Kernel modules and -fno-pic

Has anyone that builds loadable kernel modules run into the requirement for a -fno-pic compiler flag? I have a couple of lkms I created a few years ago and when I went to modify one I suddenly get "wx_lkm: Unknown symbol _GLOBAL_OFFSET_TABLE_ (err 0)" when I make and insmod it. I don't believe I've changed anything and I never needed the flag before, but searching for the error led me to -fno-pic. My Makefile was very simple:

obj-m+=wx_lkm.o

all:
        make -C /lib/modules/$(shell uname -r)/build/ M=$(PWD) modules
clean:
        make -C /lib/modules/$(shell uname -r)/build/ M=$(PWD) clean

I had to change it to:

obj-m+=wx_lkm.o

all:
        make -C /lib/modules/$(shell uname -r)/build/ EXTRA_CFLAGS=-fno-pic M=$(PWD) modules
clean:
        make -C /lib/modules/$(shell uname -r)/build/ M=$(PWD) clean

It bugs me more than anything since it works with the compiler flag. I'm just wondering what I might have screwed up to make it suddenly require the flag. I've been using the same kernel that's long overdue for an update since I started developing the lkms.

renojim,

> It bugs me more than anything since it works with
> the compiler flag. I'm just wondering what I
> might have screwed up to make it suddenly require
> the flag. I've been using the same kernel that's
> long overdue for an update since I started
> developing the lkms.

Is it with the latest kernel? there might have been changes in the way the kernel exported symbols to modules, that could have affected it.

-bodhi
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No, that's the thing. As I said, I'm long overdue for an update on my Dockstar (still playing with the M300) and I'm on 4.8.3-kirkwood-tld-1. It's weird since I don't think I've changed anything as far as the kernel is concerned. It just bugs me that it's suddenly necessary. I should just go ahead and get this thing up to date, but I haven't fully recovered from my hard drive crash. That may or may not have something to do with this. Maybe I installed something to the hard drive that I haven't recovered that's involved with building kernel modules? It doesn't seem likely since I don't use the hard drive for system files.

I may have figured out what changed. My original lkm was built with gcc v4.9.2 and the one that requires the flag uses gcc v6.3.0. I don't know if that points to something wrong with my gcc install or if some defaults changed, but at least I know how to get around the error.

renojim,

> I may have figured out what changed. My original
> lkm was built with gcc v4.9.2 and the one that
> requires the flag uses gcc v6.3.0. I don't know
> if that points to something wrong with my gcc
> install or if some defaults changed, but at least
> I know how to get around the error.


Sounds like your Debian version was updated from wheezy to stretch. IIRC, ggc was 4.9.x in wheezy, and 6.3x in stretch.

-bodhi
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