Read/Write data compression is enabled by default to optimize ROM size.

A new option is available, --rosplit, to output two RO execution regions, one for code and one for data.

New command-line options are available to support C++ exception tables. Use the new option --noexceptions to ensure that your code is exceptions free.

The new option --exceptions_tables=unwind|nounwind forces the linker to generate exception tables regardless of the content of the input files. The linker can create exception tables for C and assembly language objects with debug frame information using, for example, --exceptions_tables=unwind.

A new option is available, --userlibpath, to specify where to search for user libraries.

The linker is now stricter in checking alignment in object files. It ensures that any code that requires eight-byte alignment of the stack is only called, directly or indirectly, by code that preserves eight-byte alignment of the stack. The linker generates an error message if a stack alignment conflict is detected:

Error L6238E: object_name.o(section_name) contains invalid call from ’~PRES8’ function to ’REQ8’ function_name

A similar warning message is generated where the address of an external symbol is referenced:

Warning L6306W: ’~PRES8’ section object_name.o(section_name) should not use the address of ’REQ8’ function_name