08/02/84  gcos_build_library, gcbl

Syntax as a command:  gcbl input_path output_path {-control_args}


Function:
     This command builds a GCOS simulator software library from a
native GCOS system-loadable file and optionally appends a second
software file.  A catalog (or load table) is built from information on
the input file and the optional append file, and occupies the first
1000 words of the output file.  This process is analogous to building
the "GECALL TABLE" by GCOS, at startup, and exists for the same reason
(i.e., to facilitate loading of the individual modules).


Arguments:
input_path
   is the pathname of the input file.  This file may or may not already
   have a catalog.  This file may have been created by this procedure,
   in which case it has a catalog, or by the gcos_extract_module or
   gcos_pull_tape, in which case it would not have a catalog.
output_path
   is the pathname of the file into which the modules in the input file
   (plus those in the optional append file) are to be copied, preceded
   by a catalog.  If this file already exists, it is overwritten, with
   no warning.


Control arguments:
-append append_path
   -append append_path append_path is the pathname of a file whose
   contents are to be appended to those of the input file (i.e., copied
   to the end of the output file) before the new catalog is built.
-brief, bf
   suppresses printing of the catalog (load name and offset) of
   output_path.


Notes:  The catalog occupies the first 1000 words of the output file,
and has space for 499 entries.

Existing modules are not replaced by the appending function.  The only
way to replace an existing module with a different version of itself is
to extract from the existing library, into a new file, all the modules
except the one(s) to be replaced, extract the new versions of those
modules into the new file (they are appended to those previously
extracted into the file), and then build a catalog for the new file.

This command cannot be used to manipulate a random system-loadable file
since the catalog created differs from the format of the catalog
produced by SYSEDIT (commonly used for ** files).


This command is not used to convert the GCOS subroutine libraries (the
SOFTW-SYSLIB files) to a form usable by the GCOS simulator.  To do
this, the gcos_reformat_syslib command is used.


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Historical Background

This edition of the Multics software materials and documentation is provided and donated
to Massachusetts Institute of Technology by Group BULL including BULL HN Information Systems Inc. 
as a contribution to computer science knowledge.  
This donation is made also to give evidence of the common contributions of Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
Bell Laboratories, General Electric, Honeywell Information Systems Inc., Honeywell BULL Inc., Groupe BULL
and BULL HN Information Systems Inc. to the development of this operating system. 
Multics development was initiated by Massachusetts Institute of Technology Project MAC (1963-1970),
renamed the MIT Laboratory for Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence in the mid 1970s, under the leadership
of Professor Fernando Jose Corbato. Users consider that Multics provided the best software architecture 
for managing computer hardware properly and for executing programs. Many subsequent operating systems 
incorporated Multics principles.
Multics was distributed in 1975 to 2000 by Group Bull in Europe , and in the U.S. by Bull HN Information Systems Inc., 
as successor in interest by change in name only to Honeywell Bull Inc. and Honeywell Information Systems Inc. .

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Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute these programs and their documentation for any purpose and without
fee is hereby granted,provided that the below copyright notice and historical background appear in all copies
and that both the copyright notice and historical background and this permission notice appear in supporting
documentation, and that the names of MIT, HIS, BULL or BULL HN not be used in advertising or publicity pertaining
to distribution of the programs without specific prior written permission.
    Copyright 1972 by Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Honeywell Information Systems Inc.
    Copyright 2006 by BULL HN Information Systems Inc.
    Copyright 2006 by Bull SAS
    All Rights Reserved