSSearch kbLINK50xOS2Search kbLINK530DOS kbLINK53109DOS kbLINK550DOS kbLINK560DOS kbLINK530OS2
Version           : MS-DOS:3.x,4.x,5.0x,5.1x,5.3,5.31.009,5.5,5.6; OS/2:5.0x,5.1x,5.3,5.31.009

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