Re: Cross-Compiling Ada to Netware with GNAT

["Steve" <nospam_steved94@comcast.net>]

<darrylbleau@gmail.com> wrote in message 
news:1143070697.388445.48160@i39g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> Hello all,
>
> Exploring using Ada as a replacement language for C, however, one of
> our requirements is that we need to be able to run our programs on
> Novell Netware. So, one of the first aspects of the feasilbility study
> is to get an Ada program running on Netware. We've been so far
> unsuccessful, so I was hoping someone here could help point us in the
> right direction.
>
> Currently, we cross compile our C programs using gcc and link
> everything into an elf32-i386 object file. Then, we use nlmconv to
> convert this into an NLM (Netware's executable format). So, we tried
> this approach to cross compile Ada programs, linking the object file
> that gnatmake generated together with libgnat.a and libgcc_eh.a.
> However, nlmconv errors out with an 'invalid operation' and lists
> missing symbols related to C, this seems to be from using the wrong
> header files (using the Linux headers, not the Netware ones), so we're
> missing 'stdout and stdin' among others. Netware, of course, won't run
> the generated NLM.
>
> I've only been researching Ada for about a month in my spare time, but
> everyplace I read can't stop talking about how portable it is, so I'm
> thinking there must be an easy way to make this work, I'm just not sure
> how. I did read about compiling a compiler on the target platform
> itself and using this to compile programs with, is that the direction I
> should be taking instead of cross compiling? Though it would seem that
> you should be able to cross compile to any gcc supported platform (of
> which Netware is). In any event, I'm at a bit of a loss, can anyone
> help?
>

The places I would look for an answer to these questions (not in order):
  #1 comp.lang.ads (which you've already done)
  #2 The GNATLIST mailing list (gnatlist@hermes.gwu.edu)
  #3 The gcc mailing list (http://gcc.gnu.org/lists.html)
  #4 Contact AdaCore (http://www.adacore.com/home/)

If you are serious and have the funds to support using Ada, contacting 
AdaCore is your best bet.  The last I knew you could get trial support from 
AdaCore and evaluate their full product.

I hope this helps,
Steve
(The Duck)