A system for backward binary compatibility analysis of shared libraries in Linux

Abstract

This paper discusses a problem of ensuring backward binary compatibility of Linux shared libraries. Breakage of the compatibility may result in crashing or incorrect behavior of applications built with an old version of a library when it is running with a new one. Existing tools may detect only a small part of all possible backwards compatibility problems. This paper presents a new fully automated method for checking backward binary compatibility and detecting a broad spectrum of possible problems. This method is based on comparison of function signatures and type definitions obtained from library header files. This paper also describes structure of a lightweight tool that implements the proposed method.