strip(1)

strip -- strip symbol table, debugging and line number information from an object file

Synopsis

   strip [-lVx] file . . .

Description

The strip command strips the symbol table, debugging information, and line number information from ELF object files; COFF object files can no longer be stripped. Once this stripping process has been done, no symbolic debugging access will be available for that file; therefore, this command is normally run only on production modules that have been debugged and tested.

If strip is executed on a common archive file [see ar(1)] in addition to processing the members, strip will remove the archive symbol table. The archive symbol table must be restored by executing the ar(1) command with the -s option before the archive can be linked by the ld(1) command. strip will produce appropriate warning messages when this situation arises.

The amount of information stripped from the ELF object file can be controlled by using any of the following options:

-l: Strip line number information only; do not strip the symbol table or debugging information.
-V: Print, on standard error, the version number of strip.
-x: Do not strip the symbol table; debugging and line number information may be stripped.

strip is used to reduce the file storage overhead taken by the object file.

Files

TMPDIR/strp: temporary files
TMPDIR: usually /var/tmp but can be redefined by setting the environment variable TMPDIR [see tempnam in tmpnam(3S)].

References

a.out(4), ar(1), ar(4), as(1), cc(1), ld(1), tmpnam(3S)

Notices

The symbol table section will not be removed if it is contained within a segment, or the file is either a relocatable or dynamic shared object.

The line number and debugging sections will not be removed if they are contained within a segment, or their associated relocation section is contained within a segment.